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Ear Pressure Pain

Ear pressure pain is sometimes referred to as airplane ear, but there are other names for it as well. If you are suffering from ear barotrauma, barotitis media or aerotitis media, this simply means that you are having pain in your ears due to air pressure.

  1. Symptoms

    • In addition to the overall pain you feel from the pressure, you may also have a slight hearing loss, or the things you hear may sound slightly muffled. If you have ear pressure pain that lasts for a few hours, you could also experience a ringing sound in your ear or feel dizzy or nauseated.

    Causes

    • Ear pressure pain is caused when an eardrum stretches and doesn't vibrate as it should. This results in impaired hearing. It is the stretching of the eardrum that causes the sufferer to feel pain. In the cases when the imbalance of pressure in the ear lasts for a considerable amount of time, fluid from the middle ear might fill up this space to minimize the pressure. The ear drum could rupture if the pressure lasts for a significant length of time.

    Contributors

    • There are a few things that you do or that can happen to you that would contribute to ear pressure pain. For example, if you sleep during takeoff or landing on an airplane, your risk of having ear pressure pain increases. The common cold and sinus pressure also can contribute to ear pressure pain.

    Treatments

    • The methods used to treat ear pressure pain range from simple to serious. One of the simplest ways to treat ear pressure pain is to yawn or chew gum, which can cause the pressure to subside. Decongestant nasal sprays and oral decongestants also can relieve pain. If these treatments do not work, surgery might be necessary, although it is rare in people who suffer from ear pressure pain. The surgery involves a doctor making an incision in your eardrum to drain fluids.

    Prevention/Solution

    • There are a number of simple things that you can do to minimize the risk of ear pressure pain. If you are on a plane, yawn or chew gum during the ascent or descent--don't go to sleep. In general, you should stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. Staying hydrated helps prevent irritation of your nasal passages so that the Eustachian tubes in your ear can function well. Because alcohol and caffeine can dehydrate you, you should avoid them.

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