Ear pain is an unpleasant phenomenon that can deliver many troubled minutes. Growing, shooting, or manifested by pressure - regardless of the nature of the pain, such symptoms should not be ignored. What to do if the ear hurts, than to treat the organ of hearing?
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Causes of pain in the ear
There are three main factors that provoke ear pain:
Ear diseases and other hearing problems.
This includes:
- otitis media (limited, medium and spilled);
- sulfur plug formation;
- eardrum rupture;
- inflammatory processes of the external and middle auditory canal;
- swimmer's ear.
The latter condition occurs with frequent contact with water. As a result, softening of the ear epithelium occurs, which facilitates the penetration of the infection into the depths of the organ.
Other types of diseases. Pain is not always associated with problems in the ear itself. Sometimes painful sensations are given, as a result of damage to adjacent organs or parts of the face.
For example:
- arthrosis in the jaw joint;
- abscesses of the parotid gland;
- inflammation of the parotid cysts or lymph node;
- sinusitis;
- neuralgia;
- furunculosis;
- tonsillitis;
- inflammation of the tonsils in the throat.
Mechanical damage. Often the pain is provoked by the penetration of a foreign object into the organ. Such cases are especially common with children.
How to relieve pain - first aid
The provision of assistance with painful sensations inside the organ of hearing should be aimed at relieving pain.Having stopped an attack of pain, the patient will be able to alleviate his condition and begin to calmly look for ways to resolve the problem.
If damage to the eardrum has not been detected (there is no ear bleeding, hearing is not impaired), Otipax drops can be used. This medication contains anesthetics and anti-inflammatory components. As a result of its use, the edema is removed and the pain syndrome is stopped.
Tip. In order not to irritate the sore ear, it is recommended to pre-heat the Otipax drops.
Children are instilled with 2 - 3 drops of the product, adults - 3 - 4. After instillation, it is recommended to hold the head, placing the damaged ear up. In this way, droplets can be avoided.
When to see a doctor
It is important to realize that pain in the ear is formed as a result of the inflammatory process, and it is often triggered by otitis media. To determine whether emergency medical care is necessary in a particular case, you can independently conduct a home diagnosis.
Initially, it is necessary to determine the presence of inflammation.
To do this, gently press on the tragus of the ear and observe the nature of the pain:
- acute pain in the shell usually indicates otitis externa;
- the ear “shoots” in the presence of inflammation in the middle ear canal.
If otitis media has not been identified, the body should be checked for sulfur plugs. The main reason for this phenomenon is the lack of proper hygiene.
Tip. In addition to examining the ear, you should pay attention to the condition of the teeth or nasopharynx. The proximity of these organs can provoke the flow of diseases from one to another, which provokes painful sensations.
Any of the described phenomena requires an immediate visit to the otolaryngologist.
Ear hurts inside, outside
If the situations in which the ears inside hurt can be explained by inflammation in the back of the organ, then with the painful sensations on the surface of the auricle, not everything is so simple.
The main causes of pain outside the ear are:
- Inflammation of the perichondrium. The pain is felt in the area of the auricle or in the area of the laryngeal cartilage.
- Insect bites.
- Sunburn. Similar inflammation is often observed in the summer.
- The penetration of fluid into the ear on one side or both at once.
- Furunculosis or acne.
- Ear infections or inflammations.
- Various dermatological pathologies (ulcers, eczema, etc.).
- Broken ears.
By the way. The impact of cold air and a sharp wind on the auricle can cause a bruise on it. Often it passes after a few days. If there is no improvement, you need to consult a doctor, as well as in the other cases listed above.
Read also:symptoms and treatment of otitis media
How to treat ear pain at home
The best thing you can do with acute earache is to see a doctor. After examining and determining the diagnosis, the specialist prescribes therapy.
Drug treatment
Often, antibiotic therapy, which involves the use of antimicrobials, is used to relieve ear pain with a cold. They can be used both internally and topically in the form of drops.
- Small children are usually prescribed the already mentioned “Otipaks” and “Albutsid”; for older patients, “Anauran”, “Otofa” are suitable.
- To completely get rid of ear pain, you need to cure a cold. For this purpose, nasal drops may be recommended for the patient: Protargol, Nazivin, Otrivin, Grippferon, etc.
- When pain is accompanied by fever, purulent inflammation, enlarged lymph nodes, antibiotic drugs are recommended. These include Amoxiclav, Oxacillin, Cefazolin, etc.
It is interesting:boric acid
Alternative methods of treatment
Folk recipes will help reduce the intensity of pain or even completely eliminate it:
- Place a few drops of warm olive oil in a sore ear. After this, the auditory meatus is tightly closed with a cotton swab.
- Rinse ears with chamomile infusion.
- Dripping an ear with aloe juice.
- Rub between the fingers a leaf of begonia, chlorophytum or geranium and insert into the ear.
- Put a compress of honey and beets on the sore ear.
- Moisten a cotton swab with onion (garlic) juice. Place a few drops in the ear and close with a damp swab on top.
- Apply boric alcohol.
Adults can instill such funds directly into the ear, and children are better to do a compress on their basis.
What can not be done with pain
The further state of the hearing organs depends on the correctness of the action during pain in the ear.
So, in the presence of pain in the ear it is forbidden:
- Bury your ears yourself if there is sulfur plug in them. The latter from moisture has the property of swelling and increasing in size. The pain as a result of such exposure will become sharper and stronger.
- Use expired medicines. At best, expired medications will not have any effect, and at worst, they will aggravate the situation.
- Take painkillers without making sure that they are not allergic.
Tip. The best prevention of ear pain is to increase immunity. For this, it is recommended to abandon bad habits, change the diet, exercise, choose clothes for the season.
Ear pain is often triggered by various types of diseases. Timely identified causes of this condition will allow you to choose the optimal treatment that corresponds to each specific case. Ignoring painful sensations in the expectation that they will disappear on their own can lead to serious complications, up to hearing loss. In order to prevent such dangerous conditions, it is necessary to observe measures for the prevention of ear diseases and consult a doctor in a timely manner if there is pain in the organ of hearing.
