Causes of Ear Pressure and Blockage
Q: My left ear feels muffled, like a seashell is covering it. It has been like this for about a year. The doctor says it's a Eustachian tube dysfunction. I hold my nose and blow to "pop" my ears, but the feeling always comes back. What else should I do? Will this ever get better?
A: There are a number of causes of an ear feeling blocked or muffled.
One is negative middle ear pressure. This is caused by a malfunctioning Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the back of the nose. It opens and closes when we swallow or yawn, allowing the pressure to equalize between the middle ear and the outside world. When it does not work properly, negative pressure develops in the middle ear, making the ear feel blocked.
Common causes for Eustachian tube problems include:
Allergies
Colds
Sinus infections
Barotraumas (injury to the ear from changes in atmospheric pressure)
When the Eustachian tube is severely impaired, fluid can build up in the middle ear. This causes hearing to decrease. A middle ear infection can do the same. After the infection clears, the blockage can go on until the Eustachian tube is back to normal.
Pain and swelling around the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint) often cause a blocked sensation in the ear. The exact cause of this sensation is not clear.
A change in hearing, such as sudden hearing loss, can also make the ear feel blocked. And a condition called otosclerosis can block one's hearing. Otosclerosis is the abnormal formation of spongy bone in the ear.
When ear blockage continues, an exam by an ear nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) and a hearing test (an audiogram) are needed. You may need more tests depending upon the findings of the exam and first hearing test. Treatment can then be directed at the cause to help eliminate the problem.
David Vernick, M.D., is assistant clinical professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School and interim chief of the Division of Otology and Laryngology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Copyright © 2009 by the Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College. Used with permission of StayWell. All rights reserved. Harvard Medical School does not approve or endorse any products on the page. Harvard is the sole creator of its editorial content, and advertisers are not allowed to influence the language or images Harvard uses.
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From my birth until approximately age 45 my hearing was very good as occasional hearing test confirmed. After age 45 I gradually cut way back on aerobic and other types of exercise. As a result after age 45 I began to gradually gain weight and by approximately age 50 I noticed a constant feeling of pressure in and around my ears. This feeling of pressure was accompanied by difficulty keeping the eustachen tube open between my ears and my nose. I was pretty confident that my weight gain was causing the eustachen tube to be closed up.
I determined to loose weight for general health reasons, but also more specifically for the purpose of seeing whether or not loosing excess weight would cause my eustachen tube to open once more. Over a period of 6 months I lost 60 lbs (going from 245 lbs down to 185 lbs). At age 72 this weight loss of approximately 1/5 of my body weight did marvels for my appearance to say nothing about a feeling of having more energy. It also caused my heart to have to do 1/5 less work. However, in addition to my appearance and greatly increased feeling of well being was the the feeling of relief of pressure in my ears. I went to an Otolaryngologist and had my ears irregated. I had begun to feel less pressure in my ears as I gradually lost weight. When I went for the irregation treatment I immediately began to feel increased drop in pressure in and around my ears. During the night immediately after the irregation treatment my eustachen tube opened up for the first time in 27 years the last of the pressure in and around my ears was gone. The weight loss was, by far, the biggest factor in this process of decreasing the pressure in and around my ears, but the irregation of my ears cause increased draining of the last of what had been clogging my eustachen tube from the time I was about 45 years old until age 72. Today I weigh 175 lbs and my hearing is back to what it was when I was about 45 years old. If people are not willing to use selfdiscipline regarding loss of excess weight and continued maintainence of normal weight they must not expect doctors to solve their medical problems for them. The individual brought on ill health by way of lack of self discipline and the doctor has no magic wand to cure that individual's lack of self discipline.
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