10/14/2025
Flying soon? Protect your ears and prevent barotrauma.
Ear barotrauma is a pressure injury that occurs when outside air pressure changes faster than your middle ear can equalize. If the Eustachian tube doesn’t open, pressure pushes or pulls on the eardrum, causing pain and fullness. The eardrum may stretch, fluid can build up, and rarely the eardrum can tear. Inner-ear injury is uncommon but serious.
Common triggers:
• Airplane takeoff and descent
• Scuba diving and freediving
• Mountain driving, fast elevators, hyperbaric therapy
Symptoms:
• Sharp pain, fullness, muffled hearing, popping
• Ringing (tinnitus)
• Severe: dizziness/vertigo, ear bleeding, sudden hearing loss
Risk factors:
• Colds, allergies, sinusitis, nasal congestion
• Young children (immature Eustachian tubes)
• Recent ear surgery or chronic ear problems
• Smoking or reflux (can inflame the tube)
Prevention basics:
• Equalize early and often: swallow, yawn, chew gum
• Gentle Valsalva: pinch nose, closed mouth, blow lightly 1–2 s
• Filtered earplugs (e.g., EarPlanes) for flights
• Saline rinses; consider a short-term nasal decongestant spray before takeoff/landing if appropriate
When to see a specialist:
‼️ Severe pain, vertigo, bleeding, or symptoms lasting >24–48 hours
‼️ Sudden hearing loss at any time
To make an appointment, call or visit our website. We’re located in East Providence and Warwick, Rhode Island.
East Providence: 401-435-5644
Warwick: 401-921-5800
www.OceanStateENT.com