Olympic skeleton athlete Lizzy Yarnold overcame an inner ear issue to win gold in 2018. | Wikimedia Commons
Olympic skeleton athlete Lizzy Yarnold overcame an inner ear issue to win gold in 2018. | Wikimedia Commons
Inflammation of the sinuses impacted Lizzy Yarnold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Yarnold had won gold in women's skeleton in 2014, but she developed sinus problems that began to affect her effort to repeat her gold-medal performance.
A middle ear disorder created problems during her second run, but following her third run, she was .02 seconds out of first place. In her fourth run, she set a track record, becoming the first two-time gold medal winner in the history of the sport.
Sinus experts are aware of the problems sinus issues can cause and know how to treat them.
"The whole areas of respiratory tract -- so the nose, the ears -- it's all one respiratory tract going down into the lungs," Dr. Daniel Mongiardo of Dr. Daniel Mongiardo Sleep & Sinus Center told NC Kentucky News.
Mongiardo also discussed ways that ear disorders can be treated.
"For eustachian tube dysfunction, it's very similar to the sinuses, we do give them steroids to try to shrink that," Mongiardo said. "Of course, that's just temporary, and it doesn't last very long. But there are nasal steroids and nasal allergy medications and sprays that help open things up and get rid of the inflammation and swelling, from a medical standpoint."
Inflammation of the sinuses is usually generated by a common cold. Unless a bacterial infection starts, most cases end in a week to 10 days. Home remedies may be all you need to treat inflammation of the sinuses. Sinusitis that lasts for greater than 12 weeks, despite receiving medical treatment, is known as chronic sinusitis.
Eustachian tubes are small tubes that run between your middle ears and 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 generally remain closed, except times when a person chews, swallows or yawns.
Yarnold's sinus issues were caused by an inner ear issue.
If you are interested in evaluating your sinus symptoms and are considering talking to a doctor, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.
Alerts Sign-up