Pain in the ear region
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Every minute of his life a person relies on five senses of perception: sight, smell, taste, sensation and hearing. Therefore, when one of the perceptions is dulled due to pain - a pleasant little. Especially when such an important organ causes pain.
Pain in the ear area is quite common. However, not always painful sensations are a serious cause for concern. Knowing what and when to pay attention, you can easily identify the causes of the pain.
[Causes of ear pain
Pain sensations in the field of hearing organs can be caused by inflammatory processes or have a purely reflex character. Pain in the ear can become one of the complications of such diseases as tonsillitis or sinusitis. In addition, the ear disease of otitis also causes pain. However, there may be other reasons.
In itself, pain in the ear can be acute (usually with diseases) or dull (inflammatory processes, complications after illness, etc.). Pain can also be caused by simple pressure on the tympanic membrane. This happens when a lot of fluid accumulates in the auricle, which contributes to pulsation and a greater strain on the membrane. In such cases, dull pain also arises.
Pain in the ear occurs in some cases and with a cold, due to nasal congestion. In this period, sleep disturbance can also occur. Although, given that the common cold usually passes by itself, the pain sensations also do not last for a long time.
Symptoms of ear pain
We all know that our hearing organ consists of three parts: the middle, inner and outer ear. Pain can be affected by all three parts. Thus the person can test some kinds of a pain in the field of an ear: aching, pressing and shooting. If you feel pain in the area of the outer ear or ear, which increases when you press into the tragus area, there is a possibility of external otitis media, since such pain is the first sign of it. If the pain intensifies and becomes firing and painful, it is worth consulting with a doctor to prevent the development of otitis media. A similar disease will also be accompanied by fever.
Both external and otitis media are a consequence of a bacterial or viral infection. Average children and adolescents are most susceptible to middle otitis, as the Eustachian tube of their auditory organs is somewhat shorter than that of adults, and this allows infection to enter the middle section of the auditory organ unhindered.
Symptoms of otitis also include: a poor appetite (manifested, as a rule, in childhood, because the pressure in the middle ear causes quite a lot of pain, which they can not cope on their own), irritability, sleep disturbance, fever (consequence of fever), dizziness. Average otitis may also be accompanied by unpleasant discharge from the ears. The liquid can be yellow, brown or white and will be a sure sign that the eardrum is ruptured. In addition, the accumulation of fluid in the auditory organ will worsen the hearing, and, if the infection does not pass, complete hearing loss.
Also, pain can cause and inflammation of the external ear or auricle. In this case, it is worthwhile to delay with swimming or flying, as this can cause increased pain and unpleasant consequences in the form of ear diseases.
Headache in the ear region
Otitis is very often accompanied by headaches. Pain, as a rule, is localized in the ear region, but it can also be in the frontal part. Such pain occurs very quickly, is acute and can be accompanied by fever and dizziness.
With chronic otitis, the pain is aching and localized in the area of the infected part of the ear. There are also painful sensations in the occipital part.
Severe and sharp pain throughout the head area, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, is a clear sign of complication of otitis and its progression to meningitis. In this case, you need immediate medical attention.
In general, headaches are characteristic for complex forms of otitis or complications of an existing infection. With proper and timely treatment, such problems should not arise.
Pain in the tragus of the ear is characteristic of infections of the external ear. The pain is aggravated even with a light push on the tragus. In this case, the nature of pain can be defined as pulling. If there is no purulent discharge and fever, then a warm compress will be enough to treat such a disease.
If the pain in the ear area is similar to a current shock and is pulsating, then the cause is most likely in neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve. The pain occurs with attacks of 2 minutes, usually during chewing, brushing teeth or a broad smile. Pain can be blunt and acute, depending on the characteristics of the human body. In this case, you can observe redness facial muscles of the face. Such ailment can not be cured independently and should immediately consult a neurologist.
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Diagnosis of pain in the ear
Complete and qualitative diagnosis of auditory organs for diseases can only be carried out by a qualified specialist. He checks the ear with an otoscope. The healthy eardrum has a pinkish-gray color and a transparent structure. In other cases, you can talk about the presence of ear diseases. In the presence of violations or infection, the eardrum becomes red, inflamed and swollen. With the help of a pneumatic otoscope, one can also check the presence of fluid in the auditory organ. This tool allows you to change the pressure in the middle of the auditory organ and affect the tympanic membrane. If the tympanic membrane moves without much effort, then there is no liquid. In no case should you try to conduct such a diagnosis yourself, as this can lead to a violation of the integrity of even a healthy eardrum and then you really can not go to the doctor.
Independently it is possible to carry out diagnostics for the detection of external otitis media. If, when pressing into the area of the tragus, the pain in the area of the auditory organs increases, so there is a suspicion of infection.
If the pain in the ear increases with pulling the earlobe - this is a clear symptom of an infectious external ear infection. Such a disease can be either localized (furuncle, for example), or to grasp the entire auditory canal. In such a case, a doctor's consultation is necessary.
If you notice a pronounced deterioration of hearing just recently, and besides, the congestion of the hearing organ that does not pass when swallowing is felt, then, most likely, it is the sulfur bar that has formed. This problem can be eliminated and independently, without recourse to specialists.
Treatment of ear pain
Treatment of pain in the ears depends on the degree of infection and diagnosis. If it is a simple sulfuric plug, then it should be slightly softened with a few drops for a few days or a week. Next, lie in a warm bath, so that the ears are completely covered with water. If the cork has softened enough, it will freely leave the ear passage into the water. If not - then you should see a doctor. The specialist will be able to remove the sulfur plug by inserting a warm liquid into the ear canal with a syringe. Under pressure of water, the cork will come out and the hearing will improve. But you should not do this yourself, because a sharp object (syringe) can permanently damage the hearing organ if mistreated.
Otitis, in principle, is also easily treatable. When a bacterial infection occurs, doctors usually prescribe antibiotics and pain medications. At temperatures above 38.5 degrees, which can occur with a cold, to reduce pain in the ear, acetaminophen or ibuprofen is used. The action of these drugs is enough to reduce pain for 1-2 hours. But, during sleep, the pain can intensify.
Antibiotics are prescribed by doctors only if the infection in the hearing organ has nothing to do with a cold or other virus, because strong antibiotics can react with other drugs and cause a number of side effects such as diarrhea, rash or nausea. The action of the antibiotic should relieve pain in the ear area in a very fast time. If the pain does not calm down within 48 hours, you should immediately call your doctor.
It happens that the fluid in the ear canal remains for a very long time and standard methods of treatment do not help. In this case, doctors can do mirinotomy. This procedure involves the execution of a small incision in the eardrum for the outflow of fluid from the middle ear. The procedure is fairly simple in execution and is performed under general anesthesia in the outpatient setting.
However, if your ears "shoot" you will be completely helped and alternative medicine. Start to stand with a warm and warming compress on the aching ear. You should put it 2-3 times a day for 2-4 hours. If in addition to pain in the ears is present and fever, compress is not recommended. The correct warming compress consists of a liquid mixture of heated alcohol in half with water, vodka or camphor oil. The resulting solution should be moistened with a flannel cloth measuring 8 by 8 centimeters, with a cut in the center for the outer part of the ear. We place this wet napkin in the ear by inserting the auricle into the slot, superimpose a thin cellophane (in it we also make a hole for the outer part of the auditory organ) 2-3 cm larger than the flannel cloth moistened in the solution, and cotton, the size with a palm. Such a compress on top should be bandaged or wrapped with a handkerchief. Such a simple procedure will completely reduce the pain, but you should not postpone your trip to the doctor, nevertheless.
From pain in the ear can help and alternative means - salvation can be found in simple houseplants. In the fight against pain geranium will help. Tear off a small leaf of the plant, rub it until the appearance of juice and smell, and shove in the ear canal, so that it can be easily reached. Top with a warming compress. A leaf of a geranium in an ear needs to be changed every 3-4 hours. For this purpose, royal begonia and crested chlorophytum can be used.
Instead of ear drops that relieve pain and help fight infection, you can use aloe juice, or you can prepare a special mixture. To do this, take the oil of one walnut (you can squeeze the butter with ease with the help of a garlick) and one drop of tea tree oil (however, you can do without it). The received mass should be buried by ears on 2-3 drops.
Prevention of ear pain
As we have already found out, pain in the ear area is caused by infection in the ear canal. Accordingly, prevention will also mean fighting and preventing such bacterial contamination.
Prevention is quite simple: first, you should carefully monitor the hygiene of the auditory organs. To do this, rinse the ear canals with a warm salt or herbal solution at least once a month. If you are prone to otitis, try to prevent fluid from entering your ear while swimming.
In addition, otitis can also occur as a complication after a cold. In this case, the first rule will be full recovery and careful adherence to the regime prescribed by doctors.
The situation is more complicated with the prevention of otitis in children. For the smallest, precautionary measures will imply carrying out vaccinations against colds and flu, avoiding contact with tobacco smoke (in case someone from the family smokes), preventing allergic reactions. It is the latter that can cause infection in the ears of children. In addition to all of the above, you should also monitor the condition of the adenoid. If necessary, the doctor can easily remove them and thereby save from complications associated with their increase and otitis.
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