Equalizing ear pressure... who else can do this?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was well into my 20s before I realized that that this ear pressure thing (airplaines, mountain driving) is really difficult for a lot of people. With a microscopic movement of my jaw, I can do it. Just opening my mouth a few fractions of a centimeter will do it as well.

I was told by my dentist that I had a freakish jaw that dislocates whenever I open my mouth wide, which could have something to do with this ability. My dentist hates me, btw, as I have to take breaks every 3 minutes as it becomes to painful/difficult to keep my mouth open. I guess the ear pressure thing is the saving grace for this affliction.

2

I can do the same thing. Never realised I was a freak.

3

Your dentist is a freak…or you’re a snake:eek:

I can do it that way. Can do it holding my nose. Can do it by keeping my mouth closed & moving my jaw forward too.

4

I can. I don’t have to move my jaw though. I can “click” my ears about once a second by using muscles around the top of the neck. It seems to be the same set of muscles I use to wiggle my ears.

5

Like hawthorne, I can click my ears at will - very useful during plane rides and colds.

6

Yeah, I can do it. If I had to describe it, I would say it’s like I’m exhaling through my ears.

7

Man, I’m jealous. This is a chronic problem for me, and let me tell you, it’s annoying. I can sometimes equalize them by holding my nose, keeping my mouth shut, and trying to blow out air as hard as I can. Usually this only works if I go in the bathroom and turn on the hot shower so the room gets nice and steamy (because that helps the eustachian tubes open up). I also have a steroid spray that will open them, although it doesn’t make them “pop” – it takes a few hours for the pressure to gradually equalize.

8

Hawthorne: I can “click” my ears about once a second by using muscles around the top of the neck

ZOW!!! Never tried that before. Feels more like muscles in the back/top of the throat.
cool…gonna be doing this all day now…wonder if my ears are movin’…neat! 2 new tricks in one day!

Now I’M a star in The Dope Show.

9

I can do this too, and click my ears as well. The right half of my jaw dislocates when I open mu mouth wide as well, though I don’t think this is related. I’ve never been able to describe what I’m doing to anyone who doesn’t know how to do it, though. It’s sort of like what happens to one’s neck muscles when yawning. I used to do a lot of snorkelling, and I think I worked it out then.

10

Just move the jaw a little. I don’t think it’s that uncommon.

11

I can do it too, and I don’t move my jaw.

12

Why not just do a Valsalva maneuver and obviate the chance of a painful jaw dislocation?

13

I can do the ear click thing too, no jaw movement is necessary. I can’t dislocate my jaw, however, I do get these horrible muscle cramps under my jaw sometimes when I yawn. I’ve never, ever met anyone else who gets that.

14

I can equalise this way also. Its common. I was actually taught when I learned SCUBA, that you should “wiggle” your jaw, at the same time as holding your nose and exhaling gently.

15

Sorry, when I say “equalise”, I mean to equalise the pressure between the air space in your head and the water outside your head. This comes from SCUBA, but can be applied to eqealising pressure on an airplane etc also.

16

You just have.

I get that occasionally and everyone looks at me like I’m insane when I say “I get cramp in my jaw occasionally”, began to think it was just me!

Very weird and painful feeling…

BTW I can do the ear equalisation thing no problem. It took me a long time to realise that quite a few people can’t do it. Possibly because I live (and grew up) at sea level and to get anywhere urban I have to go inland, very rapid rise from 0 to several thousand feet.