Ear pain in children

Often parents do not understand why their little child cries for a long time without any apparent reason. It is worth remembering that such behavior can provoke ear pain in children.

Even an adult finds it very difficult to tolerate toothache and earache, let alone babies! And if an older child can already complain and accurately indicate the place where he feels pain, then very small children are forced to signal such pain exclusively by screaming and crying.

However, parents can easily determine at home whether the cause of suffering is ear pain in children. To do this, you need to lightly press or tap your finger on the triangular cartilage, which is located near the auricle, on the cheek side, in front of the ear canal (otherwise it is also called the tragus). If after this manipulation the child responds to you with increased crying, then the source of the pain has been found. Now it remains to specifically localize it and find the cause, after which carry out the necessary treatment and forget about how unpleasantly the whole family suffered from children's ear pain.

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Diseases that cause ear pain

There can be many reasons why children have ear pain. But there are the most common ones, and now we will introduce you to them:

• Otitis. This is one of the most common diseases that causes ear pain in children. It is noteworthy that statistically, boys under three years of age suffer from this disease much more often. What is this otitis? This is the name for inflammation of the middle ear due to infection. As a result of this disease, fluid accumulates behind the eardrum of the affected ear. This happens because the Eustachian tube (it serves as a connecting element between the middle ear and the throat) is blocked. As a result, this state of affairs can lead to infection. With otitis, ear pain in children can also occur when blowing their nose.
• Infection of the outer ear canal. This disease is often called "swimmer's ear" - all because it most often affects children who swim or just often visit the pool or other bodies of water. In addition to noticeable pain, there are other symptoms of this disease. If the ear canal has become red, soft (this can be felt when touched) and you can see that it is swollen, then this indicates the presence of an infection of the outer ear canal. And if this is accompanied by a feeling of blockage in the ear and a pulsating pain of a prolonged nature, then there is practically no doubt about this diagnosis.
• Ear trauma is also a common cause of prolonged pain. Even if the child says that he hears well with the injured ear, a visit to an otolaryngologist is a must. The impact can damage the eardrum, so delaying diagnosis is not recommended.
• A foreign body getting stuck in a small child's ear is a fairly common occurrence, as is the case with the nose. Inquisitive children try to stick a small object into their ear or nose at any cost and watch with interest what will happen to their sensations. Unfortunately, such pranks often lead to rather disastrous consequences. Parents make such a mistake due to a banal oversight. Therefore, it is very important to immediately contact a doctor if symptoms of ear pain occur. And, of course, leaving a small child unattended alone with small parts or objects is completely unacceptable.

How exactly does a child's ear hurt?

By the phrase "ear pain in children" we mean different types of pain and different diseases that can provoke this pain. It will be useful for parents to learn specific features that can more clearly characterize ear pain in children. If ear pain appears some time after the child has had a cold, it can often indicate that an inflammatory process has begun in the middle ear caused by an infection.

Also, the cause of painful sensations can be an infection of the outer ear, which manifests itself in discharge from the auricle, tingling or pain when touching the ear. This problem is often encountered by children who swim or simply spend a lot of time in bodies of water.

It is also important to remember that ear diseases can cause painful sensations not only in the very center of the disease, but also, for example, radiate to the teeth and jaw. This makes it much more difficult to independently determine the cause of children's suffering. But an experienced doctor will immediately see what the matter is.

If your child is not yet talking and cannot clearly explain the reason for his depressed mood and frequent crying, then take a closer look at his behavior. Does the baby grab his ears more often than usual? Cry loudly and shake his head from side to side? Hit his head with his hands? If the answer to these questions is yes, then in this case you are most likely dealing with an ear infection. But remember that in addition to this, such behavior is often seen in children during teething or due to unusual sensations during irritation of the ear canal with water or secreted wax. Only your pediatrician can give an exact answer.

What to do if a child has an earache?

First, you need to observe your baby, and if the pain goes away within 15 minutes, does not reappear, and the child continues to play, looking completely healthy, then there is no need to go to the doctor at the clinic. Also, there is no need to panic too much if the pain in the cheeks in children is caused by simple and understandable reasons - with a sharp descent or ascent, vigorous nose blowing, flying, very active chewing of gum, etc. If the pain that occurs as a result of these reasons is short-term, then it does not pose a danger.

If the ear pain lasts for an hour or longer, but at the same time applying a cold compress to the ear or neck brings relief, you should still consult a doctor at a time convenient for you.

There are also a number of symptoms that should cause concern and serve as a reason to immediately seek medical help:

1. A baby under one year of age cries for a long time, increased excitability and elevated body temperature are observed.
2. The cause of pain is ear trauma of any nature.
3. The child's ear pain is so severe that he cannot bear it calmly.
4. For several hours the pain does not subside, and neither cold nor warm compresses bring noticeable relief.

How to cure a child's sore ear?

If ear pain in children causes concern for parents, then it is necessary to seek advice from a qualified doctor. This may be a pediatrician or an otolaryngologist. If the pediatrician determines that the source of pain is in the ear, he will refer you to an ENT specialist.

Depending on the type of disease and its stage, the doctor prescribes various treatment methods. In infectious and bacterial inflammations of the inner parts of the ear, antibiotics are always used. If the diagnosis is "swimmer's ear", then the treatment will be local, by lubricating the inflamed area with medicinal solutions.