Shaking your head to eject water from ear can cause brain damage: Study

A paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics, held in Seattle, according to which, shaking of the head to remove water from the ear can lead to brain damage. The infants have sensitive and small ears, which are more susceptible to brain damage during the ejection of water. 

Shaking head not the best option

Usually, water gets trapped in our ear canals after showering or swimming. The first reactions are to shake our heads to get it out. But according to the latest study of physics this might not be the best option when several other alternatives exist. A team of researchers from the University of Cornell concluded that the ejecting water trapped inside the ear canal could hypothetically lead to brain damage in small kids. 

READ: Donkeys Face Global Annihilation Due To Illegal Skin Trade: Study

Experiment in artificial environment

 Anuj Baskota, who is the first author of the paper said that the main objective of the study is to measure the acceleration required to get the water out of the ear and the impact it has on the brain. The team performed the experiment in an artificial environment where a 3D printed model of an ear canal was designed using a CT-scanned human head and was inserted with glass tubes which were coated with silane. This helped in constructing a model that had a similar level of hydrophobicity which is found in the real ear. The researchers obtained critical acceleration which is required to eject the water on the artificial ear war accounted for 10 times the force of gravity specifically for an infant’s ear which is of small size.

READ: Couples Who Raise A Dog Together Are Likely To Share A Stronger Bond: Study

Kids more susceptible to brain damage

The figures revealed through the experiment cannot be considered equivalent to a clinical study. The team used glass tubes of various diameters, which worked as the replica for the ear canal. Water was inserted into the glass tube and then the tubes were dropped on the springs to calculate the gravitational force required to eject the water from the ear. According to the results, the critical acceleration required to eject the water is directly proportional to the volume and the position of the water trapped inside. The researchers found that acceleration required to eject 10g can cause serious damage to the human brain. The maximum risk factor was recorded in glass tubes of smaller diameter. Hence, in children, the risk of brain damage due to dislodging to water was more than adults. 

READ: NASA To Launch 10-year Satellite Mission To Study Signs Of Climate Change

READ: North Korea Calls Joe Biden A 'rabid Dog' Who Deserves To Be Beaten To Death