When your ear feels blocked, it can be a highly uncomfortable and sometimes painful experience. In some cases it can affect an individual’s hearing too with an overwhelming feeling of fullness within the ear. Some may think the remedy involves using cotton swabs, but this can cause symptoms to worsen and push elements like wax deeper into the ear. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what causes the ears to feel blocked and what you can do relieve symptoms.

What are the causes?

There are many causes that result in the ear becoming blocked. Some of these issues resolve on their own within a few hours or days, whereas some may require medication or a further examination by a doctor or other healthcare professional.

Ear infections

There are two types of ear infections that an individual can suffer from, these are an outer ear infection or a middle ear inflammation.

An outer ear infection occurs when water remains within the ear and it creates a moist environment for bacteria or fungi to develop. It can cause symptoms such as fluid discharge from the ear or pain within the ear.

A middle ear inflammation evolves when microorganisms reach the space behind the ear drum, this is known as the middle ear. When suffering with this kind of infection it can cause issues such trouble balancing.

High altitude

The middle ear is connected to the throat and through the Eustachian tube. This is where fluid or mucus flows from the ear to the back of throat where it is then swallowed. This tube is also the key element in balancing pressure when there is rapid altitude change during flights or when scuba diving.

Sometimes, the pressure doesn’t always equalise properly which can cause feelings of fullness in the ear or it can feel blocked for a few hours or days. You may feel other symptoms alongside fullness in the ear, this includes dizziness and hearing loss.

Earwax

Earwax is created by our ears to naturally clean out the ear canal. It also removes any debris or dirt that may get in the ear through the wax. Earwax is usually a soft consistency, but in some cases it can harden which causes difficulty for the wax to leave the ear. This causes a blockage and result in other symptoms too like an earache, hearing ringing sounds and dizziness.

What treatments are available?

Ear drops

Ear drops soften the hard wax within the ear to help it naturally leave the ear canal. These can often be bought over the counter but can be prescribed by a healthcare professional too. When putting them into the ear, lie down on your side with the affected ear facing up. Place the recommended number of drops into the ear and stay in this position for a few minutes so they can reach the ear drum.

Steam or warm compresses

Steam can help soften any hard wax in the ear canal. You can do this by turning on a hot shower and then sitting the bathroom for around 10 minutes. You can also hold a hot wash cloth over the ear to achieve the same result.

See a healthcare professional

A healthcare professional can take an in-depth look into your ear and determine what method might be best to unblock your ear. Sometimes home remedies and over the counter sprays aren’t enough and you may need a course of antibiotics if you have an infection or use ear wax removal methods such as microsuctioning to remove any build up.