‘Eustachian tube dysfunction’ is a name used to describe pressure and pain symptoms that come from differences in pressure between the middle ear and the outside world.
For our ears to work, the ear drum needs to be able to vibrate when sound waves hit it. In order for the ear drum to vibrate freely, it needs to have air at the same pressure on either side of the ear drum. See image below:
For our ears to work, the ear drum needs to be able to vibrate when sound waves hit it. In order for the ear drum to vibrate freely, it needs to have air at the same pressure on either side of the ear drum. See image below:
Air can easily get to the outside part of the ear, but the inner part of the ear (called the middle ear) gets air from a tube from the back of the nose. This is called the Eustachian tube. The tube is small, and can easily become blocked.
When the Eustachian tube is blocked, the moist lining of the middle part of the ear absorbs the air in the ear, and the pressure in the middle ear reduces. This can causes the ear to fill up with a sticky fluid we call glue (glue ear) or it can suck the ear drum into the middle ear (retraction), but this is only the case when the problem is there for some time.
Before that, and especially if the pressure changes suddenly, it can cause discomfort, as the pressure pulls the sensitive ear drum. This causes a pressure feeling that most people will be familiar with from flying on a plane (where the changes in altitude and pressure are much more than normal).
Some people get this pain on a frequent basis over a long period of time. Types of hearing tests can give. an indication of this being the case (1). The treatments given most frequently are nasal steroid sprays, which can help to open the Eustachian tube, and ‘grommets’ which are a hole in the eardrum to allow pressure to equalise directly. New techniques are being developed to try to make the Eustachian tube work more effectively (2).
Some people’s symptoms don’t get better with treatment. It is always important to consider other causes - especially when ear pain is the main symptom. The most common cause of longstanding ear pain is probably problems with the jaw joint and its surrounding muscles and ligaments - these lie all around the ear. Other causes of ear pain include neck problems, tooth infections, and various throat problems.
References:
1. Eustachian tube dysfunction: A diagnostic accuracy study and proposed diagnostic pathway. Smith ME, Takwoingi Y, Deeks J, Alper C, Bance ML, Bhutta MF, Donnelly N, Poe D, Tysome JR. PLoS One. 2018 Nov 8;13(11):e0206946.
2. Interventions for adult Eustachian tube dysfunction: a systematic review. Llewellyn A, Norman G, Harden M, Coatesworth A, Kimberling D, Schilder A, McDaid C. Health Technol Assess. 2014 Jul;18(46):1-180,
When the Eustachian tube is blocked, the moist lining of the middle part of the ear absorbs the air in the ear, and the pressure in the middle ear reduces. This can causes the ear to fill up with a sticky fluid we call glue (glue ear) or it can suck the ear drum into the middle ear (retraction), but this is only the case when the problem is there for some time.
Before that, and especially if the pressure changes suddenly, it can cause discomfort, as the pressure pulls the sensitive ear drum. This causes a pressure feeling that most people will be familiar with from flying on a plane (where the changes in altitude and pressure are much more than normal).
Some people get this pain on a frequent basis over a long period of time. Types of hearing tests can give. an indication of this being the case (1). The treatments given most frequently are nasal steroid sprays, which can help to open the Eustachian tube, and ‘grommets’ which are a hole in the eardrum to allow pressure to equalise directly. New techniques are being developed to try to make the Eustachian tube work more effectively (2).
Some people’s symptoms don’t get better with treatment. It is always important to consider other causes - especially when ear pain is the main symptom. The most common cause of longstanding ear pain is probably problems with the jaw joint and its surrounding muscles and ligaments - these lie all around the ear. Other causes of ear pain include neck problems, tooth infections, and various throat problems.
References:
1. Eustachian tube dysfunction: A diagnostic accuracy study and proposed diagnostic pathway. Smith ME, Takwoingi Y, Deeks J, Alper C, Bance ML, Bhutta MF, Donnelly N, Poe D, Tysome JR. PLoS One. 2018 Nov 8;13(11):e0206946.
2. Interventions for adult Eustachian tube dysfunction: a systematic review. Llewellyn A, Norman G, Harden M, Coatesworth A, Kimberling D, Schilder A, McDaid C. Health Technol Assess. 2014 Jul;18(46):1-180,