Why does my ear feel blocked?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
The usual suspects: wax buildup, pressure from colds and flights as the ear's ventilation tube swells shut, fluid lingering after infections, and water trapped from swimming. Each feels remarkably similar from inside.
What helps: swallowing, yawning and gentle nose-pinched pressure for flights; olive oil or wax-softening drops for wax; time and decongestants around colds. What harms: cotton buds, which ram wax deeper and scratch canals, and ear candles, which are theater with burns.
Blockage beyond two weeks, pain, discharge, or any sudden hearing loss, the last is urgent, deserves an actual look inside; sudden deafness is treated as an emergency.
Is this your situation right now?
General answers only go so far. A doctor can look at your numbers and history and give you a written answer about you.
People also ask
Health education, not personal medical advice. In an emergency, contact your local emergency service now.