Busted ear drum?!
Question: I have a bad sinus infection, I went to the doctor yesterday. I was blowing my nose about an hour ago and I must have blown it too hard, my ear popped and everything sounded muffled in that ear. It didn't hurt though, it just sounded like i had gotten a lot of water in my ear. I can still hear and I'm not in pain. Should I be worried that my ear drum is busted or would I know if it is? I've never had anything like that happen to my ear, so I'm pretty clueless.
Answers: I have a bad sinus infection, I went to the doctor yesterday. I was blowing my nose about an hour ago and I must have blown it too hard, my ear popped and everything sounded muffled in that ear. It didn't hurt though, it just sounded like i had gotten a lot of water in my ear. I can still hear and I'm not in pain. Should I be worried that my ear drum is busted or would I know if it is? I've never had anything like that happen to my ear, so I'm pretty clueless.
The ear consists for 3 main parts, the outer ear which is the external part of the ear, the middle ear and the inner ear.
The middle ear is a chamber with two timpanic membranes (ear drums) on either side of it linked by 3 small bones. When sound waves enter the outer ear they cause the first mebrane to vibrate which then transfers the vibrations through the bones to the second membrane which causes air pressure changes in the inner ear. These air pressure changes cause small hairs to move in the inner ear which generate nerve impulses in the audatory nerve which is connected to the brain.
To work properly the middle ear needs to be pressure balanced so that the pressure inside the middle ear is the same as the outside air pressure. If this didn't happen small variations in atomospheric pressure caused by the weather and change in altitude would result in you going deaf and possible pain as your ear drums became stretched due to the pressure difference.
The pressure equalisation is achieved by connecting the middle ear to the throat by way of the Eustachian tube.
When you blew your nose this forced air into the Eustachian tube and increased the pressure in the inner ear which forced your ear drums outwards and caused the popping sensation and the muffled hearing.
The muffled hearing is because the pressure inside the middle ear is higher than the pressure outside, hence the ear drum has a highher resistance to moving as the pressure difference has to be overcome in order to transmit the sound waves.
Normally when you stop blowing your nose the pressure in the Eustachian tube would reduce and your hearing would return to normal.
However when you have an infection in your upper airways or sinuses, e.g. cold or sinusitus your body produces mucus which can partially block the Eustacian tube which means that the pressure doesn't return to normal after you blow your nose.
As your infection clears up, the amount of mucus will clear up and you hearing will return to normal. You could try yawning or gulping as this will create a lower pressure in the tube and may make your hearing return.
It is unlikely that you popped your ear drum as this would be quite painful and you say you feel no pain.
WHAT?
Well. That's bad. Talk to your mom or something. Go to the doctor you don;t want to lose your hearing!
if you had a busted eardrum you would know it. The pain is excruciating. You likely have water behind your eardrum which is causing the muffled-ness. Open and close your jaw widely to try to get the fluid away from your drum.
Go to the doc to be sure.
However, I don't think you've burst your eardrum. You would have felt that. My brother had a bad infection, and his burst a long time ago. A lot of the time with sinus infections, there is pressure on your eardrums, which can be uncomfortable. It happens because your eustachian tubes may have fluid or pressure because of the infection in your sinus cavity. Sometimes you can reduce the pressure, either by using the Valsalva Maneuver or accidentally when blowing your nose. I believe this is what happened.
Hope you feel bettter!