Swimmer's Ear

[SlainteMolly]

I'm a student diver and had our 2nd pool class last night. After class my ears remained stuffy, this morning both are stuffy and one is downright painful. Any tips on treatment/prevention? I'd hate for this to be the aftermath of my dives.

 

[RickyF]

You can buy swimmer's ear drops over the counter at most drug stores. You can also make your own, using equal parts of white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and alcohol. After you finish diving, take a shower and rinse your ears out good. Put three to four drops in each ear and leave there for a few minutes. Works for me!

 

[weitodive]

You might want to monitor the ear and possibly go to your doctor if the pain gets worse. If you try the swimmers ear and it's very painful then definitely go see a doctor.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

WHat Ricky said. And it may not be swimmers ear. You may have been trying to equalize with too much force and caused some inflammation. Ibuprofen helps me with that in general. I'd also recommend that you allow some time for the painful one to heal before getting back in the water. If it stays painful for another 24 hours I'd visit a doctor. When you get back in the water pay close attention to how fast you ascend and descend. SLIGHT pressure is normal, pain is not. That full feeling may happen again as well as your body gets used to the pressure changes.

 

[SlainteMolly]

Thanks, all - I think it is more the equalization thing - does not feel infected, just lots of pressure, resolves when I push on the ear. And I definitely need to work on finding a neutral buoyancy! So - like everything else with this sport - practice brings comfort. I really appreciate the advice!

 

[birdwrasse]

my swimmer's ear drops are 70% isopropyl alcohol and glycerin... usually 15:1... you might also consider doc's proplugs! they work great! --c

 

[DevonDiver]

Caveat: I am not a Doctor... these are my opinions as a dive instructor (although my partner is an ENT doctor).

It's almost certain to be a middle-ear issue. Most people can determine whether the pain/congested feeling is in the ear canal (outer ear) or within the middle ear.

The 'congested' sensation is very common amongst novice divers and typically originates from over-forceful equalisation. It's usually just an accumulation of body fluid (to protect the ear)...or some minor strain that causes swelling. This normally resolves itself within 48 hours. If it doesn't, then consider consulting an ENT doctor to confirm that no treatable damage has occurred.

Another potential cause might be some congestion. When you equalise, you can push mucus up the Eustachian tube into the middle ear. That takes some time to drain out. Not nice..and another reason why divers are recommended to not dive with congestion/cold (decongestants might not remove any mucus that is already in the Eustachian tubes).

I cannot stress enough how 'gentle' equalisation should be. If it requires any force whatsoever, then you need to re-ascend slightly and attempt equalisation again. If you cannot equalise there, ascend more and try again. If you keep trying and haven't achieved equalisation before you get back to the surface (!) then you've probably got some congestion - in which case, you shouldn't dive.

Inability to equalise is often caused because external water pressure is what is closing the Eustacian tubes. That can only happen if you have descended too far without equalising. Reduce that pressure (ascend) and the tubes will open up, allowing easy equalisation. Forcing it won't help... and if the tubes do open, the pressure you are causing can damage the middle ear structure.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

As Devon Diver mentioned, Swimmers' ear is in the outer part of the ear and is like an inflammation. If you pull on your pinna (part of ear that protrudes from head), and you have swimmer's ear, it will often cause the outer ear canal to hurt. "Ear beer" after diving can help to prevent this.

But, since you were in a pool, and because of the "stuffiness," I would guess you have something going on in your middle ear, as DevonDiver described. This won't be helped by ear beer or by putting medicine in your outer ear now. It would likely have been caused by something you did while equalizing (or not equalizing). I've also given myself middle ear trouble (similar symptoms) by blowing my nose really hard when I had a cold (with other nostril pinched shut). The fluid in my middle ear took a long time to go away so I don't do that anymore!

One equalizing tip that *really* helped me (I used to have major challenges equalizing) came from SB: "Equalize" your ears on the surface, before you put your head into the water. This "pre-puffs" your eustachian tubes and makes it easier to keep on equalizing as you descend (just don't get too far "behind," as DevonDiver mentioned). My diving was totally changed for the better after I got this tip.

 

[SlainteMolly]

Thanks, all!
My daughter, the fish, kept telling me to equalize all the way down - I had no idea what she was talking about, but what you are saying here makes sense. I think I was blowing too hard at the surface, and then not trying to make any adjustments until I got to the bottom of the pool (ow!) so - next question - do I stay out of the water until it sorts itself out? or do I hop in and try to equalize and come up slowly? My next class isn't until next week, but I was planning on practicing in the neighbor's pool this weekend

 

[bleeb]

My daughter, the fish, kept telling me to equalize all the way down - I had no idea what she was talking about, but what you are saying here makes sense. I think I was blowing too hard at the surface, and then not trying to make any adjustments until I got to the bottom of the pool (ow!)

As you've realized, in the future, you need to equalize a lot more often. For new divers, I like to give out the quantitative measure that most people feel like equalizing one or more times riding an elevator up or down a 50 story building. That's about equivalent to 8" of water. So if you're waiting more than a couple of feet, you're likely already behind what your ears would likely prefer.