Many people suffer from pain in the ears during flights. Using cotton in the ear to prevent this is useless. The fundamental cause is that the ear drum has air behind it which is derived from a tiny tube which connects it to the nose, eustachian tube. This tube opens only when we swallow - the muscles of the palate which move during swallowing tug on this tube to open it. Cabin pressure changes during ascent & descent of flight need to be compensated by swallowing repeatedly to open this tube. For those who are prone to this problem, two pieces of advice,
1. Use nose drops like otrivin/nasivion half an hour before the flight to keep the tube open.
2. Chew a bar of chocolate which induces you to swallow repeatedly during ascent & descent of flight.
Resistant cases may require ventilation tube insertions.
1. Use nose drops like otrivin/nasivion half an hour before the flight to keep the tube open.
2. Chew a bar of chocolate which induces you to swallow repeatedly during ascent & descent of flight.
Resistant cases may require ventilation tube insertions.
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