Eustachian Tubes Not Working Properly: How Could Acoustic Trauma Cause This?

[Mr. Cartman]

derpytia
Not sure if this is relevant or helpful but after reading @Mr. Cartman posts I started looking around the internet and came across a couple of links that may interest you

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02114762
http://www.danmedj.dk/portal/pls/portal/!PORTAL.wwpob_page.show?_docname=10545203.PDF

Mark

Thanks for sharing!!

Theres really so much to learn about this stuff, and there are so many causes of which can be treated.
Also, Im very disappointed in the ENT department when it comes to tinnitus (but thats just my personal experience).

Next, Im going to read up a bit on the cochlear aqueduct as well, which I find quite interesting.

From wikipedia:

"Medial to the opening for the carotid canal and close to its posterior border, in front of the jugular fossa, is a triangular depression; at the apex of this is a small opening, the aquaeductus cochleae (or cochlear aqueduct, or aqueduct of cochlea), which lodges a tubular prolongation of the dura mater establishing a communication between the perilymphatic space and the subarachnoid space, and transmits a vein from the cochlea to join the internal jugular".

(For those that are interested)

 

[derpytia]

derpytia
Not sure if this is relevant or helpful but after reading @Mr. Cartman posts I started looking around the internet and came across a couple of links that may interest you

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02114762
http://www.danmedj.dk/portal/pls/portal/!PORTAL.wwpob_page.show?_docname=10545203.PDF

Mark

Oh hey I've heard of this balloon thing! But last I heard it was still in clinical trial and it doesn't have nearly enough people talking about it versus say Autifony (not that Autifony is widely talked about either). Hopefully it passes all the trials and becomes useful to all us with ETD.

 

[Mark McDill]

Oh hey I've heard of this balloon thing! But last I heard it was still in clinical trial and it doesn't have nearly enough people talking about it versus say Autifony (not that Autifony is widely talked about either). Hopefully it passes all the trials and becomes useful to all us with ETD.

derpytia @Mr. Cartman
Yeah, I believe the article stated/implied it's still in trial; but it doesn't seem like it would take too long for them to implement (e-tubes are simple tubes and the procedure seems very straight forward). In fact, one of the links (the first link) mentioned 2016.

I think folks aren't talking about it for either one of two reasons; they may not understand the relationship between e-tubes and T, or they are usually looking for the final cure-all. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this simple procedure 'opens some doors' and 'shines some light' into the world of T; e-tubes may, in fact, be a larger component/factor then we realize. For example, my T screams when I turn my head far left/right; well, I'm manipulating my e-tubes when I turn my head far left/right. We shouldn't overlook the simple/physical.

Mark

 

[Mr. Cartman]

derpytia @Mr. Cartman
Yeah, I believe the article stated/implied it's still in trial; but it doesn't seem like it would take too long for them to implement (e-tubes are simple tubes and the procedure seems very straight forward). In fact, one of the links (the first link) mentioned 2016.

I think folks aren't talking about it for either one of two reasons; they may not understand the relationship between e-tubes and T, or they are usually looking for the final cure-all. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this simple procedure 'opens some doors' and 'shines some light' into the world of T; e-tubes may, in fact, be a larger component/factor then we realize. For example, my T screams when I turn my head far left/right; well, I'm manipulating my e-tubes when I turn my head far left/right. We shouldn't overlook the simple/physical.

Mark

Very well said, and I totally agree I also believe (or is pretty much sure) that the neck might play a major role in a lot of cases of T. We should indeed not overlook the simple/physical

 

[russiancarl]

I wonder if most of us don't have mild cases of ETD that become more apparent once we fixate on our ears? I don't think it's terribly uncommon in adults.

I also wonder if maybe the sounds itself disrupt the tubes? Bass does get booming and that whole ear/jaw area is very sensitive. I'm probably way off base here but it could happen right? C'mon we've seen all those sci-fi shows where people get shot with sonic weapons...

 

[V-Gern]

I've been reading through this and also think I might have ETD.
I went to the ENT the other day who did the thing some GPs do and took one look at me and decided it was just noise damage (even though my ear test graph isn't the right shape for that) and so nothing they can do but hearing aids.

But I think perhaps ET issues aren't caused by 'Acoustic Trauma' but are down to the things that go with it at places like gigs/clubs eg. Drinking.
And the noise damage just adds to it.

I too am a bit worried about doing more harm than good by popping - was considering an earpopper still although depending on how forceful they are perhaps I could go the cheap way and use my aquarium air pump

 

[bthomas]

Hi all,

Firstly, I'm so glad I found this thread (thanks @Ken Berquist) and I realise it's been dormant for a year, but hopefully a few of you are still interested in discussing it (?)

Acoustic trauma causing ETD is something I've been trying to understand since 2013, after a noise trauma from a car accident (most likely the sudden explosion from the airbag) has left me with the following symptoms:

• A blocked/full feeling (not 24 hours a day) which makes you want to pull your ear to let something out
• Warm fluid draining feeling (quite frequent and varies from a little to a lot)
• Popping sounds (at its worst it pops each time I chew/swallow)
• An unusual hot/cold sensation down the left side of my face, which I was told is likely related to some kind of nerve damage
• When the left ear feels pressurised I sometimes get an uncomfortable, dull pain in it

Having already had tinnitus/hyperacusis since 2000, I've now had ETD/MED symptoms in my left ear ever since.

No doctors I've seen have been able to discuss, or even entertain, the relation between noise trauma and ETD symptoms, as I get the sense they don't understand it so they don't feel they can give any kind of professional opinion. I have tried things like nasal spray but I find this a really unpleasant thing to do, and I do seem to get relief from a very cheap hayfever medicine called Loratadine.

I've had an MRI scan with no sign of obvious physical causes. (But that's most likely because it only takes microscopic damage to affect your ears in this way)

It also seems to be much worse if you suffer from allergies, catarrh or sinusitus etc. - which unfortunately I do. (On a positive note my symptoms in Summer 2015 have been much better than Summer 2014 and I'm not even sure why yet — hopefully whatever it is is "healing", albeit very, very gradually.)

If anyone has found any really good ear specialists who know about this kind of thing (and don't just treat their patients as if they're making it up) I'd love to know about them. Although at this point I'm not really looking for treatments — I'd be very satisfied if a doctor could just give me some kind of definitive answers, and help me understand and clarify what's happened inside my ear and what exactly causes the symptoms.

thanks,
Ben

 

[Bertman]

Yeah I'd like some answers to this too. There seem to be only two possible causes for what I think is my etd(crackling sound when I move my eustachian tubes e.g. swallowing, and occasional full feeling in my ears). It happened after a night out in a loud environment (approx 2 months after onset of T) so it either has to be from loud noise, or from my earplugs. The ones I'm using now can sometimes create a weird pressure in my ears and maybe from wearing them all night they caused my tubes to create some kind of vacuum effect and messed them up. I dunno.

 

[japongus]

Well ETD can apparently do, or be the result of ''the same cochlear damage as acoustic trauma''

And ETD can cause sensorineural hearing loss, whether fake or not.

Hazell wrote about it at tinnitus.org... http://www.tinnitus.org/Patulous Eustachian tube_PR_JH.pdf

So next time common ENTs go in full denial saying acoustic trauma isn't an ear thing, tell them this is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Sarah G]

I have had tinnitus since January last year. I had an ache in the ear beforehand, but so mild that I only noticed upon waking, or going to sleep. I went on a night out, and I don't remember feeling particularly uncomfortable - Im typically put off by excessive volume, which is common everywhere now, but maybe my ears felt stuffy. I got stuck with a horrible stuffiness for days, and after a few weeks noticed an improvement. The tinnitus took longer to fade. Doctor noticed inflammation of my eardrum and sent me to an ENT specialist at the hospital, who found nothing, no hearing loss, no perforated eardrum. It got gradually more better, worsened when I got a cold, then back to a new 'normal'. My tinnitus and fullness feeling worsened again when I got a tension headache (probably followed by a cluster headache) that lasted 5 days. I have been back to the doctor, who noticed fluid behind there, and in another 2 weeks I have to attend a hearing test. I have a steroidal nasal spray to use, which I will. The doctor also asked if I'd tried "popping" my ears by the method of plugging your nose, and I've sort of tried it without blowing enough - I didn't want to - and I will not be trying it again thanks to the advice of a member above. Another sound just now, is kind of like my ear ligaments trembling (I get that a bit in response to holding the receiving end of my mobile phone to my ear) but apart from my holding my phone in front of me now, there is no other apparent cause for this 'new noise'. Glad to be part of the discussion, as it's an interesting but ignored and misunderstood (even by doctors) condition, which many people suffer from. And there's often no need. Having nightclubs too loud for the "too loud" among us when the sound level could easily be reduced to something everyone can enjoy. Sound engineers mostly suck, precious few can even give each voice its due!

 

[David G]

The ear problems for me began 4 days after the Tinnitus started. Ear pressure, pain from ear to side of the neck, vertigo, clogged ears. Fast forward to today the pain and vertigo has gone but left with this feeling of fullness in my left ear, along with popping and crackling when there's certain noises indoors. Like putting down cutlery, people talking loudly and opening and closing DVD cases. I don't know if it was the noise exposure or the stress I went through during those 4 days that has caused it.

A miserable condition.

 

[Contrast]

Unless part of the Eustachian tube was damaged from noise, this problem is not ETD but rather noise injury causing the perception of clogged ears.

Injury from noxious loud noise can do so many horrible things that are not barely documented in scientific literature. I had burning jaw and right sided facial pain immediately after being exposed to noxious noise and I don't believe any ENT/doctors took me serious on the coloration.

It's so easy to be mis-diagnosed with ETD, fluid behind the ear, a toothe ache, TMJ. Some people develop TMJ like issues entirely after an acoustic trauma. One could speculate if the preception of prexisting TMJ's pain worsens after noise injury or if this is entirely related to noise injury. Also good luck explaining to your doctor you have"noise injury" They will also refuse to believe noise can physically injure and lead to chronic pain.