Crunching sound when the ear is pressed may be related to foreign bodies in the external ear canal, cerumen impaction, and opening of the Eustachian tube.
1. Foreign bodies in the external auditory canal: When hairs and insect carcasses that have entered the depths of the ear canal come into contact with the tympanic membrane, it can cause the foreign body to touch the tympanic membrane and cause a crunching sound when the ear is pressed.
2. Cerumen embolism: When cerumen is over-secreted and poorly discharged from the external auditory canal, it may accumulate and form an embolus in the ear, which may swell and squeeze the eardrum when the ear is pressed, resulting in a crunching sound.
3. Eustachian tube opening: the middle ear cavity through the Eustachian tube and nasopharyngeal communication, after pressing the ear, the Eustachian tube under pressure to open, the surface tension of the mucosa is broken, can also produce crunching.
There may be other reasons for the crunching sound when the ear is pressed, and you can actively seek medical treatment and systematic examination to clarify the diagnosis and specific causes.