Ear pain when flying

This is an automatically translated article.

Airplane ear pain, also known as barotrauma, occurs when your eardrum is stressed due to an imbalance of ambient air pressure with the air pressure in the middle ear. Therefore, when sitting on a plane, you often experience pain and earache.
Video content is professionally consulted by MSc, Dr. Vu Duy Dung, Neurologist, Vinmec Times City International Hospital

1. Find out about ear pain when traveling by plane

Ear pain when flying can occur in both children and adults, the level of danger depends on the health status and resistance to change. Pain can appear in 1 or both ears, extremely uncomfortable. It is more common for some people with medical conditions such as:
Having a cold . Infected sinusitis. Allergic rhinitis. Middle ear infection. Each person will have different ear pain sensations when traveling by plane. Some people only feel discomfort or moderate pain in their ears. Others have a feeling of fullness, congestion, and not being able to breathe. In many cases, tinnitus and hearing loss are mild to moderate.

2. Causes of ear pain when traveling by plane

Explaining the cause of ear pain when flying, is that the part that makes up the ear has a small tube connecting the middle ear cavity and the nasopharynx called the eustachian tube. This part has the function of balancing the pressure between the middle ear and the outside environment so that the process of hearing sounds is normal. The eustachian tube is a virtual tube, which usually opens only when yawning or swallowing opens only when on duty. When the plane takes off or lands quickly, the air pressure changes, the eustachian tube often does not respond in time, causing the symptoms of tinnitus when flying.
If you only experience a slight earache while traveling, some simple actions such as swallowing, yawning or chewing gum... can help balance the pressure difference and improve the condition.
However, if you are in the case of people who have severe ear pain when traveling by plane (hearing of ringing or blockage in the ear; Difficulty hearing; Dizziness; Bleeding in the ear...), the feeling of pain in the ear leads to not breathing. If dizziness lasts for many hours and does not improve even after landing, you need to go to the hospital immediately to be examined by a specialist to prevent complications from middle ear pain or deafness.

If you are a person who often travels by plane, then at least once you have had an earache when the plane took off or landed. However, there are times when you can fly a long distance of several hours without any damage. This may cause you to ask the question "why do some people hurt and some don't?".
The reason when flying on an airplane, some people have ear pain, others don't have pain because this condition is caused by the difference in air pressure. If you're lucky on the flight, your eustachian tube responds quickly to changes in air pressure, you won't have an earache, and vice versa.
Because of that, there are a number of methods that you can apply to effectively prevent and minimize ear pain when traveling by plane. If you are someone who often suffers from earache when traveling by plane, you can apply methods such as:
Yawning and swallowing saliva during take-off and landing. Do not sleep during take-off and landing. Limit air travel if you are suffering from respiratory diseases. Close your mouth, close your nostrils with your hands, and slowly breathe out to your nose. Try using earplugs and do yawns and swallows to relieve the pressure. Ear - Nose - Throat Specialist Vinmec International General Hospital always receives and handles all cases of ear diseases from simple to complex. The hospital has a team of qualified doctors and a system of modern medical equipment, so customers can be assured of the quality of the examination here.

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