Ear clearing

Overview

Ear clearing or clearing the ears is any of various maneuvers used to make the pressure in the middle ear become the same as the outside pressure, by letting air enter along the Eustachian tubes, as this does not always happen automatically when the pressure in the middle ear is lower. This need usually arises in scuba diving, but can arise in fast descent in an aircraft or a mine cage, on being put into pressure in a caisson or similar.

Methods include:

• Yawning.
• Swallowing.
• Pinching the nose and closing the mouth and trying to breathe out through the nose. This is called the valsalva maneuver. If the hand cannot reach the nose, it is possible to learn to pinch the nose shut by the action of two small face muscles called compressor naris.

This pressure difference, if not released, can cause:

• Burst eardrum. This damages hearing, and cold water in the middle ear chills the inner ear, causing vertigo.
• Damage to other body air spaces, such as the paranasal sinuses. This can also be caused by damaged sinus ducts.

Do not dive if a eustachian tube is congested or blocked, e.g. with the common cold.

Divers should get proper diver training in clearing the ears.

Precautions:

• Make sure that the diving suit hood does not make an airtight seal over the outside ear hole.
• Never wear earplugs.