Poll: Who Has Voluntary Control of Their Tensor Veli Palatini Muscles (Opening Eustachian Tubes)

This is something I have been able to do for years and I take it for granted sometimes without realising that many others probably can’t do what I can. I can open my Eustachian tubes at will, directly, without having to swallow or yawn for example. I have such control that I can hold them open and blow air through them, and I can repeatedly open and close them at speed. Holding them open can also create a rumbling sound.

So the question is: how common is this? I know a lot of divers can do it, but I was never taught how. I just stumbled upon it years ago.

 

I can “flex” my ear muscle and I will hear a crackle. That's what you mean?

 

Just to add to this: one way I know if my Eustachian tubes are blocked or inflamed is that I cannot open them at all. I usually test how blocked they are - if my allergies are playing up - by holding them open and blowing air through them. I can literally feel and hear the air flowing through my tubes and ears when I do this. If there’s a partial blockage it can intermittently flow and then stop. When this happens I know my tube/s are partially blocked.

I can also suck air the opposite way and can feel the pressure change in my middle ear. I hardly ever do this, but I have complete autonomous control over the pressure in my middle ear when I do; just so long as my tubes aren't blocked.

 

I do too
I can even make a clicking noise on purpose, a noise that other people can hear if they are very close to me and pay attention, I checked with my brother ^^

 

Thanks for sharing this Ed. I've been able to do this for quite a long time as well. Someone taught me, when I was getting into diving on vacation. In recent years, I've been doing it quite obsessively, particularly because my ears seem to deal with a chronic pressure imbalance (if that makes sense). I never have an issue with opening my tubes in this way, but I have to do it every now and then to make my ears less clogged and restore some mild hearing loss. It has boggled my mind for the longest time (began 3-4 years before tinnitus).

 

Yea same. My wife listened next to my ear because she didn’t believe me

 

Also, I forgot to add you should hear a click because I’m presuming people know what it feels like when they are opening their tubes.

 

Yea Sam, exactly that. That’s the opening of your tubes. The next part is if you can maintain the flex to keep them open. If you can, you can try blowing air at the back of your throat; hard to describe, but if done correctly it will go through your Eustachian tubes creating a hollow wind rush sound. You will also feel it.

I wonder if there is more of a dominance in being able to do this if one has an ear condition? None of my friends in real life have a clue what I’m on about. Maybe we only learn these things when it becomes more of a necessity and our minds are drawn more towards ways we can control our middle ear function.

 

Yea, I’m the same. It was really obvious when I was driving the saddle road on the big island of Hawaii because of how up and down it is. I had to re-pressurise my ears quite a lot. It’s also how I alter the pressure when descending on a plane.

If my hearing is slightly muffled (usually mucous causing a vacuum does this as it can slightly suck your eardrum inward), I will open my tubes to release the slight pressure and my hearing comes right back. This is, of course, unless I’m going through a bout of ETD.

 

Interesting! Have you ever thought whatever this means is going on in our ears, is also what causes our tinnitus? Or is yours a clear consequence of noise exposure (if I may ask)?

It's kind of like a super power isn't it? When I'm flying, my family or friends are often complaining about not getting their ears open for a while (or even pain), and I can for once feel like I can shrug a common ear problem off

 

Yep i actually have done the blowing air thing many times. I also find the crackle relieves the fullness effect which i get frequently. I can only do it with my right ear. No t in left ear.

 

Interesting Sam. I wonder how common this really is then? It’s already more common than I thought it would be. Although there aren’t many votes. Maybe it’s mainly the people who can do this who are drawn to this thread.

 

Yes, I can do this too.

 

I've been doing this for the longest time, it's like a compulsion for me. I had no idea what I was even doing and was scared (call it ignorant bliss) to even do any research on it. I just assumed that it was part of the sorry state of my ears and didn't really want to read any further into it. Thanks for enlightening me, I feel better now knowing that it (probably) isn't doing me any harm. Feels so good for whatever reason, lol.

 

I find it interesting how many can do it. It seems to be more common than I realised.

One more thing I can do which is no different to blowing air, is if I make a noise or groan, I can direct it into my open Eustachian tubes making it resonate in my middle ear. This is something I did to check my tubes before flying and is a brilliant self-diagnostic tool.

 

@Ed209 sometimes it causes a couple of seconds of mild pain if I do it forcefully, can you do that?

 

No there’s no pain. Pain may suggest inflammation possibly?

 

No idea to be honest Ed, it's not everytime I do it. But sometimes I'll do it and I'll get a little bit of pain but it feels like it's coming from both the ear and throat so it has to be ETD I guess? I am pretty sure a doctor told me I had it about 3 years ago now...

 

As an educated guess I’d say it’s likely.

 

Yep and now I’m in the habit of doing it, and all I hear is clicking all day. Trying to stop doing it is hard because of my aural fullness.