What causes ear pain and infections? How can you treat earaches at home? Learn about the anatomy of an ear infection, common symptoms, and effective remedies to relieve your child’s discomfort.

Understanding Ear Infections: Anatomy and Causes

Ear infections are a common occurrence, especially in children. In fact, 5 out of 6 children will experience at least one ear infection by their third birthday. This is due to their immature immune systems and the way their little ears drain fluid.

Ear infections typically occur in the outer ear when it stays wet for an extended period, allowing germs to breed. Even a minor scratch from something like a cotton swab can lead to an infection. You’ll know your child has an ear infection if their ear is itchy, painful to the touch, or if they exhibit other symptoms like hearing trouble, fever, or fluid drainage.

The Role of the Eustachian Tube

The Eustachian tube is a canal that connects the middle ear to the throat. It’s responsible for regulating the pressure and fluid inside the ear. When this tube becomes blocked, often due to colds, flu, or allergies, it creates a breeding ground for bacteria and can lead to a middle ear infection.

If too much fluid or pressure builds up in the middle ear, the eardrum can actually burst. While this may sound alarming, the eardrum typically heals itself within a couple of weeks, and hearing usually returns to normal once the eardrum has healed, unless it has been significantly damaged.

Symptoms of Ear Infections

The main warning sign of an ear infection is sharp pain. Your child may be more uncomfortable lying down, making it difficult for them to sleep. Other symptoms to look for include:

• Trouble hearing
• Fever
• Fluid oozing from the ears
• Dizziness
• Stuffy nose

Infants and very young children may not be able to communicate their discomfort, so you may notice them tugging or pulling on their ear, becoming cranky, having trouble sleeping, or refusing to eat due to the pressure in their ears.

Home Treatments and Remedies for Earaches

While the immune system fights the infection, there are several things you can do at home to ease your child’s pain. A warm washcloth on the outside of the ear can be soothing. Your doctor may also recommend over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as well as eardrops.

It’s important to note that many ear infections resolve on their own, so your doctor may suggest a “wait and see” approach before prescribing antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistant bacteria, so your doctor will know best when to use them.

Preventing Recurring Ear Infections

If your child experiences frequent ear infections, it’s essential to address the underlying causes. Recurring infections can lead to scarring of the eardrums, hearing loss, speech problems, or even meningitis.

In some cases, doctors may recommend placing small tubes through the eardrums to allow fluid to drain and prevent buildup. For children with swollen tonsils that put pressure on the Eustachian tubes, a tonsillectomy may be necessary.

Strategies for Preventing Ear Infections

To help prevent ear infections, focus on boosting your child’s immune system and reducing exposure to germs. Some effective strategies include:

1. Encouraging good hand hygiene
2. Keeping your child away from secondhand smoke
3. Ensuring they receive an annual flu shot starting at 6 months old
4. Breastfeeding your baby for at least 6 months to boost their immune system
5. Identifying and managing any allergies that may be contributing to Eustachian tube irritation

By understanding the anatomy and causes of ear infections, as well as implementing effective home treatments and prevention strategies, you can help your child find relief and reduce the risk of recurring infections.

Seeking Medical Attention

If your child’s ear infections persist or worsen, it’s essential to seek medical attention. Your doctor can properly diagnose the issue, rule out any underlying conditions, and provide the appropriate treatment, whether it’s antibiotics, ear tubes, or a tonsillectomy. Don’t hesitate to reach out for professional guidance to ensure your child’s ear health and prevent long-term complications.

Anatomy of an Ear Infection

Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on January 11, 2022

It’s not your imagination. Kids can get a lot of ear infections. In fact, 5 out of 6 children will have at least one by their third birthday. Why? Their immune systems are immature, and their little ears don’t drain as well as adults’ ears do.

It’s an infection in the outer ear that usually happens when the ear stays wet long enough to breed germs. But even if your kid hasn’t been swimming, a scratch from something like a cotton swab (or who knows what they stick in there?) can cause trouble. Watch out if your child’s ear gets itchy or hurts when you touch it. The answer is usually medicated drops and keeping ears dry.

The only way to know for sure if your child has one is for a doctor to look inside her ear with a tool called an otoscope, a tiny flashlight with a magnifying lens. A healthy eardrum (shown here) looks sort of clear and pinkish-gray. An infected one looks red and swollen.

The Eustachian tube is a canal that connects your middle ear to your throat. It keeps fluid and air pressure from building up inside your ear. Colds, the flu, and allergies can irritate it and make it swell up.

If the Eustachian tube gets blocked, fluid builds up inside your child’s middle ear. This makes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria that cause infections. Your doctor may look inside your child’s ear with an otoscope, which can blow a puff of air to make his eardrum vibrate. If it doesn’t move as much as it should, chances are there’s fluid inside.

If too much fluid or pressure builds up inside the middle ear, the eardrum can actually burst (shown here). If that happens, you may see yellow, brown, or white fluid draining from your child’s ear. It sounds scary, but the eardrum usually heals itself in a couple of weeks. Hearing usually returns to normal once the eardrum heals –unless the eardrum has been damaged.

The main warning sign is sharp pain. Your child may be more uncomfortable lying down, so he might have a hard time sleeping. Other problems to look for:

• Trouble hearing
• Fever
• Fluid oozing from ears
• Dizziness
• Stuffy nose

These infections can be sneaky with babies or children who are too young to tell you what hurts. A lot of times they’ll start tugging or pulling on an ear. Little kids can also just get cranky, have trouble sleeping, or not eat well. Babies may push their bottles away because pressure in their ears makes it hurt to swallow.

While the immune system fights the ear infection, you can ease any pain your child feels. A warm washcloth on the outside of the ear can be soothing. Depending on the cause of the earache, your doctor may recommend eardrops. Non-prescription painkillers and fever-reducers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, are also an option. Do not give aspirin to children.

Ear infections often go away on their own, so don’t be surprised if your doctor suggests a “wait and see” approach. The more we use antibiotics, the less effective they become. That’s because bacteria learn to fight back against common medicines. Viruses can also cause ear infections, and antibiotics only work on bacteria. Your doctor will know best when to use them.

If your child’s ear infections keep coming back, they can scar his eardrums and lead to hearing loss, speech problems, or even meningitis. If he has lots of them, you might want to have his hearing tested just in case.

For kids who get a lot of ear infections, doctors sometimes put small tubes through the eardrums. They let fluid drain out of the middle ear and stop it from building up again. This can ease the pressure or pain and clear up hearing problems. The tubes usually stay in for 6 to 9 months and fall out on their own.

Sometimes a child’s tonsils get so swollen that they put pressure on the Eustachian tubes that connect her middle ear to her throat — which then causes infections. If that keeps happening, she may need to have her tonsils taken out.

The biggest cause of middle ear infections is the common cold, so avoid cold viruses as much as you can. The best way to stop germs is to make sure your child washes her hands well and often. Also, keep your child away from secondhand smoke, get her a flu shot every year once she turns 6 months old, and breastfeed your baby for at least 6 months to boost her immune system.

Like colds, allergies can also irritate the Eustachian tube and lead to middle ear infections. If you can’t keep your child away from whatever’s bothering him, consider an allergy test to figure out his triggers. Medicine or allergy shots may offer relief and stop the infections, too.

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SOURCES:

Academy of American Family Physicians.

American Academy of Otolaryngology.

American Academy of Pediatrics: “Allergy Tips.”

Chonmaitree, T. Clinical Infectious Diseases, March 15, 2008.

Chavanet, P. Clinical Infectious Diseases, March 15, 2008.

KidsHealth: “Swimmer’s Ear.”

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: “Ear Infections in Children.”

Merck.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Sander, R. American Family Physician, March 1, 2001.

Spiro, D. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Sept. 13, 2006.

CDC.

Mayoclinic.org.

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Otolaryngologists: Ear, Nose, Throat Doctors

Written by Regina Boyle Wheeler

• What Conditions Do Otolaryngologists Treat?
• How Are ENT Doctors Trained?
• How Do I Find an Otolaryngologist?

If you have a health problem with your head or neck, your doctor might recommend that you see an otolaryngologist. That’s someone who treats issues in your ears, nose, or throat as well as related areas in your head and neck. They’re called ENTs for short.

In the 19th century, doctors figured out that the ears, nose, and throat are closely connected by a system of tubes and passages. They made special tools to take a closer look at those areas and came up with ways to treat problems. A new medical specialty was born.

ENTs can do surgery and treat many different medical conditions. You would see one if you have a problem involving:

• An ear condition, such as an infection, hearing loss, or trouble with balance
• Nose and nasal issues like allergies, sinusitis, or growths
• Throat problems like tonsillitis, difficulty swallowing, and voice issues
• Sleep trouble like snoring or obstructive sleep apnea, in which your airway is narrow or blocked and it interrupts your breathing while you sleep
• Infections or tumors (cancerous or not) of your head or neck

Some areas of your head are treated by other kinds of doctors. For example, neurologists deal with problems with your brain or nervous system, and ophthalmologists care for your eyes and vision.

Otolaryngologists go to 4 years of medical school. They then have at least 5 years of special training. Finally, they need to pass an exam to be certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology.

Some also get 1 or 2 years of training in a subspecialty:

• Allergy: These doctors treat environmental allergies (like pollen or pet dander) with medicine or a series of shots called immunology. They also can help you find out if you have a food allergy.
• Facial and reconstructive surgery: These doctors do cosmetic surgery like face lifts and nose jobs. They also help people whose looks have been changed by an accident or who were born with issues that need to be fixed.
• Head and neck: If you have a tumor in your nose, sinuses, mouth, throat, voice box, or upper esophagus, this kind of specialist can help you.
• Laryngology: These doctors treat diseases and injuries that affect your voice box (larynx) and vocal cords. They also can help diagnose and treat swallowing problems.
• Otology and neurotology: If you have any kind of issue with your ears, these specialists can help. They treat conditions like infections, hearing loss, dizziness, and ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus).
• Pediatric ENT: Your child might not be able to tell their doctor what’s bothering them. Pediatric ENTs are specially trained to treat youngsters, and they have tools and exam rooms designed to put kids at ease.

Common problems include ear infections, tonsillitis, asthma, and allergies. Pediatric ENTs also care for children with birth defects of the head and neck. They also can help figure out if your child has a speech or language problem.

• Rhinology: These doctors focus on your nose and sinuses. They treat sinusitis, nose bleeds, loss of smell, stuffy nose, and unusual growths.
• Sleep medicine: Some ENTs specialize in sleep problems that involve your breathing, for instance snoring or sleep apnea. Your doctor may order a sleep study to see if you have trouble breathing at times during the night.

Ask your primary care doctor or go to the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery website to find one in your area. Look for one that specializes in your specific problem.

Top Picks

What to do when your ear hurts – an article on the website Aptechestvo, Nizhny Novgorod

Ear pain in adults or ear pain in a child is simply exhausting. Usually it is accompanied by discomfort, fatigue, sleep disturbance, loud crying. Practice shows that people with ear pain make many mistakes that lead to complications. What to do when your ear hurts? First of all, you need to consult a doctor who will diagnose ear pain and prescribe the appropriate course of treatment.

When an adult’s ear hurts or a child’s ear hurts, discomfort can occur in different departments. We will analyze them in accordance with the generally accepted classification.

Pain in the outer ear

This part of the auditory organ is considered the most unprotected for infections. Why does my ear hurt? Very often, pain occurs due to inflammatory processes caused by bacteria. Another reason is improper cleaning, physical damage, foreign bodies. All this leads to the appearance of boils and even eczema. In such cases, doctors put otitis externa.

Pain in the middle ear

Ear pain can also appear in the middle ear. The department is closely connected with the outer ear and nasopharynx. Therefore, it is also characterized by the appearance of infections. Pathologies in the middle ear are accompanied by shooting pain, pulsation, hearing loss, distortion of the perception of one’s own voice.

Main pathologies:

• inflammatory processes;

• tumors in the tympanic cavity;

• trauma and breach of integrity;

• problems in the auditory tube.

In some cases, severe ear pain may appear after going to the pool. Pain extends both to the outer ear, where the infection could have entered, and to the middle ear, where pain is caused by the strong pressure of water when diving to depth.

Pathologies of the inner ear

The defeat of the inner ear in most cases is not accompanied by pain. Therefore, here, it is best to talk about pathologies. The main symptoms: impaired coordination, periodic nausea, extraneous sounds, headaches, dizziness and rapid hearing loss. The list of the main diseases that are the result of damage to the inner ear:

• labyrinthitis;

• hearing loss;

• Meniere’s disease;

• otosclerosis.

In addition, in some cases, acute ear pain may be due to complications in other organs. For example, dental problems, trigeminal neuralgia, or swelling of the larynx.

Ear hurts, how to treat?

Sometimes, if a child’s ear hurts, the parents don’t know what to do. If acute ear pain is not possible to see a doctor, you should use painkillers. For example, take a tablet of Solpadein, Tempalgin or Pentalgin. In some cases, it is possible to use vasoconstrictor ear drops. In addition, a solution of ammonia with camphor will help. Gauze is dipped into the solution and placed in the ear for a few minutes. This allows you to get rid of pain.

What not to do if your ear hurts

What not to do if your ear hurts – Polyclinic News

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October 15, 2020

Ear pain is considered one of the most unpleasant and excruciating pains. It can completely disrupt night sleep and significantly worsen the quality of life.

The main causes of ear pain are infections and injuries (improper cleaning of the ear canal, various bumps and injuries can lead to an inflammatory process).
⠀
If the lesion is in the outer section, then you will feel itching in the auricle, pain (most often acute). As for the middle ear, here diseases can “come” from the nasopharynx. Most often, we experience shooting pain in the ear, a sensation of throbbing, hearing loss, a strong and unusual perception of our own voice. With damage to the inner ear, pain is extremely rare. Symptoms such as incoordination, nausea, noise are characteristic.

Sometimes excruciating pain can occur due to disease in neighboring organs (dental disease, trigeminal neuralgia, inflammation in the throat, nose or paranasal sinuses, diseases of the esophagus, cardiovascular pathologies, etc.). In this case, the pain simply “gives” to the ears.

Causes of ear pain can be caused by both infections and injuries

Absolutely not to do for ear pain:

⠀

• Warm up the ear. If the cause of the problem is not established (and it is very difficult to do it yourself), then you can seriously harm yourself. In the inflammatory process, the risk of spreading the lesion is high.
• Apply antibiotics. Antibacterial drops, at best, may be ineffective (with fungal otitis), at worst (in some pathologies they have a toxic effect on the nerve endings) – they can lead to deafness.

⠀
If there is no purulent discharge from the ear cavity, and the body temperature remains normal, you can take an anesthetic drug. Vasoconstrictor drops in the nose will also help. They reduce internal pressure on the membrane and thereby significantly reduce pain.

The best thing, of course, is not to get sick! So be sure to take care of your ears. Always wear a hat in the winter, carefully clean your ears from wax and do not start the disease.