Tips for clearing you ears

[Uncle Pug]

We all need to do this on each dive....
Some have more difficulty than others....

My youngest daughter had a terrible time and I finally realized that if was fear related... not outright panic or terror but something more subtle....

The problem only showed up on boat dives - not on shore dives.

I had her do a valsalva before doing down and we would just descend to 5' on the anchor line and hang out together until she relaxed. She knew that I was willing to just hang there for the whole dive or even abort the dive. I let her decided when we could go on down. Once clear she would end up leading the way down without stopping and never have a problem after our few minutes together at 5'. Actually that became a favorite part of the dive for me... real quality time if you know what I mean.

What methods have you found to overcome difficulty in clearing your ears???

 

[Drew Sailbum]

I had some trouble clearing my ears for while after I pulled a muscle in my neck. I found I had to gently massage a spot on my neck just above my eustachian tube to get it to equalize while descending.

For those not clear on anatomy, put two fingers on your neck just behind your earlobe and you are just about over the eustachian tube.

Curiously, it always equalized fine as I ascended. I'm not sure why the difference since I assumed it would be just as difficult ascending. No complaints.

 

[The Chairman]

"Blow THEN Go" to my snorklers... and it works for them when the go on to OW. Once pressure is "felt" by the diver, equalization becomes much harder. Soft tissues in and around the eustachion tubes collapse and effectively seal them buggers once pressure is applied (I think this is a manufacturer's defect, but don't expect a recall). If you can teach them to start equalization BEFORE they put their heads under the water it is way easier for them to accomplish, and they have a FAR better chance of reducing/eliminating any ear trauma. BTW, we practice the valsalva manuever on land, and emphasize the word GENTLY... It helps them to limber up before they have to use it.

BTW, for what happens when this is NOT a priority check out this thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5755

 

[Ari]

Never really had a problem clearing my ears or equalizing. On the other hand, I did get somewhat heavy breathing in my first boat dives. It was due to the quick enterance to the water, first drops of water entering the wetsuit and so on.

Waiting some time UW at a shallow depth and close to the line, was helping to calm myself down. About 2 minutes of slow, deep breathing did the trick and the rest of the dive was just fine. After a few dives, it went away and never came back since.

I have also seen the same thing with other new or non-experienced divers, so your daughter is not alone. It will go away with time. At the mean time, you can go on and enjoy the quality time.

Ari

 

[TexasMike]

I agree with Pete (this is happening way too often ). Before the dive, I gently practice the "V" maneuver several times to ensure that my system is both clear and limber. I'd rather find out on the surface that I'm clogged up than get a major squeeze going after jumping in.

 

[Rick Murchison]

The general construction of the ear and eustachian tube is best illustrated by the "whoopie" cushion. In order to get air into it (like you do going down), you have to change the shape of the orifice, opening it up. But when the pressure in the bag (middle ear) gets greater than the outside pressure (when you ascend) then the air escapes easily. That's why *usually* clearing problems are a descent problem.
HOWEVER - sometimes the eustachian tube can get plugged or swollen shut and prevent air escaping, forming a reverse block on ascent. It is extremely important that you teach your students NOT to use the valsalva maneuver on ascent, as that will only force even more air into the middle ear and exacerbate the problem. Emphasize that if there is pain then clearing is less likely, and an ascent (or descent in the case of a reverse block) to get rid of the pain should precede efforts to clear.
It is useful to remember that going down is optional; coming up is mandatory. If you have a great deal of difficulty going down then you probably shouldn't, because if you get a reverse block that you can't clear you *will* blow an eardrum, and possibly do even worse damage - permanent hearing loss/tinnitus. Or even worse, an assymetric reverse block can lead to extreme vertigo, nausea and eventual fatal panic.
--------------------------
In addition to the valsalva on descent, I use jaw thrusts (both fore & aft & side-to-side), head tilts side to side, swallowing, "chewing" and gentle massage of the ear itself as well as the eustachian tube (as Drew described).
Rick

 

[Ari]

Of course having of few dry tries is always a good idea. I also start equalizing as soon as I get into the water, so I don't have to wait untill pressure builds up.

Ari

 

[SunshineFish]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
We all need to do this on each dive....
Some have more difficulty than others....

My youngest daughter had a terrible time and I finally realized that if was fear related... not outright panic or terror but something more subtle....

Uncle Pug,

That fear thing happens to me too. I've always had slow-clearing ears. And they're even slower when I get nervous. Example: for my deep dive - my AOW instructor (and I did warn her that my ear-clearing is slow) really made me nervous by telling me (on her slate) to hurry up b/c we have limited bottom time for deep dive. Well, my body's reaction to that was to take even longer to equalize. Example2: Sometimes I get easily frustrated when I'm hanging at 10 feet and everyone else is below me waiting. So this exasperates the problem.

It can take me anywhere from 2 minutes to 15 minutes to reach 40 feet depending on how nervous or frustrated I get from my ear-clearing. But I'm continuosly working on improving and finding out what works best for me.

My last few dives, I realized why it took me so long. I can't seem to clear my ears by the Valsava method. Only swallowing does the trick. But it's difficult for me to swallow underwater with the reg. And it's even more difficult when I feel rushed.

Sunshine

 

[fredk]

i have to agree with pug. i have had so many students who appear to have problems clearing only to find out it is actually more a case of nerves hang out at 5 to 10 ft. until they are comfortable and the equalizing problems go away. but for real ear problems start before you begin your descent and use the valsalva manuver as well as swallowing. it works for some.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by SunshineFish
And it's even more difficult when I feel rushed.
Sunshine

Sunshine,
You need to find a buddy who is willing to to take the time to enjoy being with you underwater even if it is only 5'.... so what!

Don't let yourself get into the position of being rushed and don't go down before you are ready!

If you were out here in the PNW....
Uncle would take you out diving!

Rest assured that as you grow more comfortable with diving your equalizing problem will get better.... Ronda's did.....

I think that another thing that exacerbates the anxiety problem is the cold water... Do you have a good exposure suit???