As temperatures drop, our ears become more sensitive to cold, leading to discomfort, earaches, and temporary hearing changes. “Sudden temperature shifts create pressure changes in the environment, which the ear works to balance through the Eustachian tube—a tunnel connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose,” explained Stefania Goncalves, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology. “When these pressure changes occur too quickly, the Eustachian tube struggles to adjust, causing temporary sensations of ear fullness, pressure, pain, clogged ears, or even brief hearing changes.”

The UAB Medicine Otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat, or ENT) Clinic provides complete management of allergy conditions involving the ears, nose, sinuses, mouth, throat, and neck. We offer four main services: diagnostic testing, hearing aids, bone-anchored hearing aids, and cochlear implants. In addition, we are one of the few auditory brainstem implant programming centers in […]