Otological Complaints in Free Divers
Yücel Yüzbaşıoğlu1
, Akif Güneş2, Sema Yüzbaşıoğlu3, Aysegul Şentürk4, Havva Şahin Kavaklı5, Levent Ucuzal6
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Keçiören Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
2Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ministry of Health, Eskişehir City Hospital, Eskişehir, Turkey
3Department of Ophthalmology, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Turkey
4Department of Interventional Pulmonology, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
5Department of Emergency Medicine, Yenimahalle Training and Research Hospital, Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Turkey
6METU SAS, CMAS Free Diving Commission, CMAS-TSSF Academy, Kaş Başka Training Center, Ankara, Turkey
Keywords: Free diving, eustachian tube, barotrauma, ear diseases
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess daily otological symptoms of participants during a 10-day course of free diving, thereby determining their ear equalization rates and revealing differences on course days; moreover, the importance of Valsalva maneuver is evaluated.
Materials and methods: Daily examination data were collected from divers with normal physical examination and respiratory function tests during a 10-day diving course. During the study, a 3 m dive was performed on the first day; a 5 m dive on the second day; a 7 m dive on the third day; an 8 m dive on the fifth day; and 10 m dives on the 6th, 7th and 8th days. Each of the 29 participants who received the diving course were interrogated for their ability to make pressure equalization in both ears, eye pain, tooth ache, and palpitations. It was also assessed whether subjects having ear pressure equalization problems could solve their problem, and the ways by which the participants could solve their problems. A p value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Results: A comparison between the first day and the second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth days with respect to comfort in diving revealed significant differences (p<0.05). No significant differences were found in otological symptoms with regard to smoking in any of the seven different diving days (p>0.05).
Conclusions: The training of freedivers with repetitive dives can provide effective learning of the Valsalva maneuver and thus reduce autological symptoms.
Cite this article as: Yuzbasioglu Y, Gunes A, Yuzbasioglu S et al. Otological complaints in free divers. Turk J Sports Med. 2020;55(1):38-45.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest and do not have any financial disclosures. No competing interests were declared
