In Reply to: My ears hurt on the plane! posted by shazandbruce on Monday, 7. June 2010 at 12:58 Bali Time:
and blow coming down. Think about it: when you take off, the cabin pressure (& external ear pressure) drops. If you have blocked or narrow eustachian tubes, the middle ear can't equalise and the pressure difference stretches the eardrum, causing pain. Trying to 'pop' your ears at altitude can actually aggravate this as you are trying to increase the middle ear pressure. Chewing & swallowing can help as this produces a negative middle ear pressure. Popping or equalising will help if the pain comes on as the plane descends. It's worth trying decongestants preflight (e.g. sudafed tablets, drixine nasal spray, as long as you have no medical contraindication). I can't imagine how the earplugs would work unless they're airtight but I guess they can't hurt