Translate

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Airplane Ear

What is airplane ear?
It is the pressure or strain exerted on the middle tissues of your year and your eardrum. This happens when there is an imbalance of the air pressure in your middle ear tissues and the external environment. It is called airplane ear as you may experience it during ascension and descension of a flight. This happens when a flight is ascending or descending causing an imbalance between the ear and the environment leading to airplane ear. This disorder is also referred to as aerotitis or barotrauma. It can be corrected by acts such as chewing, yawning or even swallowing.

What are the signs and symptoms of Airplane Ear?
This disorder may affect you in both ears and it is characterized by the following signs and symptoms; slight hearing loss resulting from muffled hearing, moderate pain in the ear or stuffiness in your ears. Other signs include, vertigo ( a spinning sensation) continued ringing in your ears, bleeding and vomiting caused by vertigo and you could also experience severe pain in the ears. You may need to see a doctor if you experience this disorder for a period longer than a few hours.

What are the causes of Airplane Ear?
This disorder is a result of an imbalance in the air pressure between the outside environment and the middle ear causing the eardrum not to vibrate normally. Regulation of air is done by the Eustachian tube which is a passage between the middle ear and the nasal pharynx. Your Eustachian tube may not react fast enough in instances of rapid change in air pressure for example during flight take off and landing.

Involuntary acts such as yawning, chewing and swallowing help correct this disorder another factor that could be a cause is your proximity to an explosion which may lead to continued stuffiness and ringing of the ears accompanied by moderate pain. Scuba diving which involves complete submersion of the body into water could also lead to this disorder since water could gain entry into the ears leading to blockage of the Eustachian tube. Riding in an elevator could also cause this disorder in a minor way.

What are the risk factors associated with Airplane Ear?
Conditions related to the Eustachian tube put you at risk of getting the disorder. Other risk factors that are common include; if you are born with a smaller than normal Eustachian tube. This is more common in toddlers and infants. If you also suffer from sinus infections and common colds, you are at a higher risk of getting the disease. Allergic rhinitis and otitis media also contribute to getting this disorder. If you are fond of sleeping during ascension and landing of an airplane, you risk getting airplane ear disease.

What are some of the complications associated with Airplane Ear?
Suffering from airplane ear can cause you some of the following complications depending on the severity level of your disorder. It may cause you permanent hearing loss or chronic tinnitus and vertigo. Most of the time you may be able to correct this disorder through involuntary actions like yawning and swallowing.

How do you prevent Airplane Ear?
By using the following precautionary measures, you may as well avoid getting airplane air.
You may purchase an OTC nasal spray for decongesting your nose if it is congested. It is advisable to use this approximately forty-five minutes before takeoff or landing.

Earplugs that are filtered aid in balancing pressured exerted on your eardrum during take-off and landing. These are readily available in clinics, gift shops and even in pharmacies. Involuntary activities including yawning, chewing and swallowing aid in activation of muscles responsible for the opening of the Eustachian tube thus helping counter the airplane ear.

Bowing repeatedly in a manner in which you can mimic blowing your nose while holding your nostrils and keeping your mouth open helps in equalizing the air pressure outside and inside your ear especially during landing. You should avoid sleeping during take-off and landing since when you are awake you are able to conduct the self-care measures upon feeling pressure in your ears.

You should avoid traveling in case you have a cold, a sinus infection, nasal congestion or if you are suffering from an ear infection and you had a recent ear surgery. Allergy medication is recommended if you have allergies. You are advised to take it an hour before the flight. In case you require traveling by air frequently, you may need placement of surgical tubes in your eardrums to help in the drainage of fluids, to help with ventilation of your middle ear and to stabilize the air pressure in and outside your ears.

How is the diagnosis for Airplane Ear done?
You will be asked questions by your doctor to help in your diagnosis; you may also undergo an otoscope examination to determine the severity of your condition. A bulged eardrum is a sign of airplane ear disorder. Damage to your inner structures could cause vertigo and your doctor may request an audiometry test to tell if your sound detection is functional.

Treatment and management of Airplane Ear.
In most cases, this disorder heals on its own as time goes by. However, if the severity of the symptoms increases, you may require additional treatment. Methods used to manage this disorder include;
Prescription medication or over the counter medication to control the progression of airplane ear and other conditions that may hinder the proper functioning of the Eustachian tube. The medicine includes decongestants both oral and nasal and oral anti-allergy drugs

Homeopathic prescriptions are excellent methods of treating this disease. They are recommended depending on the signs and symptoms you may show. Acupuncture and acupressure are also used in the management of airplane ear. Tiny sharp needles are placed into your ear near the nerve endings to help relieve pressure on the damaged nerves.

Together with the prescribed medicine, your physician may recommend Valsalva maneuver which is a form of physical therapy involving pinching your nostrils and opening your mouth to force air gently into your nostrils. Psychotherapy accompanies the other forms of treatment where you are helped in dealing with the signs, symptoms, and complications resulting from airplane ear to avoid mental stress and depression.
Surgery can be used as a method of treating airplane ear though it is a rare method. Incisions on your eardrum can be made in order to equalize air pressure and remove fluids.


 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Patient's Feedback

For Safe Natural Holistic Treatment, contact or visit:

Ethos Healthcare
Email : contactethos@gmail.com
Phone: +91-11-26164016, 46026700
Mobile / Whatsapp: +91-9810155920
Website:
www.ethosbodyandmindclinic.com

and

www.ethoshealthcare.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No comments:

Post a Comment