Central Texas News

Even the world's top athletes can be severely affected in competition by sinus and ear infections. 

According to Wikipedia, defending women's skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold had struggled during the season leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, but she was able to overcome adversity and set a track record in her first run.

Suffering from a middle ear disorder, which had impeded her during the season, Yarnold posted a disappointing second run, but a strong slide brought her back to second, and only .02 seconds off gold after the third run. In the fourth run, she established an impressive new track record, becoming the first double Olympic champion (male or female) in the history of skeleton and the first woman to medal multiple times.

According to Healthline, the eustachian tubes are small tubes that run between your middle ears and the upper throat. They are responsible for equalizing ear pressure and draining fluid from the middle ear, the part of the ear behind the eardrum. The eustachian tubes are usually closed, except for when you chew, swallow or yawn.

Yarnold's sinus issues were caused by an inner ear issue.

"Eustachian tube dysfunction is what happens when the eustachian tube that connects the back of the throat to the middle ear space doesn't work properly," Dr. Monty Trimble of Dallas Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told Central Texas News. "So if patients that have significant sinus issues get sick, upper respiratory infections can adversely affect the way the eustachian tube functions, and that's often why people may get fluid in their middle ear space, or they may get an ear infection."

Trimble said that the ear is essentially a "specialized sinus" and that ear problems and sinus problems are usually connected.

"The interesting thing about ear problems is that most of those things that people complain about -- from stuffiness to decreased hearing because of an ear infection -- can be improved by improving sinus health," Trimble said. "We try to differentiate eustachian tube dysfunction from other causes, but the interesting thing is that seems like everyone who has a better functioning nose, who can breathe better through their nose, it seems like those issues ultimately will get better for those people.

Acute sinusitis is mostly caused by the common cold, according to Mayo Clinic. Unless a bacterial infection develops, most cases resolve within a week to 10 days. Home remedies may be all you need to treat acute sinusitis. However, sinusitis that lasts more than 12 weeks, despite medical treatment, is considered chronic sinusitis.

It's important for patients to determine the nature of their symptoms to choose the best course of action to relieve pain. If you think you might benefit from seeing a doctor, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.