New diver complains of ear pressure

Question
Hi Tom,
 My 8-year old is in his second year of diving and is this year complaining of ear pressure even during shallow dives.  I read a response you wrote to Pablo a year ago where you suggested that he squeeze his bicep tight to his ears to possibly reduce tinnitis.  Will this also help with equalization problems?  My son has never had an ear infection but does suffer from need to "pop" his ears even out of the water.
  Are there other equalization techniques we can try?
Thank you,
Julie

Answer
Julie -

I think you misunderstood my answer to Pablo's question about his ear problem. He suffered from ear infections so I told him about using his biceps to squeeze his ears during entries to keep the water out. Your son has a different problem with his ears. Equalization to relieve the pressure in the ears comes from what SCUBA divers do as they descend to depths far greater than competitive divers do but it does work. When they feel painful pressure underwater, they close off the nose and mouth with one hand and slowly blow out so the air goes out the ears. This must be done gently until the 'pop' occurs, the pressure is gone and so is the pain. I do not recommend that he do this when out of the water. Yawning is another way to reduce this pressure. This is what happens when you fly in the pressurized cabin of a jet and your ears pop from a yawn.

You should consult an ear, nose and throat doctor about this problem because if it is happening at shallow depths or out of the water, his Eustachian tubes are going to get damaged.These inner ear tubes are getting squeezed from the water pressure and staying closed on the deck. This can lead to a serious problem if not treated. I think you should ask this question to another expert on this site or some other Internet free advice site because this is all I know about this type of problem.

The final solution to your question should be answered by a medical professional who can look in his ears and determine the problem.

Hope all this helps and sorry I can't give a final answer.