Stuffed ear: the main reasons, what to do, in which cases to consult a doctor

Stuffed ear - causes and what to do? The situation is typical, but not everyone knows how to act calmly and confidently at home.

The auricle is the visible part of a complex system called the “ear,” with the help of which a person hears sounds and navigates in space.

The human ear consists of:

• external ear (auricle and external auditory canal);
• middle ear (tympanic cavity);
• inner ear (membranous labyrinth).

Each of them performs a specific function: the outer one – picks up sound, the middle one – amplifies this sound, the inner one – converts sound vibrations into impulses and transmits them to the brain, and is involved in maintaining balance. The eardrum separates the outer and inner ears.

The auricle of each person has individual characteristics that do not affect the functions of the ear. All this operates harmoniously, as a single system, and a failure in one part of it leads to a failure in the functioning of the entire organ.

The causes of ear congestion are:

• a) natural,
• c) pathological.

Natural causes of blocked ears include environmental influences that go away on their own and do not require medical intervention; as a rule, they do not cause pain:

• some exercises during intense physical activity;
• sudden changes in external pressure (airplane takeoff and landing, elevator rides, rides, climbing mountains, diving);
• accumulation of sulfur as a result of its increased secretion;
• weather change;
• a foreign body in the ear (in this case, you need to contact a specialist so as not to harm yourself by independent actions);
• pregnancy (congestion appears in one or both ears as a result of increased pressure, hormonal imbalance, due to obesity).

Pathological causes of ear congestion:

• Infection with pneumococcus, streptococcus, or staphylococcus leads to inflammation of the Eustachian tube, as a result of which its patency is disrupted, creating rarefied ear pressure. The patient has a high temperature (up to 38 degrees), a feeling of heaviness in the head and a sensation of fluid transfusion in the ear.
• Otitis media occurs when the mucous membrane of the eardrum is damaged as a result of disruption of the Eustachian tube. There is an accumulation of mucus and fluid in the cavity (exudative form of otitis media) or pus (purulent otitis media), fever, and sore throat when swallowing.
• Damage to the skin or walls of the outer ear as a result of an inflammatory process (pathogens fungi or bacteria) - otitis externa. Itching, swelling occurs, and a purulent process may begin.

In addition to inflammatory processes in the organ of hearing, the reasons why ears periodically become clogged include:

• In the ear area connecting the middle and inner ear, tissue growth occurs - otosclerosis . There is a change in hearing when walking and chewing.
• Pathological changes in the middle ear - Meniere's syndrome . Most often found in older people. There is hearing impairment, dizziness, disorientation, ringing in the ears, and a feeling of strong pressure in the ear cavity. Often during an attack, nausea, vomiting, headache, and diarrhea occur.
• Benign neoplasms - neuromas . There is decreased hearing, dizziness, tinnitus, disorientation, and painful sensations when pressing on the facial nerve.
• Dysfunction of the maxillofacial joint.
• Neoplasms in the brain.
• Deviated nasal septum.
• Taking medications.
• Pathologies of the thyroid gland.
• Allergy accompanied by tissue swelling.
• Condition after injury.

Treatment of ear diseases

When the underlying condition has been treated, and the congestion and noise in the ears does not go away, the doctor will conduct an additional examination of the hearing aid. These are visual examination and special instrumental diagnostic methods. Depending on the cause of the pathology, medications and treatment procedures will be prescribed. After completing a therapeutic course, in most cases, ear congestion goes away without consequences for the patient. A timely visit to a specialist will help prevent complications.

You can consult about the causes of ear congestion and make an appointment with a specialist by calling our clinic or using the form on the website.

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What to do if your ear is stuffy but doesn’t hurt

It happens that the ears become blocked after flying on an airplane, or when quickly ascending to a height in an elevator, but there is no more pain or discomfort, the person is basically healthy, then the following actions will help:

• pinch your nose with your fingers, hold your breath, exhale (do not unclench your fingers);
• yawn with your mouth wide open;
• Drink a glass of water slowly, in small sips;
• chew chewing candy, gum, or perform active (wide) chewing movements with the jaws;
• inflate a rubber ball or blow into a narrow tube.

These simple steps will help you cope with ear congestion in the mountains, on an airplane (difference in atmospheric pressure) and in other similar situations.

Whether your left ear or right is blocked, it doesn’t matter for subsequent actions.

What to do if water gets into your ear and it becomes blocked

Water gets into the ear in the most ordinary situations (swimming in a pool, sea, river, shower) and this causes a feeling of stuffiness. So, water got into my ear and I was wondering what to do about it:

• clean the ear from water (with a soft cloth, cotton wool);
• with your palm pressed to your ear, perform rotational movements (tilt your head);
• Press your ear firmly with your palm (you can tightly close the ear canal with your index finger) and then sharply remove your hand;
• perform jumps on one leg, tilting your head;
• lying on your side, placing a towel under your head, perform chewing movements;
• insert a soft cotton wool into the ear, tilt your head and pull the auricle up and back, you can do a small ear massage;
• drip hydrogen peroxide (2-3 drops) if nothing else helps. Boric or medical alcohol will do.

If such incidents occur periodically, it is worth thinking about how to prevent an unpleasant situation; perhaps you should bathe with cotton pads in your ears. Very often the ear becomes very blocked due to the swelling of the existing wax plug in a humid environment.

Such cases cannot be ignored - this can lead to unwanted processes in the ear.

Foreign body in the ear

This usually happens by accident when cleaning the ears, when objects for which they are not intended are used - a match and cotton wool wrapped around it. A part of such a structure can easily break off and end up in a hard-to-reach place. Unfortunately, doctors are faced with episodes where insects crawl into the ears.

Whatever the foreign object, only professionals can get it. Otherwise, your eardrums may be seriously damaged. Certified specialists know how to deal with this problem and will do everything quickly, and most importantly, without consequences.

What to do if your ears are blocked after ear cleaning

There is a common belief that you can use a cotton swab to remove accumulated wax. The key word is “cotton”: cotton wool is soft, delicate, and therefore a cotton swab is suitable for the cleaning procedure.

But not everyone knows that excess wax accumulates at the beginning of the ear canal and can be removed with an ordinary soft cotton swab. To do this, you do not need to penetrate far into the ear. A cotton swab, on the contrary, moves the wax into the ear canal, where a plug of wax can form.

A similar situation can happen if you use a match, a hairpin, or a stick for cleaning, which is often done. All these objects can injure the skin of the ear canal, and later an inflammatory process will begin at the site of the injury.

If after the cleaning procedure your hearing has decreased, you have become partially deaf, or you have an unpleasant feeling of congestion, then perhaps there is a blockage and you need to see a doctor for advice. The plug is removed quickly and painlessly.

Increased secretion of sulfur glands can also cause a plug in the ear.

Earwax can be removed at home if you know how to do it correctly without aggravating the situation.

When to go to the ENT doctor?

Constant ear congestion, even without pain, is a cause for concern. Treatment must be directed at the cause, which may be very serious. In severe cases, the patient may require surgery.

It is necessary to consult a doctor in cases where the feeling of congestion does not go away for a long time, the body temperature rises, there is pain and dizziness, any fluids are discharged from the ear, if the hearing loss was preceded by an injury or serious illness.

Removing wax plug at home

Cork differs from simply excess sulfur in that it becomes a thick viscous mass, or even solid in consistency.

• to soften wax, drip hydrogen peroxide (2-3 drops) into the ear, cover the ear with cotton wool or a cloth for several minutes;
• dissolve potassium permanganate in water that is warm to the touch (slightly pink), draw into a large syringe without a needle (sterile);
• inject the solution, trying to direct the stream in different directions of the ear canal, wait for the water to flow out;
• repeat the procedure 2-3 times, but if the cork is old, then washing it out will require many times more manipulations - 20-30.

The sulfur should come out if everything is done carefully and correctly. You can notice this by improving your hearing.

What does congestion in the ears mean?

The eardrum, a thin membrane that separates the external auditory canal from the middle ear, is responsible for capturing sound. Sound waves make it vibrate. With the help of the hammer and other auditory ossicles located in the middle ear, the membrane transmits vibration to the cochlea, a complex organ of the inner ear. In turn, the cochlea converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals, which travel through the auditory nerve to the brain. That's what we hear.

Image: Ace2020/Shutterstock

A feeling of stuffiness occurs when something prevents the eardrum from vibrating. Various factors can lead to this.

Causes of ear congestion due to a cold:

• when you have a runny nose, the nasal mucosa swells, this can cause narrowing or blockage of the Eustachian tube, which can subsequently lead to inflammation of the middle ear;
• a similar situation occurs with inflammatory processes in the throat;
• Blowing your nose incorrectly leads to mucus being thrown into the ear (you need to blow your nose in each nostril separately), which can cause inflammation.

Headache, nausea, ear pain, fever indicate that the inflammatory process has already begun. In these cases, you cannot carry out treatment yourself - this can lead to impaired or complete hearing loss.

You should immediately contact an ENT doctor and receive qualified treatment!

If this is a temporary physiological cause, then when the underlying disease is cured, it should go away.

At home, with ear congestion and a cold, the following will help:

• massage of the nose and ear area;
• exercises to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the Eustachian tube (active chewing movements, yawning, inflating rubber balloons, blowing through a narrow tube);
• hot baths with mustard for the feet (afterwards put on warm socks);
• impact on biologically active points of the foot: pour dry mustard into socks and put them on at night.
• It is undesirable to use compresses or drops without consulting a specialist, because incorrect actions can only cause harm and aggravate the course of the disease.

Diagnostic methods and symptoms

In otolaryngology, there are many diseases that cause blocked ears. All the main reasons are listed above. How does a person feel when this problem arises? Often patients complain that the ear is blocked and noisy; headaches and confusion are also possible. It is possible to correctly identify the factor causing discomfort only during an examination at an appointment with an ENT specialist. In some cases, patients are sent for special diagnostic tests.

Regardless of the root cause, it is very important to be fully examined and not let the situation get worse. Otherwise, unpleasant consequences may manifest themselves.

Advantages of treatment at an ENT center

Treatment of ear, nose and throat diseases at the ENT CENTER is a comprehensive and individual approach to each patient. By making a preliminary appointment on the medical center’s website or by phone, you can:

• get face-to-face consultation with a specialist;
• undergo treatment of ENT diseases using progressive techniques;
• receive recommendations for further conservative treatment and prevention of ENT diseases.

Contact the ENT CENTER : here they will help you solve any problem within the competence of ENT doctors as efficiently, safely, quickly and painlessly as possible.