Hi! I suffered a concussion about four years ago and ever since then my ears have become completely plugged as if I was under water. Its worse than it sounds because there's head tension pain accompanying it. I sometimes get dizzy. I want to say its tinnitus, but I haven't read much about pain being a symptom of it. There is a 'crunching' or 'crackling' noise in my ears.

Its constant too, my ears haven't unplugged in four years. I've had to drop out of college and claim disability. I'm so fatigued and in pain that I'm am debating shock therapy. I hoping someone may experienced this and has knowledge on a medication to treat it. I've already been to ear specialists. Any help would be appreciated.

blackcompe,

Have you been seen by an Ear Nose and Throat doctor? An audiologist may also be a good start. There can be calcium crystal build up in the inner ear that can mess things up.

I have problems with ear wax build-up because I cannot sleep on my side. Side sleeping is the normal way the ear self cleanses.

There are therapies for dealing with the calcium crystals. They are called Epley or Semont Maneuvers.

I actually had many visits with world renowned otolaryngoligists, and they were totally puzzled. One of one was a friend of a friend. So, you can tell this isn't easy. On a better note, I found some articles online this week talking about several types of Tinnitus (even painful ones) and some partially effective treatments. And, I found out Tinnitus is common after a head injury and the symptoms match up. Too bad ENT's can't see that after 8 years of hitting the books.

I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but I am only 23, on disability, and in major debt from college. I had to leave college because this condition is so debilitating. I've been dealing with a 4 year long headache from plugged ears. Its been hell trying to diagnose myself and order/ask for different medications to try. Everyone gives me ****, but I'm still dealing with the problem, so how can you blame me. We pay Doctors to fix our health issues.

I have appointment with The Neurology Department of The University of Pennsylvania Monday. I am not that hopeful, anxious if anything, but hopefully I can get a script for Baclofen. Its a anti-spasmylotic agent that shows efficacy in treating tinnitus. It un-contracts contracted muscles through the modulation of GABA nuerons. Its also used to treat multiple sclerosis. Its likely that my head injury caused a slight disruption in my CNS, and my ears muscles are highly spastic.

I'll post if it works. I would never want anyone to live through this, if I can help it.

good luck,

That was the first thing that I noticed after my injury. My left hear became clogged. It is now much better, but it comes and goes. Like everything else the stress makes it worse. I hope you feel better soon.

You say you've had this for 4 years now? How long were you unconcious for?I sustained a gash to my head from a fall on 01/01, and days later I'd been having that blocked feeling in my ears which I hadn't experienced in many years and also the mild tinnitus, first in the right ear then the left ear, then it goes and then returns, but it has lessen since then. But I sill feel there is a long black cloud over my life and I haven't felt the same since, I keep being told it's a temporary thing in that the brain is rebooting itself and I keep being told to be patient. What I would recommend is trying Reflexology, and gingko with vitamin b and zinc. Forget ear candles.

I run up to 3 miles a day sometimes. This isn't a homeopathic curable condition. My mom tried saying that. I was like 'I had a head injury, are you serious?' Ha. I'm extremely athletic and healthy otherwise.

Yeah I tried the ear candles. Those are for clearing wax. This is nothing of the sort. I've had my ears suctioned at an ENT and had ear grommets inserted into my ear drums. They've been mistaking it for Eustachian tube dysfunction (a condition commonly related to sinusitis, viral and bacterial upper respiratory infections).

This my theory, which supports how incredible insane I been driven over this condition. My inner ear muscles or the local muscles are overly tense to the point where there causing a vacuum in my inner ear cavity (disabling air pressure equalization) or they are agitating my cranial nerves.

I think you'd be a little more concerned if the exact same thing was occurring. I could write a best seller on how bad things have been for me between doctors visits, hospitalizations, disability, shear pain and depression. Psychiatrists can't even make my mental health any better.

Its funny, one random day my ear unplugged partially and it was like heaven. I was so many drugs (not the cause) at the time, I did not know what to attribute the relief from, but surely enough it plugged two hours later and the headache came right back. When I say a headache I mean chronic tension every second of every minute of every day and that's not imaginable for most. You can only keep surviving though. One more day.

I too have that blocked feeling in my left ear after I hit my head end of Dec 08. The doctor said it was infected, so I used anti-botics. I then went to the hospital to have it syringed out - it was blocked with wax. I thought that would make it better, but I still have that feeling.

Good luck.

Before you gotten to the point I am at you may want to look into teeth clenching due to stress, migraines, and labyrinthitis. These are all causes of ear muscle contractions. Vitamins (magnesium), anti-migraine medications, and benzodiazapines are common treatments. I've already tried these and they didn't work, so its onto Baclofen.

I forgot to say, my condition is called palatomyoclonus. I was actually diagnosed with it, but I got side tracked with depression treatment that failed. I gave it up on trying to find a cure because I couldn't find any information. Now I can't stop finding information. Its basically, the clonus that MS sufferers have but in the ear. Its caused by disruptions in the central nervous system.