Causes of Ear Pain
Infections mainly cause ear pain or otalgia. Pain that occurs inside the ear is primary otalgia, whereas pain that originates outside the ear is secondary otalgia. It commonly occurs in children, but adults can also experience earaches. The ear pain can rise gradually or all of a sudden, depending on your cause. This pain can be dull, sharp, or burning, and it can come and go occasionally. Ear pains only occur in one ear at a time, but both ears can also feel it in severe cases.
Many reasons can cause ear pain, including:
1- Excessive Earwax
Your ear produces and gets rid of the wax continuously. But when this gets disrupted, the gunk starts to build up and hardens with time. It blocks your ear canals. Doctors call it an impacted was, and it can cause pain. You should not use cotton swabs or take out your earwax with hard objects. This way, you will push it farther into your ear canal, which will make it more impacted.
If you do not get your ear canal cleared timely, it can hurt, itch, discharge gunk, get inflamed, and even make you lose your hearing temporarily.
To treat such conditions, you can use ear drops that soften the wax and make it discharge naturally. However, if your condition has worsened, you need to see an ENT specialist right away.
2- Air Pressure
Your ear does a great job of balancing the air pressure on both sides of your eardrum. When you are eating, you feel a little pop that is a part of this process. However, this balance can be thrown off at different air pressure, like when you are in an airplane or elevator. You can feel pain in your ears, and you can also feel trouble when listening. It can be termed eustachian tube dysfunction, which is a chronic condition in some people.
3- Swimmer’s Ear
It is an outer ear infection, and it causes pain when you pull on your earlobe. This infection occurs when water gets trapped in your ear canal and starts to breed germs. Your ear can get red, itchy, swollen, or even leak puss in this situation. Although it is not a contagious condition, you should keep your ears dry before and after swimming. To treat this condition, your doctor will prescribe antibiotic ear drops to clear the infection.
4- Middle Ear Infection
Allergies and colds tend to block the canals in your middle ear. It is the most common cause of ear pain. It builds up fluid and causes infection, which leads to otitis media. If bacteria caused it, your doctor would prescribe some antibiotics for the treatment. However, if it is driven by other reasons, your doctor will recommend a decongestant allergy treatment with an antihistamine and a nasal steroid prescription. You need to inform your doctor if your pain does not subside or comes back after the treatment. An untreated middle ear infection can spread and cause hearing loss.
5- Sinus Infection
Sinus infection is another most common cause of ear pain. It occurs when the sinuses (areas behind eyebrows, cheeks, and eyes) get inflamed and swell up due to fluid build-up. It can travel towards the back of your head and ears. This infection is acute and long-lasting. An untreated sinus infection can lead to fatal consequences and extreme pain. Therefore, you need to be vigilant with the treatment prescribed by your doctor.
6- Teething
Teething is the most common cause of ear pain in babies. However, when adults shed teeth, their toothache can travel towards the ears and cause pain there. Moreover, tooth abscesses, cavities, and impacted molars can also cause severe ear pain. Your doctor will tap your teeth to see if they are the culprit or if your gums are sore. Either way, you need to take some pain killers prescribed by your doctors if the pain persists. For babies, teethers are given to soothe their gums. However, in cases when their pain exceeds, some syrups are prescribed by doctors to provide your little one some relief.
Conclusion
These are some of the leading causes of ear pain that need to be treated timely. In severe cases, these can also cause permanent or temporary hearing loss. Therefore, you should never avoid any of your health problems, particularly the ones that involve internal infections.
If you want more information regarding ear pain or professional help to treat yours, visit and boom your appointment with the best ENT specialist in Karachi through Marham.
