With my each trip via flight , I used to feel intense pain in my ears while landing of plane. I had ignored it every time but this time my situation was like I will die out of pain. I caused much panic inside , that embarrassed me a bit but I couldn't help. It was unbearable. And this compelled me to visit doc soon after the landing. First thing first. And then I came to know that I have "Aeroplane Ear" syndrome.
And I suffer from it each time when there is sudden change in altitude that happens specially at landing of flight and doc asked me to avoid using airways , instead prefer other modes. :( So sad!!
For all those people who share the same problem with me will find below information useful.
The small space in the middle ear behind the eardrum is normally filled with air. This air space is connected to the back of the nose by a tiny channel called the Eustachian tube. The air on either side of the eardrum should be at the same pressure. As a plane descends the air pressure becomes higher nearer the ground. This pushes the eardrum inwards which can be painful. To relieve this, the pressure inside the middle ear has to rise quickly too. Air needs to travel up the Eustachian tube into the middle ear to equalize the pressure.
Prevention:
--Suck sweets when the plane begins to descend
--Try to breathe out gently with your mouth closed and pinching your nose
--Antihistamine tablet
P.S. Although ways are there to tackle this problem doc advised me "Prevention is better than cure!!"
And I suffer from it each time when there is sudden change in altitude that happens specially at landing of flight and doc asked me to avoid using airways , instead prefer other modes. :( So sad!!
For all those people who share the same problem with me will find below information useful.
What is aeroplane ear?
Some people experience ear pain when flying in a plane. Usually this happens as the plane descends to land. The pain is worse the lower the plane gets and can be quite severe on landing.What causes the pain?
The pain is caused by unequal pressure that develops between the air in the middle ear and the air outside the ear.The small space in the middle ear behind the eardrum is normally filled with air. This air space is connected to the back of the nose by a tiny channel called the Eustachian tube. The air on either side of the eardrum should be at the same pressure. As a plane descends the air pressure becomes higher nearer the ground. This pushes the eardrum inwards which can be painful. To relieve this, the pressure inside the middle ear has to rise quickly too. Air needs to travel up the Eustachian tube into the middle ear to equalize the pressure.
Prevention:
--Suck sweets when the plane begins to descend
--Try to breathe out gently with your mouth closed and pinching your nose
--Antihistamine tablet
What is the treatment for aeroplane ear?
Take painkillers such as paracetamol until it does go. Fluid sometimes accumulates in the middle ear for a few days after the flight, which may make hearing rather dull for a while. See a doctor if the pain or dulled hearing does not clear within a few days.P.S. Although ways are there to tackle this problem doc advised me "Prevention is better than cure!!"
Informative post, Sunil.
ReplyDeleteI use to experience this while climbing up hilly altitudes of Simla and Himachal Pradesh. Papa used to advise me to take lemon drop candies or use ear muffins to plug my ears..
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting....you did a great consultant job here... :)
Thanks Tanya and Manas!!
ReplyDelete