Panama City Reporter

• Eustachian tubes are responsible for regulating ear pressure and draining fluid from the middle ear.

• Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) occurs when the tubes are obstructed, resulting in pain, hearing problems and a feeling of fullness in the ears.

• Severe cases of ETD require treatment from a medical professional.

Dr. Matthew Blair | Gulf Coast Breathe Free

If you're struggling with ETD, you might be having symptoms that cause issues with your hearing, according to Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers. Blair says there are treatment options from an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor that can help you feel your best once again.

"If you've ever driven in the mountains or ever flown on an airplane, you can probably recall when you're going up in altitude or coming down in altitude, your ears will feel stuffy and your hearing is down," Blair told Panama City Reporter. "Then all of a sudden, your ears will pop and you'll feel like... everything is back to normal. Well, people who have eustachian tube dysfunction don't get that opening and they always feel like that, even at regular altitude. What we can do in the office is, the same device that we use to dilate the sinuses, we can use for the eustachian tube."

According to Healthline, eustachian tubes are narrow passageways connecting the middle ears to the upper throat. Their primary role is to regulate ear pressure and facilitate the drainage of fluid from the middle ear, which is situated behind the eardrum. Typically, these tubes remain closed, except when you engage in actions like chewing, swallowing or yawning.

These passageways have a relatively small diameter and can become obstructed due to various factors. If the tubes become blocked, it can lead to hearing problems, ringing in the ears, balance issues, discomfort similar to an ear infection or a feeling of fullness in the ears, according to Cleveland Clinic. ETD can be caused by sinusitis issues like allergies, a common cold, the flu or chronic acid reflux. The symptoms might get worse with altitude changes, such as on an airplane or while scuba diving.  

ETD is a condition that occurs quite frequently, according to Healthline. Depending on its underlying cause, it may resolve naturally or with straightforward self-care remedies at home. However, in more severe or recurrent instances, it's recommended to seek medical attention from a doctor.

If at-home remedies or medications do not resolve ETD, a doctor might recommend another treatment. One option is eustachian tuboplasty, also known as eustachian tube balloon dilation. According to Cleveland Clinic, this procedure is relatively new. It involves a doctor inserting a small balloon through the nasal passage into the eustachian tube and then inflating the balloon. The balloon remains inflated for about two minutes before the doctor deflates and removes it. Patients typically recover from this surgery within a couple of days.

To see if you might be affected by ETD, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz