Poll: Do You Have Ear Fullness After Exercise?

I've been trying strength training over the last 2 or so weeks and have noticed that my right ear will often feel full (like I'm under water) during high intensity workouts. It happens nearly every time I go to the gym. My tinnitus doesn't really change when this happens, but I do feel mild to moderate pain. I often feel nauseous but it is difficult to pinpoint whether or not this is the exercise itself doing this or my ear. Either way, it's super annoying and I want it to stop.

I'm going to the ENT next week to explain this to them and rule out anything serious (like a perilymphatic fistula).

Anybody else have this issue?

In my case my issues stem from gunshot related acoustic trauma and unilateral SNHL/tinnitus on the right side.

 

I don’t know if you are still on here but I pushed too hard and developed dysacusis. It’s like a sound distortion of most things I hear, and my hyperacusis got worse. I have been struggling with it for 8 months now and have to workout extremely light or it gets set off and I get worse. I was also in a car accident complicating things to an extreme. I have severe hyperacusis that gets flared up from working out.

Don’t push too hard, and breathe. As long as your tinnitus stays the same, you are ok.

How are you doing now? Did you find out what it was? I was deadlifting 495... Not a good idea if you have (even mild) ear problems.

 

I have ear fullness always, but it often spikes in intensity after exercise.

 

Happens to me commonly and I will get pulsatile tinnitus loudly if doing hard cardio.

I have friends with no tinnitus that say the same; I ignore it mostly.

 

I practice boxing. A hell of a sport which requires hard workouts. My tinnitus always spikes after every session. Then it gradually goes back to baseline after some hours. Now I'm in the middle of a massive spike that is lasting one week so far but those after-workout spikes have helped me to cope better.

 

Depends on the exercise really.

Walking seems to have no effect on my ear fullness in my right ear. Even if it’s intense and prolonged. I’ll often walk 10 miles or more on trails.

Running actually seems to improve my ear fullness. I assuming the jarring force of it somehow helps with my issue.

Swimming will also improve it. In this case I think it has to do with lots of neck movement. My neck is often extremely stiff and tender on the right side.

I do have TTTS and ETD that can cause me fullness in both ears. Mainly though my fullness is in my right ear daily. I believe the constant fullness is due to an inner auditory canal osteoma removal I had done in 2019 (scar tissue, inflammation, structural changes) hoping it would improve or eliminate my tinnitus (it did neither). So this could be why it has the opposite effect for me than it has on most people.

 

Is ear fullness caused by neck or jaw issues?

 

I do get this after exercise, always thought it's caused by increased blood pressure.

 

It's ETD. The change in blood pressure is absorbing air at a higher rate and slightly changing the shape of the middle ear, creating a vacuum that isn't equalizing. The middle ear breathes, pulling in air via the E tubes, and very slowly absorbing it (albeit more oxygen than air in general). The tubes even have beating cilia like our lungs do to get rid of bacteria/particulates.

This could cause a chronic problem in the future, vacuum can create blood vessel leakage and you could start off a very rare thing called a cholesterol granuloma. Further, check your ears for retraction pockets to avoid cholesteatomas in the future too. ETD doesn't really go away, but can try treating it with sinus rinses, antihistamines, psuedo ephidrine, etc. Nasal steroids may work.

Try moving your jaw / swallowing / valsalva next time, it'll probably open up (you'll hear a loud pop, find pain decreases, will feel less full). If so... well, you know the issue now. Tympanic tubes are a rather temporary solution imo to a permanent issue, unless there is something that simply needs ventilation to fix in there for a few months.