What Happens When We Pop Our Ears
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the fascinating anatomy of the ear, focusing on why we pop our ears and how it works. It explains the role of the middle ear, eardrum, and tiny muscles in maintaining pressure balance and protecting our hearing. The video also covers common issues like ear infections, Eustachian tube dysfunction, and the risks of ruptured eardrums, particularly in children. The content blends scientific insights with practical advice, making complex ear anatomy accessible and engaging.
Takeaways
- 𦻠The act of popping our ears is related to equalizing pressure in the middle ear, which helps protect the eardrum from damage.
- π§ The external auditory canal contains ceruminous glands that produce earwax, which helps protect the ear by trapping foreign bodies and waterproofing the canal.
- π The eardrum (tympanic membrane) vibrates in response to sound waves, transmitting these vibrations through tiny bones in the middle ear to the cochlea, where they are processed as sound.
- 𦴠The middle ear contains the smallest bones in the human body (malleus, incus, and stapes), which play a critical role in hearing.
- πͺ Tiny muscles in the middle ear can contract to protect the inner ear from prolonged loud noises, though they cannot protect against sudden loud sounds like gunshots.
- π¬οΈ Popping the ears equalizes pressure by opening the Eustachian tube (or pharyngotympanic tube), which connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx, the upper part of the throat behind the nasal cavity.
- π€§ Eustachian tube dysfunction can occur when the tube is blocked, often due to a cold or respiratory infection, leading to difficulty in equalizing pressure and potential fluid buildup.
- πΆ Middle ear infections (otitis media) are more common in children due to the more horizontal and narrow Eustachian tube, making it easier for pathogens to enter and harder to drain fluid.
- π There is debate in the medical community about whether to treat middle ear infections immediately with antibiotics or allow the body to heal naturally, as many infections can resolve on their own.
- π©Ή If the eardrum ruptures due to an infection, it can typically heal on its own within 3 to 6 weeks. Tubes may be placed in children with frequent ear infections to facilitate drainage.
Q & A
Why do people sometimes need to pop their ears?
-People need to pop their ears to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the external environment. If there is a difference in pressure, it can cause discomfort or even pain, as the eardrum becomes stretched or bulges due to the imbalance.
What is the role of the eardrum in hearing?
-The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, vibrates when sound waves enter the ear. These vibrations are then transmitted through the auditory ossicles, which are tiny bones in the middle ear, to the cochlea, where they are processed into nerve signals for the brain to interpret as sound.
What are the auditory ossicles, and what is their function?
-The auditory ossicles are the three smallest bones in the human body: the malleus, incus, and stapes. They transmit vibrations from the eardrum to the cochlea, amplifying the sound waves to help in hearing.
Why is it not recommended to use Q-tips to clean the ear canal?
-Using Q-tips can push earwax and debris further into the ear canal, leading to blockage or impaction. There's also a risk of rupturing the eardrum, although the ear's pain receptors usually cause discomfort before this happens, prompting people to stop.
What is earwax, and what is its purpose?
-Earwax, or cerumen, is produced by modified sweat glands in the ear canal. It serves as a protective barrier against foreign bodies, such as insects, and helps waterproof the ear canal, preventing bacteria and fungi from entering.
What can happen if the pressure in the middle ear is not equalized?
-If the pressure in the middle ear is not equalized, it can cause the eardrum to bulge inward or outward, leading to pain and possibly even rupturing the eardrum if the pressure difference becomes too great.
How do muscles in the middle ear protect against loud noises?
-Muscles in the middle ear, such as the tensor tympani and stapedius, contract in response to loud noises, limiting the vibrations of the eardrum and the auditory ossicles. This protects the inner ear from damage due to prolonged loud sounds.
What is Eustachian tube dysfunction, and what are its common causes?
-Eustachian tube dysfunction occurs when the tube connecting the middle ear to the nasopharynx does not open properly, preventing pressure equalization. Common causes include upper respiratory infections, which can inflame the mucous membranes and narrow the tube.
Why are middle ear infections more common in children?
-Middle ear infections are more common in children because their Eustachian tubes are shorter, more horizontal, and narrower than in adults. This makes it easier for pathogens to enter the middle ear and for the tube to become blocked during respiratory infections.
What is the purpose of placing tubes in a child's eardrum for recurring ear infections?
-Tubes are placed in a child's eardrum to provide an alternative drainage route for fluid and pus in cases where the Eustachian tube is not functioning properly. This helps prevent pressure buildup and reduces the risk of eardrum rupture and chronic ear infections.
Outlines
π Why We Pop Our Ears: Protecting the Eardrum
This paragraph introduces the concept of ear popping, explaining that it primarily serves to protect the eardrum. It outlines the potential dangers, such as eardrum rupture, if the ear structures do not function properly. The paragraph also sets the stage for a detailed exploration of ear anatomy, using a sagittal head dissection and Jeffrey's skull to illustrate the external auditory canal and its significance.
𦻠Anatomy of the External Ear and the Role of Ear Wax
This section focuses on the anatomy of the external ear, particularly the external auditory canal, and discusses the role of ear wax in protecting the ear. It explains that the canal is lined with ceruminous glands that produce ear wax, which serves as a protective barrier against foreign objects and pathogens. The paragraph also touches on the self-cleaning nature of the ear and the importance of avoiding the use of Q-tips to prevent earwax impaction and potential eardrum rupture.
πΆ How Hearing Works: Vibrations and Tiny Bones
Here, the mechanics of hearing are explained, detailing how sound waves cause the eardrum (tympanic membrane) to vibrate. These vibrations are transmitted through the auditory ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) to the cochlea, which converts them into nerve signals for the brain. The paragraph also introduces the tiny muscles in the middle ear that protect the inner ear from loud noises, although they react too slowly to prevent damage from sudden, loud sounds like gunshots.
βοΈ The Importance of Equalizing Pressure in the Middle Ear
This paragraph explains the need to equalize pressure between the middle ear and the outside environment to prevent pain and potential eardrum rupture. Using examples such as scuba diving and driving to higher elevations, the text describes how differences in pressure can cause the eardrum to bulge and lead to discomfort. It also introduces techniques like yawning or plugging the nose and blowing to help equalize pressure and 'pop' the ears.
π How Elevation Changes Affect Ear Pressure
This section builds on the previous discussion of pressure differences, using the example of driving up a canyon to illustrate how increasing elevation decreases atmospheric pressure, causing the eardrum to bulge outward. It explains how movements like yawning or blowing with a closed mouth can open the Eustachian tube, allowing the pressure to equalize and relieving discomfort.
π The Eustachian Tube: Key to Ear Pressure Regulation
The paragraph delves into the anatomy and function of the Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx. It explains that the tube is usually closed but can be opened by certain muscle movements, such as yawning or swallowing, to equalize ear pressure. The paragraph also discusses Eustachian tube dysfunction, common causes like colds, and the implications for ear health, including fluid buildup and potential ear infections.
πΆ Middle Ear Infections and Treatment Considerations
This final section discusses middle ear infections (otitis media), particularly in children, due to their more horizontal, narrower Eustachian tubes. It explains the body's ability to self-heal these infections and the debate over the use of antibiotics. The paragraph also covers the potential risks of untreated infections, such as eardrum rupture, and the use of ear tubes to aid drainage in children with frequent infections.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Eardrum
π‘Middle Ear
π‘Auditory Ossicles
π‘Eustachian Tube
π‘Ear Popping
π‘Tympanic Membrane Rupture
π‘Ear Wax
π‘Middle Ear Infection
π‘Ceruminous Glands
π‘Vestibulocochlear Nerve
Highlights
Exploration of why we need to pop our ears and how it helps protect the eardrum.
Introduction to the anatomy of the ear, focusing on the external auditory canal and the tympanic membrane.
Explanation of how sound waves travel through the external auditory canal and cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate, enabling hearing.
Description of the middle ear as a hollow, air-filled cavity containing the smallest bones in the human body: the malleus, incus, and stapes.
Role of tiny muscles in the middle ear, like the tensor tympani and stapedius, in protecting inner ear structures from loud noises.
Discussion of how the Eustachian tube (pharyngotympanic tube) connects the throat to the middle ear, playing a crucial role in equalizing pressure.
Explanation of how moving the jaw, yawning, or blowing with a closed mouth can open the Eustachian tube to equalize ear pressure.
Details on how differences in air pressure between the middle ear and the environment can cause pain or even rupture the eardrum.
Example of how rapid elevation changes, such as driving to a higher altitude, can create pressure imbalances and cause ear discomfort.
Insight into Eustachian tube dysfunction, which can prevent proper pressure equalization, often caused by upper respiratory infections.
Discussion on the relationship between colds, mucus production, and Eustachian tube blockage, potentially leading to middle ear infections.
Explanation of why middle ear infections (otitis media) are more common in children due to the anatomy of their Eustachian tubes.
Overview of the debate in the medical community regarding the treatment of middle ear infections in children with or without antibiotics.
Information on the natural healing process of a ruptured eardrum, which can heal on its own in 3 to 6 weeks.
Explanation of the use of tubes in the tympanic membrane to help children with frequent ear infections drain fluid and relieve pressure.
Transcripts
have you ever wondered what's going on
when we pop our ears and why we have to
do it in the first place and even why it
can hurt so bad sometimes well today
we're going to find out that much of
this has to do with protecting certain
structures within your ear especially
your eardrum and sometimes if this
doesn't work properly or if someone has
certain conditions it could lead to
rupturing of the eardrum So today we're
going to take a look at some awesome
Anatomy to help us understand how the
ear works and therefore answer some of
these questions we'll use this sagittal
head dissection that you can can see
here to look at some really cool Anatomy
as well as take a look at Jeffrey skull
specifically this hole right here called
the external auditory canal and this is
part of your external ear the more
superficial part of the external ear
made up of cartilage and skin has
obviously been removed from Jeffrey but
this external auditory canal is where
someone might try to put a Q-tip even
though it's recommended that you don't
do that and this is mostly because you
might just push in the ear wax and any
debris further into the ear causing
blockage or impact ction now it is
possible to rupture your eardrum with a
Q-tip but your ear anatomy has a lot of
sensory receptors that can detect pain
and discomfort so most people are going
to stop pushing the Q-tip in well before
they rupture their eardrum and speaking
of ear wax what is really cool about the
skin lining the external auditory canal
is that it has modified sweat glands
called ceruminous glands that produces
this yellowish waxy lubricating
secretion that contributes to the
formation of cerumin which is the Fancy
Pants name for ear wax now ear wax
provides a sticky barrier to prevent
entrance of foreign bodies such as
insects it also waterproofs the canal
and helps prevent the entry of certain
pathogens such as bacteria and fungi and
as an interesting FYI most people's ear
wax doesn't build up like crazy for most
the external ear is self-cleaning and
the ear wax just dries up and falls out
on its own but there are a select few
that produce higher amounts of wax and
may require ear irrigations from time to
time but let's keep moving further into
the external auditory canal the external
auditory canal ends with the eardrum or
what is technically called the tanic
membrane the tanic membrane divides the
external ear from the middle ear the
middle ear is actually referred to as
the tanic cavity and this is a Hol space
filled with air and contains the
smallest bones in the human body called
auditory ticles maybe you've heard their
names before malus incus and stapes the
middle a also has some of the smallest
muscles in the human body body the
tensor Tony and the stapedius the stiped
is muscle being the absolute smallest in
the human body but it is this tanic
cavity or the middle ear that is very
important to our story with popping our
ears but let me give you a quick
synopsis on how hearing works as sound
waves enter the external auditory canal
this will cause the tanic membrane to
vibrate these vibrations will then be
transmitted through the auditory oses
these tiny little bones which will then
stimulate a small snail-like organ
called the ca sound waves of various
frequencies will cause vibrations of
different intensities within the CA and
this information will get transmitted to
the brain through a nerve called the
vestibulo clear nerve and then we can
make sense of and process all the sound
but why are there these tiny muscles
within the middle ear well sometimes
we're exposed to loud noises and what
these muscles can do is contract and
limit the movements or the vibrations of
the tanic membrane to help prevent
damage to those inner ear structures
like the ca but because it takes a
fraction of a second for these muscles
to contract they can protect the inner
ear from prolonged loud sounds like
thunder but can't contract quickly
enough to protect against brief loud
sounds like a gunshot now I'm sure all
of you have been super excited to learn
all this extra Anatomy about the ear but
why do we pop our ears and how does it
work well as we have learned the middle
ear is a hollow cavity filled with air
and most of the time it is a closed
system that maintains a certain amount
of air pressure and most of the time the
pressure within the middle ear is the
same as the pressure outside the body
and the pressure outside the body would
most often just be due to the
atmospheric pressure however sometimes
you can get a difference in the pressure
between the middle ear and the outside
and this can put tension on the tanic
membrane which could lead to pain and if
the pressure difference continues to
increase this could even lead to tearing
or rupturing of the tanic membrane so
for example if someone were to go scuba
diving as they continue to go deeper
down in the water the pressure outside
the body would would start to become
greater than the pressure within the
middle ear and this would cause the eard
drum to start bulging Inward and if this
continues again this could cause pain
and potentially lead to rupturing
however when people are learning how to
scuba dive they are trained on how to
equalize the pressure in order to avoid
having the tanic membrane rupture but
let me give you another example let's
say I decide to drive up the canyon my
house is about at 4700 ft of elevation
and the nearest ski resort to my house
is about 10 Mi away but there is a bit
of an elevation change as the ski resort
can get up to 11,000 ft of elevation so
as I head up to the ski resort I might
notice that my ear starts to hurt and in
this case the pressure that is in my
middle ear from being at 4700 ft starts
to become greater than the atmospheric
pressure outside because as I increase
in elevation the atmospheric pressure
actually goes down and this would cause
my eardrum to start bulging outward
again potentially causing some pain but
usually this is a pretty quick and easy
fix I either move my jaw around or I
might yawn or I might even plug my nose
and blow with my mouth
closed and I'm pretty sure that I use
this hand to touch the caber I think so
what happened when I moved my jaw or
yawned or plugged my nose and blue with
a closed mouth well this is where the
sagittal head dissection will help us
with the next part of the story and this
is actually a really cool dissection as
you can see and most people want to take
a look at the brain and the spinal cord
which obviously is very cool but we've
got other videos where we take a look at
the brain but where we want to focus on
here is this area and I'm tracing the
fairings the faing is just a fancy pants
name for the throat and where we're
mostly going to focus is the upper ferx
called the naso ferx because it's behind
the nasal cavity and if you look closely
right here where I'm putting the probe
you might see an orifice and this
orifice is the entry into a tube known
as the ustation tube also known as the
fingo tanic tube which I personally
think is a better name because it tells
you it's a tube connecting the fings to
the tanic cavity or the middle ear so
there are muscles that surround this
opening of the tube and like I mentioned
earlier the opening is normally closed
off but if we contract certain muscles
and again we often just do this by
moving our jaw yawning organ plugging
our nose and blowing with a closed mouth
and this will force the tube to open up
and the pressure that's inside of our
mouth and our nasal passageways is the
same as the pressure outside and this
helps us to equalize the pressure and
effectively pop our ears and take the
pressure off that tanic membrane now
most of the time this system works just
fine for people but all of us have
probably had some experiences when this
has been a little bit dysfunctional for
example you may have experienced a time
where you couldn't really pop your ears
very easily and you've got what's known
as ustation tube dysfunction there are
many different causes of ustation tube
dysfunction one of the more common
causes that I see with my patients is
that they had a nasty upper respiratory
tract infection or a nasty cold and what
happens when you get a cold is that
these mucus membranes can get inflamed
and they produce more mucus and it can
narrow the ustation tube so that it
makes it harder to open up and equalize
the pressure this also means that you
could get a little bit of fluid build up
in the middle ear which could just be a
little bit of an annoyance but it could
also lead to a middle ear infection
middle ear infections are referred to as
otitis media in the medical world and
they're actually much more common with
little kids and this is because the
ustation tube or the fingo tanic tube is
more horizontal shorter and even more
narrow in kids and this results in two
things one it's easier for pathogens
such as bacteria to make it up from the
naso fings and into the middle ear and
two with a narrower tube in a kid it
doesn't take as much to close it off
during a respiratory tract infection so
they can't drain their ears as well and
bacteria could build up more easily now
what's also interesting about middle ear
infections is that your body can
actually heal from them on its own even
without antibiotics and this is a little
bit of a debate in the Met Community
should we let people even kids try to
ride out a middle ear infection or
should we treat them immediately with
antibiotics I think there can be a
little bit of a nuanced approach with
this where a pediatrician could assess
the child's history overall risk and
make some decisions with the parent one
of the potential risks of not treating a
midal ear infection is a ruptured eard
drum will the pus and the pressure build
up and rupture the eardrum before the
body's own immune system can clear the
infection fortunately if an eardrum does
rupture it can heal on its own in
anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks and as the
last little FYI this is why kids who get
frequent ear infections might get tubes
placed within the tanic membrane this
allows another drainage point for the
pus or the pressure if that ustation
tube or the fringo tanic tube isn't
opening up properly and allowing
drainage of that middle ear
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