Sunshine Sentinel

• Eustachian tubes are small tubes that run between your middle ears and upper throat.
• Blocked eustachian tubes can cause pain, hearing difficulties and a feeling of fullness in the ears.
• One possible treatment for eustachian tube dysfunction is balloon dilation.

Sinus infections can cause blockages in the eustachian tube, which can lead to temporary hearing loss that might feel like being underwater or wearing earplugs.

Eustachian tubes are small tubes that run between your middle ears and upper throat. They are responsible for equalizing ear pressure and draining fluid from the middle ear, the part of the ear behind the eardrum. The eustachian tubes are usually closed, except for when you chew, swallow or yawn, according to Healthline.

These passageways are small in size and can get plugged for a variety of reasons. Blocked eustachian tubes can cause pain, hearing difficulties and a feeling of fullness in the ears. Such a phenomenon is referred to as eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).

ETD is a relatively common condition. Depending on the cause, it may resolve on its own or through simple at-home treatment measures, such as chewing gum, yawning or using a saline nasal spray. Severe or recurring cases may require a visit to the doctor.

One possible treatment for ETD is balloon dilation, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. This procedure is minimally invasive and relatively new. A study of 126 children who underwent balloon dilation to treat ETD found that there were no reported complications, and symptoms improved in 80% of patients.

Dr. Cody Aull of West Palm Beach Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers said that sinus infections can cause blockages in the eustachian tube, which can lead to temporary hearing loss and painful ear symptoms.

"We offer eustachian tube dilation using a balloon, similar to balloon sinuplasty. That's the biggest, newest, latest, greatest thing that we offer," Aull told Sunshine Sentinel. "There's also some traditional treatments that we would show a patient that they might be able to do themselves. There’s an older technique where you stimulate the muscles that create the eustachian tube with your finger, knowing where they attach at the root of the mouth. If you have really bad problems, that’s not going to fix it. But if we're able to use that in conjunction with something big, it arms the patient with something that they might be able to do that will help."

All explained the importance of identifying the source of the problem before deciding on a treatment plan tailored for each patient.

"Additionally, we look to see if there is an underlying cause," Aull said. "If you've got really bad allergies, that's causing that tube to get inflamed all the time. Let's get you on some allergy treatment and fix that. That tube might get irritated all the time because it's not able to get normal airflow because your nose is all blocked up. Let's fix the nose and get normal airflow back there and get the whole system working together. That's the benefit of understanding how all of these things correlate."

For more information about the symptoms of ETD and sinusitis, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.