There can be several causes for ear pain which include:
- Ear canal infection
- Furuncle
- Ear wax
- Foreign body in the ear
- Ear trauma
What is ear canal infection?
One of the reasons for ear pain is the infection of the ear canal. The infection may occur when water enters the ear during bath, while swimming or during a rainy day.
The wet ear is a good medium for infections, especially fungal infections.
Fungal ear infections present as pain in the ear canal, whitish/ watery ear discharge, impaired hearing, ringing sensation in the ear.
The ear canal may also be infected by bacteria. Certain bacterial infections may produce yellow/greenish ear discharge which may be blood stained, foul smelling.
How is ear canal infection treated?
The ear has to first be diagnosed to understand the case of infection.
Infection of the ear canal can be treated with antibiotic ear drops and oral antibiotics. The key is to keep the ear dry. This can be done by not allowing water to enter the ear during bath, by using a shower cap, keeping a cotton ball dipped in Vaseline in the ear canal, or rapping a plastic bag with rubber band around the ear.
What is furuncle?
Another reason for ear pain is furuncle in the ear canal. A furuncle is a hair follicle infection, which resembles a pimple. It generally occurs in the outer aspect of the ear canal.
It presents as pain, especially while chewing food. The furuncle may burst resulting in yellowish, blood stained discharge from the ear. A very large furuncle can cause ear blockage of the ear and may affect hearing.
A furuncle will heal on its own, to hasten the healing process, antibiotic ointment maybe applied on the furuncle with care. Large furuncles may have to be treated with oral antibiotics.
Can ear wax cause ear pain?
Another cause of ear pain is impacted wax. Normally, wax that is produced in the ear has a self – cleansing mechanism, it migrates out of the ear canal and oxidises with air.
In certain individuals wax gets accumulated in the ear canal, in the form of a ball. This may happen if an individual has a narrow ear canal, or excessive wax is produced by the glands in the ear canal.
This ball of wax may expand while water enters the ear during swimming or while having a bath. Expanded and impacted ear wax can cause ear pain, yellowish brown discharge of wax from the ear, blocked sensation in the ear, decreased hearing.
How is ear wax treated?
The wax would have to be removed using special instruments and a microscope. Sometimes if the wax is too hard, it has to be softened by drops first before removal.
Can foreign body in the ear cause ear pain?
Foreign body maybe non-living (beads, food material) or living (Small insects, ticks). Foreign bodies accidentally enter the ear and are more common in children.
The foreign body needs to be taken out by an ENT surgeon. Attempting to remove a foreign body by ourselves may cause more harm than help.
Consult your nearest ENT specialist on an emergency basis, to get the foreign body removed, so that he/she can remove it without damaging the ear canal and tympanic membrane.
