Why does my head hurt when i go to the bottom of a swimming pool?

• i went swimming yesterday at my friends house, and my friend told me to try laying down on the bottom, but when i tried going to the bottom my head started hurting like it was being crushed.. it hurt really really bad. lol. i told my friend about it and he said that his head doesnt hurt when he goes to the bottom of the swimming pool. why does my head hurt but not his? is there a way i can stop it?

• Answer:

  You are experiencing what is known in the scuba and skin diving world as a squeeze. This could be ear squeeze or sinus squeeze. When we go to depth the weight of the water pushes on the air spaces in our bodies. These air spaces get smaller the deeper we go because air molecules are pushed closer together (compressed). Air spaces include the space behind the eardrum, stomach, intestines lungs and sinus cavities. A squeeze is when the pressure outside of an air space is greater than the pressure inside of that air space. Sinus squeeze usually occurs when congestion is present due to a cold or allergies. The pain is a sharp and is similar to a headache (pain is felt is the facial areas above, behind or below the eyes which are the areas in which our sinuses are located). Ear Squeeze is when the water pressure starts pushing in on our ear drums. The pain is felt usually in the area of the neck behind the earlobes. Scuba divers and skin divers overcome this type of squeeze by holding their nose and gently blowing through it. This gets air to go through the eustacian tubes that lead to the area in the ear being squeezed. This is called the Valsalva maneuver. The addition of the extra air straightens the eardrum back to its proper position by making the internal air space pressure equal to the external pressure being exerted on it. The second way to equalize the pressure on the inner ear is by wiggling your jaw back and forth and swallowing. This is called the Frenzel manuever and is sort of like chewing gum in airplanes to relieve pressure on take offs and landings. Scuba divers are taught to equalize their ears before pain in felt and have to do it every few fet they go down as the deeper they go the more water pressure is exerted. As long as the air spaces are equalized depth is not a factor. The other parts of your body will not be "crushed" because the body is mostly made up of liquid which is not compressed.