swimmers ear

jp5 · Joined: 19 May 1998 Posts: 3394 Location: OnUr6

After 40 years of surfing my ear cannels have almost closed so I now use Doc's Pro plugs to save what I have left and avoid surgery. They work well at keeping water out, are moderately comfortable, and you can still hear well enough with them in.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

aikimatt · Joined: 22 Jul 2000 Posts: 16

Vinegar and alcohol - yep, or skip the vinegar, or buy Star-Otic or "Swimmer's Ear" at the drug store.

I landed hard on my ear learning forward loops. I probably put a small tear in the eardrum. I used Star Otic or 70% rubbing alcohol (the latter was more harsh) for a long time. I also used something called Similisan homeopathic earache remedy, which seemed to help with the pain. Yes, there was burning, not just the feeling of fullness.

If you think there might he a tear it is better to wear earplugs.

If you are trying forwards for the first time it is better to wear earplugs until you figure out how to land on something other than your ear. I don't wear them anymore. I've heard push loops and gutter flips can also be dangerous.

ozyonezzy · Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 1

Doc's pro plugs are a good preventitive step but if you have a narrowing of the ear canal already (an ear doctor can tell ) then it's more of a serious problem which needs a better solution( i found doc's plugs let in the cold water still and are very easy to loose).You can get custom plugs from companies that supply communication devices to people like the police.They never fall out(just tested them at the hatchery 4.0)and are way more water blocking than docs , they float and are bright orange.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Has it occurred to you macho bozos to wear helmets for loopy aerials? Geez . . . you have only two ears, perforated eardrums let dirty river water get WAY too close to your gray matter, and having to sit out days to weeks of heavy wind is a far bigger bummer than blows to your insecure egos.

Go ahead, flame on. After all, I DID phrase it rather bluntly. But you know I'm right, so get over it and take some sound advice from a guy whose protective gear has prevented or mitigated literally hundreds of serious injuries --- some life-threatening and many potentially crippling -- over 5 decades of wild and wooly sports, thus adding years, maybe even decades, to his play time.

\m/

madspaniard · Joined: 23 May 2005 Posts: 380

"...I also got concussed from doing too many (forward loops) whilst wearing a helmet. The extra area of a helmet increases the ‘slap’ that you get when your head hits the water so I now prefer not to wear one"

mlockh · Joined: 10 Sep 2002 Posts: 16

vinegar and alcohol(rubbing) work best for prevention of infection. the vinegar is to inhibit growth of organisms(fungal) and the alcohol helps the water to drain out of those old surfer ears. this is by reducing surface tension. surfer ears are alledgedly due to persistent cold water causing vasospasm in the ears, thus starving the bone there of oxygen. for some bizarre reason, anoxic bone responds by growing. when that bone is around a small canal, that eventually leads to a problem of poor drainage.
the solution doesn't have to be exact, but 50/50 is a good home made goal. keeping the cold water out is important. i can personally vouch that you don't want to have the rotorooter surgery. that is offered when recurrent infections or decrease in hearing starts(the bone grows and starts pullling on the eardrum).

glencorthy · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 6

I wear a helmet only to hold my headphones in place. I guess they keep out the crash water.

Caught a pseudomona infection in one ear from the water and heat wave at Hood River, and it stayed smelly and blue for months, despite swabbing and peroxide. It didn't hurt, just lived happily smelling like one of those rental houses in Bingen.

Antibiotic drops took them out in a week. Gonna try vin/alcohol this year. Using it as aftershave, too. For the babes.