ways to make your ears pop?

[Knoxville]

this may seem a weird thread but I've had this really weird thing going on with my left ear for over a week now, it feels like I've just gotten outta the swimming baths, sounds really muffled etc. but it won't pop

I think its something to do with a head cold/chest infection I've had recently but none of the medication i've been taking has touched so I'm after some natural remedies, all I can think of is to suck a boiled sweet and thats worked in no way shape or form and its really starting to irritate me

[Skii]

Trapped water Knoxy - too much earwax.

Book an appointment with the nurse ad get yer luggs syringed mate - (syringed = blasted with warm water)

[DavidM]

Get them checked first in case you have any other problems - syringing isnt ideal for everyone.

[Theo]

I experience the same thing when I get a cold. Popping my ears never help though

Just to make this a little bit less of a useless post, here's how I pop my ears. Hold thy nostrils shut and close thy mouth - now attempt to exhale gradually, but relatively hard through thy nose. Thou should have felt a release of pressure in thine ears.

[EvilWeevil]

Yawning does it pretty well for me, as does swallowing (ie sweet).

[[GSV]Trig]

Got a groupie stuck in your ear?

[autopilot]

Judging by your avatar, loud rock music!

Buy seriously, i had a problem like this that was caused buy regular excessive noise levels. As you say you had a cold recently, its probably that. But colds can be a catalyst for underlying ear damage problems. Any insanely loud gigs recently mate? Worth checking out, even if it does just turn out to be wax.

[Knoxville]

Trapped water Knoxy - too much earwax.

Book an appointment with the nurse ad get yer luggs syringed mate - (syringed = blasted with warm water)

Already had a doctor look at them, apparently theres nothing there he reckons its a side effect of whatever I had, plus I clean my ears fairly regular so I don't think its that.

Judging by your avatar, loud rock music!

Buy seriously, i had a problem like this that was caused buy regular excessive noise levels. As you say you had a cold recently, its probably that. But colds can be a catalyst for underlying ear damage problems. Any insanely loud gigs recently mate? Worth checking out, even if it does just turn out to be wax.

nah nothing major although it does seem to get worse when anything loud is going on, I'm fairly used to having shagged out ears after gigs and whatnot now though so I know what it feels like and what to do and this ain't the same deal.

Got a groupie stuck in your ear?

No, they don't spend alot of time round my ears, last girl that tried nibbling on my earlobe chipped a tooth

I experience the same thing when I get a cold. Popping my ears never help though

Just to make this a little bit less of a useless post, here's how I pop my ears. Hold thy nostrils shut and close thy mouth - now attempt to exhale gradually, but relatively hard through thy nose. Thou should have felt a release of pressure in thine ears.

Had forgotten about that method, just tried it felt a slight release of pressure then it was straight back to muffled

btw whats with the thy's and thou's? back to the old school 17th century style is it?

[Jonny]

Warm a teaspoon (only warm, mind), fill it with olive oil, tilt your head and drip it into your ear. It will come out again in a short while, dissolving all the nasty stuff in the process. If you do it before you go to bed, though, put a cloth on your pillow...

[Howard]

I find if I get water in them during a shower or whatever, then they'll go muffled. I can then shake my head and it'll come loose. With a strange relieving feeling as the water slowly falls out But I doubt that'll work in this case

[Paul Adams]

Already had a doctor look at them, apparently theres nothing there he reckons its a side effect of whatever I had, plus I clean my ears fairly regular so I don't think its that.

I would forget the doctor and just make an appointment with a nurse to have them syringed - it's a very quick (if somewhat disorienting due to the intense pressure on your eardrum) process and you would be amazed at what comes out, even if you consider your ears clean.

When I was younger I had problems like that - at one point I was really unhappy because both of my ears did it, and I could only get the "relief by popping" for a few seconds at a time - I seriously thought I was going deaf :/

One trip to the nurse's office and it was like everyone was shouting at me afterwards, it was incredible.
Oh, and I had tried all the Otex/warm water/olive oil/whatever tricks many times before this, with no help.

[Galant]

If holding your nose and blowing doesn't work, perhaps try going down to the chemist's and buying some stuff for 'Swimmer's Ear'. Should just be some drops to put in your ear. They can sting though.

[vincent]

No, they don't spend alot of time round my ears, last girl that tried nibbling on my earlobe chipped a tooth

What yah got in there -reinforced steel? b

[Lowe]

Sounds to me like you've got a sticky ear mate. It's a build up of wax on the ear drum, I get this all of the time and is a side effect of constant exposure loud music.

An appointment with the nurse will sort it - they'll take a look first and then tell you to put some olive oil drops in which will help soften the wax up and break it down. If that doesn't do it, they'll flush the ear (they don't syringe these days, it can cause lots of damage to the ear) and you'll be fine.

The nurse at the practice knows me well now I get it that often.

[Knoxville]

What yah got in there -reinforced steel? b

Nah just surgical steel and titanium

Cheers for the advice on such a random topic guys, looks like I might have to book myself an appointment and get my ear checked out.

[Lead_Head]

I get it in the morning, I stretch my jaw and pull down on my ear lobe and repeat until it goes. Normally when I come out of the shower it goes.

Worth a try in the meantime?