Common Causes of Ear Pain and When to Visit an ENT Specialist

Understanding the Types of Ear Pain

Before exploring the different reasons for ear pain, you should know that it is classified in two types:

1. Primary Otalgia: This is ear pain starting from the ear itself (whether it be the outer ear canal, the eardrum, or the middle ear).
2. Referred Otalgia: This is pain that you feel in the ear, but is actually coming from somewhere else in the body, like the jaw (temporomandibular joint-TMJ), throat, or teeth.

Common Causes of Ear Pain

1. Middle Ear Infections (Otitis Media)

This is perhaps the most common cause of ear pain, especially in children. It occurs when fluid builds up behind the eardrum, often following a cold or flu. In India, during the monsoon and winter seasons, respiratory infections spike, leading to a rise in middle ear infections.

• Symptoms: Dull ache, muffled hearing, and sometimes a fever.

2. Outer Ear Infections (Otitis Externa / Swimmer’s Ear)

Otitis externa is a disorder causing inflammation of ear canal. One of the reasons is water trapped in the ear after bathing or swimming, leaving a moisture inside, which promotes the growth of bacteria. Another reason of otitis externa is the use of cotton swabs (Q-tips) which scratch the ear canal lining and make the ear prone to infection.

• Symptoms: Itching, redness, and pain on pulling or touching the outer ear (pinna).

3. Earwax Blockage (Cerumen Impaction)

Earwax is necessary and it guards the ear. But when the wax builds up and gets very hard, it can cause a blockage. This happens most times to people who frequently use earphones or hearing aids.

• Symptoms: Feeling of the ear being blocked, ear ringing (tinnitus), and slow hearing loss.

4. Barotrauma (Pressure Changes)

Barotrauma results from the human ear being unable to balance the pressure of air inside it with the pressure of air outside. This scenario happens quite often in the airplane when the aircraft is reaching or leaving the ground, also while scuba diving and similar activities.

• Symptoms: A popping sound, a stabbing type of pain with occasional tightness or stuffiness sensation in the ear.

5. Perforated Eardrum (Ruptured Eardrum)

The drum of the ear, the tympanic membrane, can be punctured or torn by a loud noise, a bad infection, or by sticking an inappropriate object such as a hairpin or a cotton swab inside the ear.

• Symptoms: Abrupt and intense pain, a sudden sharp pain with subsequent rapid disappearance of pain, in many cases, the symptoms are accompanied by a discharge of fluid or bleeding.

6. Referred Pain (Non-Ear Related)

Causes of the pain could be elsewhere than the ears. Due to a close network of nerves located in the head and neck, pain caused by certain problems in other areas may be felt as if coming from the ear:

• TMJ Disorders: Discomfort caused by problems of the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) can be felt as a deep ear pain.
• Dental Issues: Pain or infections in molars at the back of the mouth.
• Tonsillitis/Sore Throat: A serious infection of the throat may cause a referred pain to the ears.

When to Worry About Ear pain?

Some ear pains, such as the moderate ear popping during flight, are likely to go away naturally. However, certain symptoms should not be ignored at all, and you must get these checked by the best ENT specialist in Hisar without delay, if you experience:

• High Fever: The presence of a high temperature along with ear pain indicates a bacterial infection, which is typically treated with antibiotics.
• Fluid Discharge: The leaking of pus, blood, or even a clear fluid from the ear means a ruptured eardrum or a serious infection.
• Sensory Hearing Loss: A sudden loss of hearing in one or both ears is a medical emergency.
• Severe Vertigo: Loss of equilibrium or a sensation of spinning indicates that the inner ear (balance regulator) is involved.
• Swelling: Swelling and redness behind the ear or even in the ear canal.
• Ongoing Pain: Pain that remains despite taking over-the-counter painkillers, or lasts for more than 2 days.

The Danger of “Home Remedies” and Cotton Swabs

In most households, homes, people opt for home remedies. They even use home remedies for ear pain, like, for example, “using warm mustard oil for ear drops, whereas doctors strongly warn against this.“

If you put oil or any kind of liquid in a perforated ear, it may cause a really bad middle ear infection and you may even lose your hearing ability permanently. Similarly, cotton swabs tend to push the wax deeper into the canal or might even puncture the eardrum. So, the big rule in ear care is: Don’t let anything smaller than your elbow enter your ear.

Final Thoughts

Do not disregard any ear pain as our ears are the most sensitive organs that if affected, can impact the way we live and communicate. Whether wax in the ear canal or a severe infection deep inside the ear, the main problem can be avoided by timely determining the source of the problem and coming up with a solution.

Don’t wait to use only natural treatments, if you or a member of your family are having ear problems. Come to the Sarvesh Health City, known as the best ENT specialist in Hisar, for getting a reliable diagnosis and a treatment tailored to you.