A system to occlude an ear canal is provided. The system includes an expandable device, a reservoir, a channel coupled between the expandable device and the reservoir, and a pump. The pump expands the expandable device such that a surface of the expandable device contacts an ear canal wall and imparts a force onto the ear canal wall, to produce a tensional strain in the ear canal wall. The strained ear canal wall impedes bodily-propagated sound from entering the ear canal through the ear canal wall, to reduce an occlusion effect by the bodily-propagated sound.
