Broken nose not fully healed

[SpearoPimp]

I broke my nose a while back (4 months ago) and its not fully healed. still hurts if pressed or bumped and swells if this happens. I havn't been in the water since then and am now home for chirstmas break (3 weeks in miami) I have many opportunities to freedive in the keys. Is there a way to equalize w/o putting trauma on my nose. without pinching the nostrils? is there a way to plug them maybe? or a way to equalize without even doing so. Is there maybe some kind of mask I could use that doesn't cover my nose or touch it? Some times i can equalize w/o pinching the nose but other times the pressure is to great or i'm to plugged up and i must pinch it and force air.

[quasimoto]

Hmmmmm

if you want to look into a mask that doesnt cover your nose, then you will have to get a noseclip, and that will defeat your original purpose. Since you said you can sometimes equalize handsfree, maybe use some kind of nose plug that isnt very tight, so that you can blow just hard enough to equalize and not lose any air out of your nose, but so that you can also compensate your mask by blowing a little bit harder. I dont know if this would actually work, its just speculation, but it seems like its worth a shot if it means you will be diving....
good luck!

[quasimoto]

edit^^^
by noseplug i meant some type of plug that looks like an earplug that fits inside your nose, not the clip type. I know they make these as i have seen these somewhere, but i can't for the life of me remember where

[SpearoPimp]

I guess what i'm looking for is a way of equalizing w/o pinching the nose...i've tried to find instructions on the BTV technique but can't. Can anyone tell me how or send me a link? I know how to use the yawning muscle to equalize (is that btv?) hands free but it doesn't always work if i have to much mucos in my head. I read the directions on the frenzel technique but it seems to involve pinching the nose. is there a variation where u don't have to pinch? are there any other effective techs where u don't have to pinch the nose? I will only be diving up to 50 ft.

[quasimoto]

maybe i wasnt clear in what i was trying to say. If you could find plugs like the ones i described, then you would not have to pinch your nose, there would be enough resistance to air coming out that if you tried to equalize how you normally do when your not using your hands, then it would work even if you had a bit of mucus.
sorry if thats not to clear, im afraid im not to good at explaining things

[SpearoPimp]

well i would really like to have a techniqe where i don't need to "Force" air into my nose or put pressure against the insides of it w/ air.

[quasimoto]

yeah i know what you mean.......i wish i could equalize hands free, haha

[SpearoPimp]

there seem to be alot of freedivers on this forum that can. I need someone to break it down for me from the basics... how do u equalize w/o pinching (hands free)

[quasimoto]

I know the motions of it, but cannot do it in the water, or even explain it fully I believe there is a lot of information and links on this site if you do a search, and i know that longfins(DB member) trained himself to equalize hands free by going through the motions of it a few hundred times a day(thats a lot!) im sure if he sees this thread he will explain it to you. All i know is that the muscles that allow you to equalize hands free are like any other muscle and can be developed. However, some people have a natural advantage in their body make up that allows them to do this easier, so depending on the person you may never be able to equalize hands free.

[jome]

BTV and "hands free frentzel" have been discussed very recently in these threads:
thread1
thread2

There are some older threads too, the search function should get you there...

The bottom line is, that it is possible, but there's a chance that your nose will be healed quicker that you can "master" the technique But the efforts will not be futile even if that should happen. Learing to control the eustachian tubes voluntarily even to some degree will make "normal" equalizing much smoother and require less pressure (more gentle nose pinch or in the ultimate case no pinching required).

I can do the sort of "yawn/swallow" motion type of equalizing hands free. With scuba it's quite easy, while freediving it takes a bit more effort. But if you can already sort of do it and want a quick "fix" for your problem, I suggest you try to do that while turning to horizontal position or even descenting "feet first". It's much easier that way (BTV in fully inverted position is quite hard for most to learn, even if possible). For example I can do this in dynamic quite easily, but not on a constant weight dive. It might make dives slower and shallower (having to somersault etc while you dive), but at least that would get you in the water again...

Like someone suggested, it might be possible to equalize by putting "plugs" to your noses, like ear plugs or something. If I remeber right in Terry Maas' book he describes something like having a custom made mask (from a face mold, no less) that has "plugs" in the nose. As the pressure increases and pushes the nostrils against them, it makes it possible for him to equalize against them and as the pressure is relieved, the mask stops "squeezing" his nose.