Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT) Questions Ear Tubes

How do ear tubes work in treating ear pain?

I would like to know how ear tubes work in treating ear pain. Also are they only recommended for kids or can it be prescribed for adults as well?

6 Answers

Hi! The middle ear is the space behind your usually intact and waterproof eardrum. There is a little ventilation shaft inside this space that connects to the very back your nose called the Euatachian tube. It usually helps equalize pressure in the middle ear with pressure outside the eardrum; when you swallow, chew, and even speak, the valve opens and the pressure between the two spaces equalize. It is like holding the opening of a balloon: if the balloon is full of air and you release that valve a little, some of the extra pressure in that balloon will equalize and let some air out. If the pressure inside and outside the balloon is the same (empty balloon) then no air has to flow.

The pain comes when that valve cannot open. In children it is usually due to immature anatomy and small openings, along with obstructive tissues in the area blocking the opening (the adenoids aka the nasal tonsils). In adults, some people have small midface anatomy or small valves and do not equalize well.

Ear tubes are little plastic port holes we use after we have generated a little incision into the eardrum to create an alternative equalization opening. The tube is there to help prevent the incision from healing. The difference in how this works compared to normal anatomy is that a healthy Eustachian tube opens as needed and with certain actions but is otherwise closed by default, while an ear tube is always open and allowing constant equalization.

Tubes can be placed in kids and adults alike.

Have a good summer!

Dr. LeBlanc
Adults and children are okay for tubes if needed. Pain relief comes by relieving negative pressure or pressure from the infection.
They release the negative pressure in the middle ear, releasing the ear drum and returning normal hearing and drainage of the fluid accumulated in the middle ear
They work great if the pain is caused because the patient’s Eustachian tubes are not equalizing the air pressures on each side of the ear drum. The tubes allow air to flow through the drum so the pressure is equal on both sides.
If the ear pain is caused by something else than tubes will not help at all.
An ear doctor, working with an audiologist who can do a full function test of the ear and Eustachian tube can telll what is causing the ear pain. Sometimes it is not even the ear!!. Pain in the throat, tonsils, vocal cords, etc. or even the jaw joint can be “ referred” to th ear and feel just like ear pain.
Allow for pressure equalization. Prevent middle fluid buildup. Decrease middle ear inflammation secondary to secretions. Indicated for some adults who do not respond to conservative treatment, post-radiation therapy, as vent tube for some reconstructive eardrum procedures
They help in the ventilation of the space behind the eardrum. Therefore, for children with frequent ear infections, it allows the patient' s own eustachian tubes to recover. It also may help with ear pain while flying.