Sea
Sabres Scuba Diving club, Southern California, Fullerton
Sea Sabres
Trouble Clearing Your Ears
Here's How:
1. Descend into the water.
2. Lightly pinch your nose.
3. You may either swallow or gently blow against your pinched nose.
4. Continue the technique as you descend or as needed.
Tips:
1. Do not wait until you feel pain or discomfort to equalize.
2. Colds, allergies, and sinus problems make the situation worse.
Equalize early and often. The opening of the Eustachian tube in your ear is very sensitive to pressure. The effects of pressure can be felt in as little as three feet of water. If you don't equalize properly, you risk an ear injury, which can prevent you from diving until the injury is fully healed.
As you descend into the water, the air inside your ear is compressed and its pressure reduced. The water on the outside of your ear increases in pressure causing a squeeze. You must equalize to bring the two pressures into balance. If you do not equalize properly, the pressure inside your ear could rupture your eardrum. A reverse squeeze is the opposite of a squeeze. It happens upon ascent. The reverse squeeze occurs when the air inside the ear expands, but cannot escape. This usually happens to divers who have nasal congestion. A reverse squeeze can also cause severe damage to your ears.
Most divers use the Valsalva maneuver to equalize. This maneuver involves blowing gently against a pinched nose. Another similar method is the Frenzel maneuver. This technique involves pinching the nose and swallowing. There are several other methods. It is the diver's personal preference as to which method to use.
Five tips to help your equalizing techniques:
1. Equalize immediately upon descent and continue to equalize often.
2. Don't wait until you feel discomfort or pain before equalizing.
3. If difficulty occurs in equalizing, ascend a few feet and try again. If you still can't equalize after a few attempts, do not continue the dive.
4. Try to control your descent and maintain a feet down position.
5. Do not blow forcefully while doing a Valsalva maneuver.
You could rupture your eardrum.
A common problem is difficulty with the ears during descent. When this occurs at 5 feet depth there may be a closure or obstruction of the Eustachian tube. At 15 feet, in a person otherwise healthy, I usually find slow mucociliary flow and correction of this problem allows the diver to continue diving.
Eustacian tube function (ETF) has been shown to be directly dependent upon mucociliary clearance (MCC), the function of this cilia. Serous otitis is significantly present with decreased MCC. In hyperbaric chamber treatment, where hyperbaric oxygen is a known inhibitor of MCC, the incidence of serous otitis is so high that placement of middle ear drain tubes is often necessary. In scuba diving, if the instructor remains in the water in the back of the boat while the motor is idling, he will have difficulty making his next dive because the fuel exhaust that he inhales will impair his ciliary function.
For divers who cannot clear at 15 feet, try lots of hot tea, Clear·Ease tablets, one every four hours, dissolve in mouth between the cheek and the gums. Start Clear·Ease the day before diving. Don't smoke and avoid boat exhaust fumes. If still not clear, use the pulsating nasal irrigation device daily; start 5 days before diving, and use the morning of the dive. More men than women have this difficulty because more men have a deviated septum or they blow their nose too hard. Blow gently. For regular nasal congestion I usually recommend Zephrex LA taken twice a day. Some of my divers take this reqularly when diving.
For most divers it is best to start Clear·Ease the day before diving. For someone who has a history of difficulty in clearing the ears, start 3 days before the dive. Clear.ease is available at pharmacies or can be ordered by the pharmicist. Doesn't require a prescription.
On descent, try to go down on a line feet first, never head down.. Try to clear about every 5 feet. Be gentle.. If trouble clearing, hold the nose and force air very gently. Or go up a few feet. Another technique is to lift the tongue against the roof of the mouth and swallow. All beginning divers have some difficulty in equalizing, so don't be embarrassed.
Good follow up reading:
http://www.scubadiving.com/training/medicine/equalize.shtml
http://www.skin-diver.com/departments/ScubaMed/EarsandDiving.asp?theID=629
http://helium.lce.org/weblabs/scuba/pv_i.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question193.htm
Posted February 13, 2003
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