What are the common symptoms of ear pain. How is ear pain diagnosed. What are the most effective treatments for ear pain. Can ear pain be prevented. What causes ear aches in adults and children. How long does ear pain typically last. When should you see a doctor for ear pain.

Understanding Ear Pain: Types and Manifestations

Ear pain, medically known as otalgia, is a common ailment that affects both children and adults. It can be categorized into two main types:

• Primary otalgia: Pain originating inside the ear
• Secondary or referred otalgia: Pain originating outside the ear

The onset of ear pain can be gradual or sudden, and its nature can vary. People may experience a dull ache, sharp pain, or a burning sensation. The duration can be temporary or persistent, and it may affect one or both ears.

Accompanying Symptoms of Ear Pain

Ear pain rarely occurs in isolation. It’s often accompanied by other symptoms that can help in diagnosis and treatment. These may include:

• Fever
• Ear drainage
• Hearing loss
• Headache
• Difficulty chewing
• Jaw pain
• Clicking or popping sounds

In children, additional symptoms may manifest as:

• Fussiness and irritability
• Increased crying
• Loss of appetite

Unraveling the Causes of Ear Pain

Ear pain can stem from various sources, both within and outside the ear. Understanding these causes is crucial for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Eustachian Tube Blockage: A Common Culprit

One of the primary causes of ear pain is a blockage in the eustachian tube. This passageway extends from the middle ear to the back of the nasal cavity and throat. When blocked, it prevents the normal flow of air and fluid, leading to pressure buildup and pain.

Ear Infections: A Frequent Cause, Especially in Children

Ear infections are a common source of ear pain, particularly in children. Middle ear infections, or otitis media, occur when fluids accumulate in the middle ear and become infected by bacteria or viruses. Children are more susceptible due to their smaller and straighter eustachian tubes, which make fluid drainage difficult. Their developing immune systems also contribute to increased vulnerability.

Other Potential Causes of Ear Pain

While ear infections are common, they’re not the only cause of ear pain. Other possible sources include:

• Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa)
• Allergies
• Sinus infections
• Sore throat
• Tooth infections
• Earwax buildup
• Ruptured eardrum
• Altitude pressure changes (barotrauma)
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
• Arthritis of the jaw

Is ear pain always caused by an ear infection? No, especially in adults. While ear infections are a common cause in children, adults often experience ear pain due to other factors, such as TMJ syndrome or referred pain from dental issues.

Diagnosing Ear Pain: From Symptoms to Examination

Accurate diagnosis of ear pain involves a combination of symptom assessment, medical history review, and physical examination. How do healthcare providers diagnose the cause of ear pain?

The Diagnostic Process

1. Symptom assessment and medical history review
2. Physical examination of the ears, nose, and throat using an otoscope
3. Additional tests such as tympanometry to measure middle ear pressure

During the examination, the doctor looks for signs of redness, inflammation, or other abnormalities that could indicate the cause of the pain. They may also perform a quick test called a tympanogram to measure middle ear pressure.

Specific Tests for Ear Infections

To diagnose an ear infection, the doctor may use the otoscope to blow a puff of air against the eardrum. This test helps determine if the eardrum is moving normally. If movement is restricted, it could indicate fluid buildup in the middle ear, a common sign of infection.

Treatment Options: From Medication to Home Remedies

The treatment for ear pain varies depending on its cause. What are the most effective ways to treat ear pain?

Medication Options

Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help reduce ear pain. In cases of bacterial infections, antibiotics may be prescribed. It’s important to note that antibiotics are not effective against viral infections, which often clear up on their own.

Home Remedies

Several home remedies can provide relief from ear pain:

• Applying a cold or warm compress to the affected ear
• Using over-the-counter ear drops (under medical advice)
• Chewing gum or yawning to help relieve pressure
• Resting with the affected ear facing up to help drainage

Surgical Interventions

In some cases, surgical intervention may be necessary. This is typically reserved for chronic or severe cases that don’t respond to other treatments. Procedures might include inserting ear tubes to improve drainage or repairing a perforated eardrum.

Prognosis and Duration: What to Expect

The outlook for ear pain varies depending on its cause. How long does ear pain typically last?

In many cases, ear pain resolves on its own within a few days to a week. Ear infections, a common cause of ear pain, often clear up within one to two weeks. If antibiotics are prescribed, improvement is usually seen within two to three days of starting the medication.

A ruptured eardrum, another potential cause of ear pain, typically heals on its own within a few months. While the prognosis is generally good, there are rare cases where long-term complications such as hearing loss, dizziness, or vertigo may occur.

Prevention Strategies: Keeping Ear Pain at Bay

While not all causes of ear pain can be prevented, there are several steps you can take to reduce your risk. How can you prevent ear pain?

• Practice good hygiene to prevent infections
• Avoid inserting objects into your ears, including cotton swabs
• Protect your ears when swimming or diving
• Manage allergies and sinus problems promptly
• Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke
• Stay up-to-date with vaccinations

For those prone to ear pain during air travel, chewing gum or using special earplugs can help equalize pressure and prevent discomfort.

When to Seek Medical Attention

While many cases of ear pain resolve on their own, there are instances when medical attention is necessary. When should you see a doctor for ear pain?

• Severe pain or pain lasting more than a few days
• Discharge of fluid, pus, or blood from the ear
• Hearing loss
• High fever (above 102°F or 39°C)
• Dizziness or loss of balance
• Swelling or redness around the ear
• Facial weakness or paralysis

In infants and young children, parents should be particularly vigilant. Any signs of ear pain in babies, especially if accompanied by fever or irritability, warrant a prompt medical evaluation.

Special Considerations for Children and Ear Pain

Children, especially young ones, are more prone to ear pain and infections due to their anatomy and developing immune systems. What special considerations should parents keep in mind regarding ear pain in children?

Recognizing Ear Pain in Non-Verbal Children

Infants and toddlers may not be able to verbalize their discomfort. Parents should watch for signs such as:

• Tugging or pulling at the ear
• Increased irritability or crying
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Balance problems or clumsiness

Preventive Measures for Children

To help prevent ear infections and associated pain in children, consider the following:

• Breastfeeding infants, if possible, as it boosts immunity
• Avoiding bottle-feeding while the baby is lying down
• Keeping children away from secondhand smoke
• Ensuring children receive all recommended vaccinations

By understanding the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for ear pain, individuals can better manage this common ailment and seek appropriate care when necessary. Remember, while many cases of ear pain resolve on their own, persistent or severe pain should always be evaluated by a healthcare professional to prevent potential complications.

What Is Ear Pain? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Ear pain (otalgia) commonly occurs in children, but it can also happen in adults. Pain that begins inside the ear is known as primary otalgia, whereas pain that originates outside the ear is known as secondary otalgia or referred otalgia.

Ear pain can arise gradually or all of a sudden. The pain can feel dull, sharp, or burning, and can be temporary or ongoing. Usually, the pain arises in only one ear, but sometimes it can appear in both ears.

Signs and Symptoms of Ear Pain

Symptoms that can accompany ear pain include:

• Fever
• Drainage from the ear
• Hearing loss
• Headache
• Difficulty chewing
• Jaw pain
• Clicking or popping
• Fussiness and irritability (in children)
• Increased crying (in children)
• Loss of appetite (in children)

Common Questions & Answers

What causes ear aches?

Ear infections are a common cause of ear pain, especially in children. Other causes include allergies, sinus infections, tooth infections, earwax buildup, altitude changes, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome.

How can I get rid of ear pain?

Depending on the cause, you can treat it with medication, home remedies, or surgery (if necessary). Your doctor may suggest over-the-counter pain relievers or prescribe antibiotics. If the pain happens while flying or swimming, try chewing gum or sucking on hard candy.

How can I treat an ear infection at home?

An infection might require antibiotics, but while you’re waiting for those to work, and if your doctor is okay with it, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers. Cold compresses applied for 20 minutes at a time may also help relieve the pain.

What are the symptoms of ear infection?

Ear pain, dulled hearing, and a fever are some of the main symptoms of an ear infection.

Can an ear infection heal on its own?

Yes. They often clear up after a week or two.

Causes and Risk Factors of Ear Pain

Ear pain is often caused by a blockage in the eustachian tube, the passageway that extends from the middle ear to the back of the nasal cavity and the throat. When the eustachian tube is blocked, air and fluid can’t flow through the passageway, causing a buildup of pressure and pain.

Ear infections are a common cause of ear pain, especially in children. Middle ear infections, called otitis media, occur when fluids build up inside the middle ear.

This fluid can then become infected by a bacteria or virus.

Children are more likely to get ear infections than adults, in part because their eustachian tubes are smaller and straighter, which makes it harder for fluid to drain out. Their immune systems are also still developing, which makes them more susceptible to infections.

Swimmer’s ear — also known as otitis externa (infection of the outer ear and ear canal) — can be caused by water that gets stuck in the outer ear canal after swimming, creating an ideal environment for infection-causing bacteria.

Ear pain can be caused by scratching the inside of the ear with a finger, cotton swab, or other object.

Other possible causes of ear pain include:

• Allergies
• Sinus infection
• Sore throat
• Tooth infection
• Buildup of earwax
• Ruptured eardrum
• Altitude pressure changes (barotrauma)
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, which stems from problems with the joint that connects your jaw to the side of your head
• Arthritis of the jaw

Ear infections usually aren’t the main cause of ear pain in adults. Rather, the pain may stem from a problem like TMJ.

How Is Ear Pain Diagnosed?

A doctor can diagnose ear pain based on your symptoms and medical history. They will also likely examine your ears, nose, and throat with an otoscope (an instrument with a light) to check for redness and other symptoms in order to find the cause of your ear pain.

To diagnose an ear infection, a doctor can also use the otoscope to blow a puff of air against the eardrum to see if it’s moving normally or perform a quick test called a tympanogram that measures middle ear pressure.

Prognosis of Ear Pain

The prognosis of ear pain depends on the cause. Ear infections, for example, tend to clear up on their own within a week or two.

A ruptured eardrum also tends to heal by itself within a few months. The prognosis tends to be good; rarely, long-term hearing loss and symptoms like dizziness and vertigo can occur.

Duration of Ear Pain

Ear pain often goes away on its own within a few days, and your doctor may wait a few days before prescribing an antibiotic. Once you start antibiotics for an infection, you should see improvement within two to three days.

Treatment and Medication Options for Ear Pain

The treatment for ear pain often depends on what’s causing the problem. Common treatments include medication, surgery, and home remedies.

Medication Options

To reduce ear pain, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). Your doctor may also recommend OTC ear drops to relieve the pain, but these should never be used if there’s a chance the eardrum has ruptured.

Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed for ear infections, but in many cases, they aren’t necessary. In children, antibiotics such as amoxicillin may be used to treat ear infections that are severe or last for more than a few days.

A buildup of earwax in the ear canal can cause an earache. Still, never stick anything into your ear — including a cotton swab, which will just push the wax deeper into the ear instead of removing it. Excessive earwax should be diagnosed and treated by a healthcare professional.

Home Remedies and Alternative and Complementary Therapies

Many people experience ear pain and mild hearing loss or muffling due to sudden changes in air pressure, such as when they’re traveling on an airplane, taking an elevator, or diving to the bottom of a swimming pool. When this occurs, swallowing repeatedly — for example, by chewing gum or sucking on hard candy — can help clear your ears.

 (This kind of ear pain is usually temporary and rarely leads to lasting problems.)

A cold compress can help relieve ear pain. Place a cold pack or wet washcloth on the affected ear for about 20 minutes.

 Both hot and cold packs can be used to ease the symptoms of TMJ, as can stress-reduction techniques or mouth guards.

Instead of lying flat, try resting with your head propped up. This can help ease the pressure in the middle ear.

Your doctor may also suggest an ear popper device, which uses a continuous flow of air to help fluid drain after an infection.

A 2016 review of studies considered a number of complementary and alternative treatments for pediatric otitis media, including homeopathy, phytotherapy, xylitol (a sugar alcohol), vitamin D supplements, and probiotics. Researchers found that there may be some benefits to these therapies, but evidence is limited and more research is needed.

Surgery Options

Children who are prone to earaches from ear infections may need to have a surgical procedure in which a small tube is inserted into the eardrums to prevent fluid buildup. Short-term tubes usually last about 12 to 18 months before falling out on their own.

Long-term tubes are larger and secured in place for a longer period of time.

Prevention of Ear Pain

Ear pain isn’t always preventable, but there are some things you can do to reduce your risk of ear injuries and ear infections.

Keep all foreign objects out of your ears, and always dry your ears after swimming, showering, or bathing. You can also wear a bathing cap, earplugs, or use custom-fitted swim molds when swimming.

If you smoke, quit; likewise, try to avoid secondhand smoke, which has been linked to ear infections in children.

One good step to stay healthy is to get a flu vaccine every year.

Children should get the pneumococcal vaccine as well, since the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause middle ear infections.

Complications of Ear Pain

The complications of ear pain largely depend on what’s causing the problem.

Ear infections such as swimmer’s ear can lead to an infection that spreads to areas surrounding the ear; this condition, called malignant otitis, can be serious, requiring high doses of antibiotics and urgent medical attention.

A ruptured eardrum, especially one that doesn’t heal completely, can cause problems such as hearing loss or vertigo. If an infection occurs, it can also spread to the bone behind the ear (mastoiditis) and require urgent medical attention.

In children, recurrent ear infections or a chronic build-up of fluid in the middle ear can cause hearing loss, behavior or speech problems, or even poor school performance. Ear tubes, however, can help reduce the risk of ear infections and correct any lingering hearing loss.

Research and Statistics: Who Has Ear Pain?

Pain from ear infections occurs more often in children than adults. About 5 out of 6 children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. In fact, ear infections are the most common reason parents bring their child to the doctor’s office.

Each year, more than 500,000 ear tube surgeries are performed on children. Children who receive these surgeries are usually 3 years old or younger.

Related Conditions and Causes of Ear Pain

Ear pain is often caused by ear infections, including middle ear infections (otitis media) and swimmer’s ear (otitis externa). Children are more likely to have ear infections than adults, although they can occur in people of all ages.

In adults, conditions like TMJ and arthritis of the jaw can also cause ear pain, along with allergies, sinus infections, earwax, and toothaches.

Resources We Love

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

The NIDCD is a research institution and part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since its founding in 1988, its funding and support have led to discoveries that have helped millions of people with hearing, speech, and language disorders.

ENT Health

This website, run by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, offers information on a number of conditions affecting the ears. It also explains what ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialists do and why you may need to see one about ear pain you’re experiencing.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

• Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA. Ear Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes. American Family Physician. January 1, 2018.
• Ear Infections. MedlinePlus. September 20, 2016.
• Ear Infections in Children. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. March 16, 2022.
• Ear Infections. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 2, 2022.
• Swimmer’s Ear: Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic. August 13, 2021.
• Earache. MedlinePlus. February 24, 2022.
• Ear Infection (Otitis Media). Cleveland Clinic. April 16, 2020.
• Ear Infection (Middle Ear): Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic. June 23, 2021.
• Ruptured Eardrum. MedlinePlus. May 30, 2022.
• Ear Infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 1, 2021.
• Ears and Altitude (Barotrauma). ENT Health. August 2018.
• Marom T, Marchisio P, Tamir SO, et al. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatment Options for Otitis Media. Medicine. February 2016.
• TMJ Disorders. MedlinePlus. January 24, 2022.
• Swimmer’s Ear. MedlinePlus. July 28, 2022.
• Ear Tubes. ENT Health.
• ONeill OJ, Brett K, Frank AJ. Middle Ear Barotrauma. StatPearls. August 8, 2022.
• Ear Tubes. Mayo Clinic. June 22, 2021.
• Ear Infection (Middle Ear): Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic. June 23, 2021.

Show Less

Fibromyalgia: Foods That Help, Foods That Hurt

Good nutrition is important for everyone, including people with fibromyalgia. Knowing which foods to choose and which to avoid, like sugar and processed…

By Kara WahlgrenMay 13, 2023

What Is Sciatica? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Sciatica, pain along the sciatic nerve caused by compression, can cause numbness and tingling from the low back all the way down the leg to the foot.

By Joseph Bennington-CastroMay 8, 2023

The Best and Worst Shoes for Back Pain

What kinds of shoes might be contributing to your back pain? And what kinds of shoes might help? Here’s what two podiatrists have to say.

By Scott FontanaMay 1, 2023

What Is Trigeminal Neuralgia? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

This severe, electric-shock-like facial pain is most often caused by a blood vessel being pushed against the trigeminal nerve.

By Quinn PhillipsMarch 24, 2023

What Is Spinal Stenosis? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Spinal stenosis — also called vertebral stenosis — is a condition in which spaces in your spine become too narrow, often causing pain or numbness.

By Abigail LibersMarch 3, 2023

10 Ways to Relieve Daily Hip Pain

Suffering from bursitis of the hip or hip arthritis? Hip pain when walking can make everyday chores difficult to manage. Here are 10 things you can do…

By Marie SuszynskiFebruary 17, 2023

Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Removal, and Prevention

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• What Is Earwax Buildup?
• Earwax Buildup Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care for Earwax
• Earwax Buildup Causes
• Earwax Buildup Diagnosis
• Medical Treatment for Earwax Blockage
• Earwax Treatment and Self-Care at Home
• Earwax Buildup Complications
• Preventing Earwax Buildup
• Earwax Buildup Outlook
• More

Earwax is produced by glands in the ear canal. Although scientists are still not completely sure why we have earwax, it does trap dust and other small particles and prevent them from reaching and possibly damaging or infecting the eardrum. Normally, the wax dries up and falls out of the ear, along with any trapped dust or debris. Everyone makes ear wax, but the amount and type are genetically determined just like hair color or height. Smaller or oddly shaped ear canals may make it difficult for the wax our ears make naturally to get out of the canal. This can lead to wax impactions. This is earwax buildup.

Symptoms of an earwax impaction include:

More serious symptoms could mean you’ve developed an infection. Watch for:

See your doctor if you think you may have any symptoms of an earwax impaction. Other conditions may cause these symptoms and it is important to be sure earwax is the culprit before trying any home remedies.

Go to the hospital if:

• You have a severe spinning sensation, loss of balance, or inability to walk

• You have persistent vomiting or high fever

• You have sudden loss of hearing

Blockage, or impaction, often occurs when the wax gets pushed deep within the ear canal. Earwax blockage is one of the most common ear problems doctors see.

• The most common cause of impactions is the use of cotton swabs (and other objects such as bobby pins and rolled napkin corners), which can remove superficial wax but also pushes the rest of the wax deeper into the ear canal.

• Hearing aid and earplug users are also more prone to earwax blockage.

A doctor can diagnose earwax blockage (or eardrum perforation) by listening to your symptoms and then looking into your ear with an otoscope (ear-scope).

Your doctor may use one or a combination of methods to remove your earwax: 

• They can scoop it out with a small plastic spoon called a curette. 

• They can irrigate your ear with warmed water, sodium bicarbonate, or other prescription-strength ear drops and flush the wax out.  

• They can use gentle suction to remove the wax.

If you don’t have a perforation (hole) or a tube in your eardrum, your doctor may recommend that you try an earwax removal method at home.

• You can soften earwax by putting a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, or over-the-counter wax softening drops such as Debrox or Murine into the affected ear canal. That may be enough to get the wax to come out.

• After you’ve tried a wax softener for a few days,  use a  bulb-type syringe to gently flush the ear with warm water. The water should be at body temperature to help prevent dizziness.

• You can buy over-the-counter kits that combine softening drops with an irrigation system. Your doctor can explain which one might work for you and how to use it.

• It may take several tries to get home treatment to work. If it doesn’t, see your doctor.

Ear candling is not recommended. The procedure uses a hollow cone made of paraffin and beeswax with cloth on the tapered end. The tapered end is placed inside the ear, and an assistant lights the other end, while making sure your hair does not catch on fire. In theory, as the flame burns, a vacuum is created, which draws the wax out of the ear. Limited clinical trials, however, showed that no vacuum was created, and no wax was removed. Furthermore, this practice may result in serious injury.

Problems can happen if earwax isn’t removed carefully and correctly. These include:  

• Perforated eardrum

• Middle-ear infection

• External-ear infection (swimmer’s ear )

• Permanent hearing loss from acoustic trauma  

Learn more about hearing loss after ear wax removal.

Earwax blockage can often be prevented by avoiding the use of cotton-tipped swabs (like Q-tips) and other objects that push the wax deeper into the ear canal.

Even if you clean your ears correctly, you may still get wax buildup, whether it’s because of the way your ear canals are shaped or the way your body makes wax. If it’s more than an occasional problem for you, you may need to make softening agents a regular routine.

Top Picks

ᐈ What can cause pain in the ear?

There are several causes of ear pain, our article tells about the main causes of an unpleasant symptom.

Diseases causing ear pain

• Otitis is an inflammatory process of the middle ear. This condition can cause severe aching pain in the ear. Otitis media occurs when the auditory tube is blocked, causing fluid to accumulate there. The catalyst is a cold or blockage of the channel after exposure to the allergen. Otitis media is more common in children due to the size and angle of the auditory tube, but occasionally affects adults as well. Symptoms of otitis media are fever, nausea, and vomiting.
• Mastoiditis is an unusual condition that occurs when an infection spreads to the temporal bone. In addition to the symptoms characteristic of otitis media, redness and swelling are also observed with mastoiditis. As the disease progresses, abscesses may develop in the neck.
• Pain inside the ear is caused by a foreign object and is most common in children. If the object penetrates too deeply, it may damage the eardrum.
• Dysfunction of the auditory tube occurs due to blockage, deterioration of the patency of the canal. Normally, the Eustachian tube opens and closes in response to changes in atmospheric pressure, but when the Eustachian tube becomes blocked, this does not occur, and ear pain occurs.
• A rupture of the eardrum causes sharp ear pain, which gradually subsides immediately after the rupture. The most common cause of a ruptured eardrum is a dysfunction of the auditory tube, a loud noise, or a foreign object injury. In addition to shooting pain in the ear, a ruptured eardrum can cause sudden hearing loss, dizziness, and discharge from the ear, possibly even with blood.

Other things that can cause ear pain

Otitis externa is the medical term for a condition called swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear syndrome is an infection of the outer part of the organ caused by contaminated water.

The disease is common in swimmers, but can develop in anyone who is not completely dry after showering or swimming in the pool. The syndrome occurs with the same frequency in both adults and children, and in addition to unpleasant pain in the ear, it can cause redness, itching, dryness and flaking of the skin, fluid from the auricle and fever.

An ear injury is any type of damage to the outside of an organ. Injuries are often received by people who are fond of contact sports (for example, martial arts). A person can protect himself by wearing protective equipment. If an infection gets into the wound, it will increase the possibility of developing perichondritis.

Perichondritis is an infection of the perichondrium, which is located on the outer part of the ear. Usually the disease is the result of complications after the operation, piercing, accidental injury. The disease causes fever, purulent discharge, deformation of the organ.

Sometimes the source of the problem is in another part of the body. For pain in the ears, it is better to consult a doctor, and not to treat yourself.

What should I do if my ear hurts?

First of all, find out the cause. The source of pain is often:

• dental problems;
• angina;
• tonsillitis;
• temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Rare causes of problems:

• viral meningitis;
• malignant otitis externa;
• diseases of the thyroid gland;
• cervical lymphadenitis;
• myofascial dysfunction;
• spasms of muscles involved in chewing;
• diseases of the salivary gland.

There can be many reasons for pain in the ear, but, in any case, if you feel unpleasant sensations that do not go away, you need to seek help from a specialist and conduct a high-quality diagnosis.

Inflammation of the ear, causes, symptoms and treatment

On hot summer days, many of us want to take a dip in cool water. And we rush who – where: some to nearby ponds, rivers, lakes, and some to distant seas. But few people think about the fact that their ears, noses and throats can suffer.

In summer, the number of patients seeking help from otolaryngologists increases sharply. Most often, people are concerned about pain in the ears, and most often these are pains of an infectious nature.

How so? – you ask. On the pages of our site, we have already talked a lot about various infections, including those found in various waters. So it turns out that you swam, dived, the infection, along with a small amount of water, got into your ear, the liquid stagnated, and the inflammatory process began to develop. This disease is called otitis media.

Otitis is a disease based on inflammation of the mucous membrane of the middle ear.

There are several types of otitis media, depending on which part of your ear it affects: external and middle.

Symptoms of otitis media

• acute pain in the ear, usually constant, which gradually increases and especially increases in the evening;
• high temperature;
• weakness, loss of appetite;
• if the purulent process melts the tympanic membrane, then liquid secretions begin to flow from the ear. Isolation does not always occur outside; in some cases, the inflammatory process can move to the bone tissue of the temporal region. In this case, emergency surgery is required.

CAUTION!

Otitis media with improper or untimely treatment can cause deafness, mastoiditis, paresis of the facial nerve, labyrinthitis, less often – intracranial complications.

Treatment of otitis media

To avoid complications, the treatment of otitis media should be prescribed only by an otolaryngologist.

Treatment of otitis externa involves a set of measures aimed at eliminating signs of inflammation and swelling of the external auditory canal.

Otitis media is an indication for the appointment of painkillers, antipyretics, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs. Physiotherapy methods, external compresses are also used. In difficult cases, you even have to do a dissection of the eardrum.

The main thing in the treatment of otitis media is not to delay the visit to the doctor and DO NOT DO SELF-MEDING!

Otitis can also occur with:

• infection with a sharp object (hairpin, toothpick),
• upper respiratory tract infections (tonsillitis, runny nose, pharyngitis, tracheitis, laryngitis),
• accidental domestic injuries,
• hypothermia.

Everyone knows that a certain secret is produced in our ears – sulfur. If sulfur is produced in large quantities, then a wax plug can form in the ear. If water gets into the ear, wax can flow into the deeper parts of the ear canal, from where it will be difficult to extract. Therefore, if after swimming you find that you can’t hear well or feel tinnitus, do not try to clear the ear canal yourself. Contact a doctor!

The ingress of not quite clean water into the nasopharynx is also fraught with inflammation of the throat and nose, especially if your immunity has been repeatedly attacked by various infections over the previous winter-spring period.

But you can get sick in the summer, not only while relaxing and swimming. You can easily pick up all of the above while sitting at work, at home or in an air-conditioned car. A sharp temperature drop has a very detrimental effect on us. If the temperature outside is 30 degrees, and in a room or car the temperature does not exceed 20-22 degrees, our body does not have time to rebuild, acclimatize.