Can Pressing on the Tragus Cause Damage?

[Christian82]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if any of you ever spoke to an doctor about pressing on the Tragus?

Do you think that if you press firmly on the Tragus to block out sound and then release quickly the pressure difference can cause damage to the ear ?

I was just wondering because I feel a suction while doing it and also I do hear a plop sound.

Also I wonder if these pressure differences only affect the eardrum or if the small bones behind it are also involved?

Please let me know what your opinion is

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Pleasure_Paulie]

I can't see how this could cause damage. How hard are you pressing? Lol

 

[Christian82]

Well not super hard it's just that if you press hard and you let go you can hear some suction and a plop noise I was just wondering if this pressure difference can cause any damage

 

[MSF]

Well not super hard it's just that if you press hard and you let go you can hear some suction and a plop noise I was just wondering if this pressure difference can cause any damage

This exact thing happened to me over a week ago and sadly it seems to have brought back strong T that was largely under control and almost non-existent at times after several years. My understanding is that the vacuum created by pushing in the tragus (hard) creates suction on the eardrum after the tragus is released, and the subsequent physical/violent vibration and its effect on the ear bones is equivalent to the force of hearing a gunshot or something similar at close range (i.e., its potentially damaging instantly).

The really sad thing was that I was blocking my ear against a sound that didn't even come (baby shrieking) and even if he had shrieked, any resultant T or H spike would have been significantly shorter/less loud than what I am experiencing now. (And I then compounded the issue by having a similar suction incident when removing an earplug from that same ear the next day :/ ) It's easy to look back in regret now, but since I didn't know about the potential damage it can cause until after the fact, it's clear that I would have done this at some other point in the near future.

I still block my ears with my tragus in a pinch, out of habit and just because it is so effective as an H sufferer with a loud baby, but I am much more careful about how hard I push now and I would suggest others do the same. I'm also crossing my fingers this new T spike isn't permanent--my actual hearing doesn't seem to have been dramatically impacted any more than I am used to with H thankfully.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Do you think that if you press firmly on the Tragus to block out sound and then release quickly the pressure difference can cause damage to the ear ?

No damage, but I have had an experience of pulling out an earplug too fast and getting a three-day T spike.

 

[GoingGrayy]

Well not super hard it's just that if you press hard and you let go you can hear some suction and a plop noise I was just wondering if this pressure difference can cause any damage

I have experience with this. I've described it below in relation to my experience with earplugs (copy/pasting out of laziness), but I've had the EXACT same thing with pushing my tragus...

When you push in or take out earplugs that create a seal, you cause an increase in pressure (or suction/decrease in pressure, respectively) on the eardrum/ossicles attached to the eardrum (which make up your "middle ear"). Basically this action causes very mild barotrauma. For most people this doesn't matter, they can insert/remove sealing earplugs or headphones hundreds or thousands of times and never notice anything. But for some people, like me, and maybe you, this creates a tinnitus which doesn't resolve until the underlying mechanical (of the eardrum or ossicles/bones, or maybe even something of the inner ear, who knows!!) change heals. The tone (for me, 1220hz/1275hz/1340hz/1420hz, that sometimes alternate in a morse-code like fashion) used to last a few minutes for me, but with every subsequent pressure/suction (especially if it occurred before the previous one had fully healed), the duration increases. Currently I'm at about a month for a full heal!

If you have any questions, let me know. If you are experiencing fundamentally the same thing as I am, I'd love to help in any way I can, and I'd love to have any more information of your situation you can provide. I'm continuously trying to build my understanding of this thing/come up with testable theories of how it works/what worsens it/what improves it, so I can live with it better.

The one thing I am quite sure about is it's an objective and/or somatic tinnitus produced by the mechanic damage to... whichever. My tinnitus tones for this particular issue, unlike some other tinnitus I have, interact harmonically (not sure thats the right word) with closely matched tones — I can make it wobble or sometimes negate it entirely if I get the frequency/phase just right.

 

[Martinf]

No damage, but I have had an experience of pulling out an earplug too fast and getting a three-day tinnitus spike.

When pulling out an earplug always do it slowly, earmuffs too. If you cover your ears with your palms, please pull it out very slowly, especially if you are applying a lot of pressure.

 

[Bill Bauer]

earmuffs too

Peltor X5A and X4A muffs don't get stuck to one's skin, like some other muffs.

 

[Rachael Robins]

Hello everyone, I have something similar. My doctor once told me to push on my tragus gently to itch my ears. Anyway I pushed a little to hard and I have now had tinnitus for 3+ months. Can you please tell me if yours went away and how long did you wait? Thanks.

 

[soulie]

This exact thing happened to me over a week ago and sadly it seems to have brought back strong T that was largely under control and almost non-existent at times after several years. My understanding is that the vacuum created by pushing in the tragus (hard) creates suction on the eardrum after the tragus is released, and the subsequent physical/violent vibration and its effect on the ear bones is equivalent to the force of hearing a gunshot or something similar at close range (i.e., its potentially damaging instantly)

On October 8th, I pressed on my tragus several times, creating a suction-like effect. Shortly after, my ear became muffled, and later that night, I experienced vertigo.

The doctor checked my ears and found no eardrum damage, but I'm scheduled to see my ENT specialist. I hope it improves soon.