The
Valsalva maneuver or
Valsalva manoeuvre is performed by moderately forceful attempted
exhalation against a closed
airway, usually done by closing one's mouth, pinching one's nose shut while pressing out as if blowing up a balloon. Variations of the maneuver can be used either in
medical examination as a test of cardiac function and
autonomic nervous control of the
heart, or to "clear" the
ears and
sinuses (that is, to equalize pressure between them) when ambient pressure changes, as in
diving,
hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or
air travel.