sound when moving ear

About two weeks ago I started hearing a "crumpling paper" sound inside my ear right whenever I move the ear with the ear muscle or when i pull it upwards manually or when I move the lower jaw from side to side.

There is no water in my ear, no infection and no wax build up (I just came back from my family doctor) and my hearing is not impaired and I have no pain. I have not had any cold for the past few months and I have not injured myself in that ear or anything like that. This just started out of the blue.

Why am I hearing this sound as if I have water and why is it not going away after two weeks?
Is this a sign of a lesion in the cochlea or ear drum that my family doctor has not been able to detect?
What are the internal ear conditions, diseases or lesions that could be consistent with these symptoms?

Thank you

[Fionnxxx]

i have the same thing! it may be eaustachian tube dyfunction which gives similar symptons, but like you mine just starte out of the blue and my hearing is still fine so i have no idea, but try lookijng into the tube dysfunction thing as thats what i think is most likely

[Wear/a/Jimmy]

Did your GP do a tympanometry test...  I doubt he/she did.

Any how, it is a machine that can tell if your middle ear is functioning correctly. USUALLY, if the eustachean tube is not functioning correctly the tympanomter will detect that.

[hunter21]

I have had the same "crumpling paper" noise in my ear now for several weeks whenever I touch or move my ear. I went to the ENT and he said it was probably just my eaustachian tube that was making the crumpling paper noise. I know it is not because the sound is in a totally different place than that of when I pop my ears. The ENT did a tympanometry test on my ears and said that they were fine. But this sound is a completely different sound than the sound of my ears popping which they do just fine. It is right on the inside of my ear where my ear drum would be. If any one has or knows what this could be please let me know? It is the same thing as guzmano was describing up above.

[sdmike1]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I just got back from a visit with an ENT who's solution to this was "live with it". What the heck? I get a crumpling paper (more like dropping a needle on a record) sound whenever I move my facial muscles...like yawn, blink hard, etc. I had a hearing test today and there are no issues. They ran a pressure test too, and the ENT says I don't have any fluid behind the eardrum. He says it's Tinnitis, but I think he's full of it. I don't hear ringing or other sounds like that that are more typical of Tinnitis. I'm looking forward to a continued discussion on this topic. The sound is driving me nuts

[loadie]

I have a simular clicking sound but also a whistleing at about "middle C " level if I put my finger in my right ear,also if I go out in the wind  with the wind coming from behind me. I have had bad tinnitis for years, too many jet engines and rifle shots ect.
Have been to ENT  had MRI showed nothing, ENT's comment ,it will probably get better, after 6 months i'm beginning to wonder.

Jim N

[jzarech]

I have the same problem for about a month now. I was getting over a really horrid cold and after I was well it just started. Like paper crumpling when I move my ear.

I'm 41 and fly unpressurized airplanes a lot so I thought maybe I damaged my ear while flying sick.

But I hear fine.

It's only my right ear and the sound will go away for a while if I stick my finger in my ear and open it up like a little crowbar.

Hopefully someone can figure out what it is.

Getting old *****!

[bettofindit]

Hi, I'm 27 and started having this crumpling noise too, about 3 days ago and only on my right ear. It's not the first time for me though. The first time I had I just took it for a speed bump and forgot about and didn't even realize it was gone until I started hearing that sound like crumpling paper/plastic. I thought it was my eardrum that had strechted because I have the habit of drying the water out of my ears with my towel and really get it dry!
At first I started to play the with my ear and make it sound some more enjoying the novel sound... but then it got louder and started to sound even when I moved my brows or open my mouth.... I also stuck my (index) finger and tried to gently "pop" my ear... Did it a couple of times until the crumpling actually stopped! It seems to come back after a few minutes. To early to tell anything...

[longrifle]

62yo male with intermittent pulsating tinnitus x ~4 months. I've been taking a Mucinex 12-hr every other day for a maintenance dose and it's helped.  I stopped over Thanksgiving and IPT returned about 18 hours after the last M12.  I don't know if this will help anyone else, but I guess I'll be buying M12 by the 100-count for awhile. Good luck out there!

[sleekgeek]

had this the past 2 or 3 days.. a crumpling/crackling noise only when i move my jaw or put my finger in the right ear.


i thought it was caused from over use of earplugs wheni sleep and go out to the clubs.

i read a suggestion to tilt my head to the side and put a finger in and wiggle around until it stops... and for some bizarre reason it worked.

[Xochitl1982]

@Sleekgeek....I had the same problem and after I read your post I tried it and it worked...I was shocked so Thank U very much for posting the info

[symese90]

I had the same thing and  I figured out that there was a bug in my ear. Maybe a doctor can't detect it because if it was 2 weeks, it could of went behind the eardrum and stuff out of sight.

[fiftyaintnifty156]

Ive had a series of muscles spasm through the years when caused me problems walking. //Since then for about 3 months or more Ive been on Aleve and Ibuprofen 600mg four times a day. When I dont take the rx. The poping of the knee comes back. Could the meds be causing the problems with the fluttering of my ear? I mean the fluttering occurs everyday. When im sleeping there is no problem with my ear at all. Im fifty it aint nifty. Could the fluttering in my right ear come from getting old?

[fishblackpool]

I've currently got a crackling sound in my right ear that only happens when I move my ear or wiggle my jaw! And I know that it is otitis media (basically abit of fluid behind the ear drum) I've done this many times before as I SCUBA dive and have a bit of difficulty equalizing pressure. It can happen in varying amounts and if there is only a little it sounds like crackling! Best thing to do is get some strong nasal decongestant and be patient, if it doesn't go away in 2 weeks go see your GP/ ENT doctor!

[lisarose868]

Thank you SO MUCH !  This paper sound just started yesterday, I thought I had water in my ear --that was not it -- then I thought my earrings kept sweeping along my collar- that was not it --it was like my outer ear (not inner ear) was made of crackling tissue -- driving me crazy and I thought " am I going to have to live with this forever " ???  and then I read your suggestion and just did it and it's gone (Hope it stays gone) ! THANK YOU!

suggestion from: sleekgeek

i read a suggestion to tilt my head to the side and put a finger in and wiggle around until it stops... and for some bizarre reason it worked.

[Earmover]

Can I ask you this: does it hurt, irritate or annoy at all? Does the sound actually escape the ear? can you make the sound with your mouth as well?

[Troyzen]

Oh my gosh the tilt your head and wiggle finger things actually works! Can't believe it! Thought this was some sort of infection, ear injury, etc.

Thank you Sleek Geek!

[rrcf0925]

I've had this problem off and on for awhile now. No way it could be water in the ears...I can't stand water in my ears and cover them tightly when in the water, even during showers. For me, the crackling happens when I move my jaw; sometimes when I swallow, and when I physically move my upper ear. It doesn't sound like it's coming from inside my ear. It sounds as though my cartilage has turned into that really annoyingly loud tissue paper. It only happens in my right ear...I sleep on both sides, so I don't think that is what's causing the problem either. I'm limited on insurance coverage and would love to have it checked out, but I really can't. Fortunately, it's not painful..just annoying!

[jakeholder]

I had the exact same problem.  I'd hear a crumpling noise when I jiggled my ear, lifted my eyebrows, or moved my jaw.  I went to an ENT in San Francisco and she scooped out a bunch of wax and a 3 inch hair.  I think it's the hair that caused the noise.  

She only found the hair because she manually removed some wax first.  She does ENT surgery, so she preferred to do it by hand.  She looked through a big magnifiying glass on a stand that also had a light directed at the ear.  I'd recommend you search Yelp.com for a 5 star ENT specialist and have them scoop out the wax manually.   The other way to remove ear wax is to irrigate it out, but I'm not sure a hair would come out that way.  I only had to pay a $30 dollar co-pay, and the whole visit took about 20 minutes.

[lukta]

I have been having this same issue for a few weeks. I tried sleekgeek's suggestion of putting my little finger in my ear and wiggling it around to no avail. I even tried laying on my bed with my head hanging off upside down.

So I decided I would take sleekgeek's suggestion to the next level. With a Q-tip. I slowly and gently slid the qtip in my right ear along the bottom of my canal until it was pretty far back. I did this EXTREMELY slowly, you don't want to hit your ear drum. When I got back I applied pressure to the walls of the canal in a circular fashion whilst rotating the qtip. I did put a significant amount of pressure on the walls (but be careful not to do this in such a way where you might slip and hit your ear drum) and heard the crackling sound in slow motion. I did this for a few rotations until it stopped completely. Now it is gone! So, try this, but do it carefully. Very carefully.

[kamish199]

I have the same symptoms as everyone else. It seems very odd to me that we all seem to have the problem in our right ears. Does anyone have this problem in their left ear? I usually don't hear the crackling unless I touch my ear with my finger. I tried lukta's q-tip method but when I slowly tried to insert the qtip further into my ear canal, it was painful so I stopped. I have never had pain in my right ear any other time. The crackling has been going on for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months. I am a 26 yr old female. The last time I went SCUBA diving was a few years ago, so I don't think it could be related to that. I just started a new job so I won't have health insurance for a couple more months and can't afford the doc without it.

[JasonGuy]

I hope the real solution to this problem isn't "live with it". I haven't been to a doctor yet, but it is occurring in my left ear. It's been going on for a bout 4 years now, and I always just kind of blow it off because it's not a big hassle, but today I found myself curious as to what it might he and any fixes. I'm 20 years old so, if the solution is to live with it, I have a long (hopefully) 40+ years ahead of me with this sound in my ear.

I've tried a few things without success. Solutions for Swimmer's Ear, giving my ears an extra good cleaning, I even thought maybe just moving it around would put something back in place. Weird I know, but it doesn't hurt when I move it, so I figured nothing was broken.

Just to note. I have had 4 concussions in the past 3 years (3 major, 1 minor). I play sports (soccer, hockey, and lacrosse) all "contact" sports if you may (let alone soccer, but then again that's where the concussions came from). Could it possibly be due to head trauma? I've had other weird injuries due to head injury like Subconjunctival Hemmorage (bleeding in the whites of the eye), even used to have frequent nose bleeds because of the concussions.

So my conclusion, have all (or any) of you experienced any type of head trauma of any sort?

[mnair]

Yes, I have it in my left ear, started about two weeks ago. I'm going to go off now to try out the wiggling finger suggestion: wish me luck.

[tayzaa]

i have the same thing but my ear is making a noise that sounds like a spring getting stretched im nearly 14 and i have no idea what is going on and when i try and tell my parents they just laugh at me so i need some help!!

[StephanieB73]

out of no where this morning i went to put my head set on at work and I started hearing crackling sounds and the more i touched my ear the worse it got, also when i moved my jaw I heard it, I can tell its the outter ear not the inner ear and happens even when i barely touch it. It sounds like cartilage is breaking, Im scared as this has never happened to me before. It stopped after about 10 min earlier today but then happened again tonight when I tried to put headphones in my ear. Im afraid to take the suggestion of sticking my finger in my ear since that seems to make it worse. I dont have any pain so far, any thoughts on what this is or how to help stop this?

[sxst]

I've had the cracking noise problem in my left ear for several years. Well it started in the left ear and gradually the right ear joined too, though it is not as much interested as the left one to participate in the activity. It started with only a clicking sound (just like a mouse click) when I swallowed or yawned when it started few years back, but last couple years it lasts usually about 1 to 2 second, the crackling sound, and I can make the sound whenever I want by moving the muscle around my ear (though I don't actually see anything moving if I look in the mirror) Sometimes it's worse sometimes it gets better.

This is the only page on the internet I've found using a search engine about this specific problem. The suggestion by sleekgeek sounds ridiculous to me. I tried **** like that many years ago. Over the years I've been to several ENTs in 4 different countries. None of them had a clue or could tell me what is causing this. A few of the more pretentious ones said it was wax in my ear canal and removed the wax, which proved that this has nothing to do with wax. It's a mechanical thing obviously, whatever it is. The first 2 or 3 years I imagined my eardrum could be kind of loose or something, jolting a little bit every time I hear this sound but now I don't think that's the case.

I'd kill to know what exactly is going on, what is causing this sound...
Please if anybody reads this and has discovered the cause of the problem, or something to do about it I beg you to let me know.

[sxst]

Posting hear and expecting someone to tell me the cause of it is expecting a dead person to tell you what is going on after they die. People only post when they have the problem. In case they fix it they will never bother to find this page and tell other people what happened.

[Phoenixcat]

Your suggestion helped me too. At first it was resilient, but after a minute or two of some serious wiggling it went away. =) thank you so much!