If its basically a straight shot from your outer ear to the ear drum, how does water get ‘stuck’ in your ear after swimming?
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I’m an Ear Nose and Throat doctor. A few things may be happening.
Your ear canal is small and not straight, so water may not flow freely out. At one end of your ear canal is an ear drum. Think about what happens if you get some water in a straw and then plug one end. Water doesn’t come out easily.
Your ear canal and ear drum are extremely sensitive and even a small drop of water can be noticed and be irritating. Think of the last bead of water on the inside of a straw or something. As that moves around you can feel it.
Alternatively, you may have a sensation that your ear is full because your middle ear hasn’t equalized pressure well, especially if you have been deep under water. Your brain is terrible at telling if the outer ear canal or middle ear is the cause of the pressure sensation.
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