Everything You Should Know About Earaches

Often considered as the minor nuisance, earaches can ruin your day, that otherwise, would have been a productive one. There are many reasons why you should not consider it as a nuisance and attend with proper medical assistance by your ENT specialist.

Even though earaches can occur in any age group, mostly it would be children who suffer from it. And the worst part is they could not communicate what exactly is the issue and unless you have a fair bit of knowledge on earaches you could not decipher what that is affecting your child.

Continue reading the blog to know everything you should know about earache to tackle it whenever your child faces this issue.

What is an Earache?

Earache could be defined as a dull, sharp and burning sensation inside the ear. Earaches can occur for many reasons and based on the root cause the person can experience mild to severe pain.

There is no particular pattern for earaches. The pain can occur in one ear or both ears but in most cases it would be in one ear. Also, it may remain constant sometimes and in some children it will come and go.

How to Find an Earache in Infants?

Young children become more irritable and cry for no apparent reason. They may also tug their ear if you observe keenly. In a few cases, you could see fluids or puss coming out of the ear. If you observe any of these symptoms in your kid, consult with an ear specialist immediately.

Symptoms of Earaches

• Children become less responsive and pacifying becomes almost impossible.
• They may constantly rub their ears or tug or pull them.
• If the pain is there for a longer time, few children get fever.
• They will not be put to bed and cry more than usual.

What Causes Earaches?

There can be many reasons for earaches. Commonly an injury, irritation or an infection near or inside the ear can cause earache. Most common reasons for earaches are listed down below. These are common for both adults and children.

Ear Infections - It is most common reason in many cases and based on the origin ear infections are categorized into three types.

• Outer Ear Infection - Caused by swimming, ear wax blockage, and inserting external articles such as earphones, that can damage skin inside the ear canal.
• Middle Ear Infection - Infection in the eardrums lead this infection. Respiratory infection creates a perfect brooding ground for the infection that in turn leads to middle ear infection.
• Inner Ear Infection - Medically known as Labyrithitis, inner ear infection is a result of respiratory infections and illness.

Other common health reasons for earaches include sinus and throat infections, perforated ear drum, eczema in ear canal, and trigeminal neuralgia which is commonly known as chronic facial nerve pain.

General reasons that cause earaches are use of cotton swabs inside the ear, change in inner-ear air pressure, and trapped water or shampoo inside the ear canal.

Treatment for Earaches

It is highly recommended to seek medical help immediately by visiting your nearest ENT hospital for both children and adults. However, if it is a minor ache (and stated as by your child) you can try a few home remedies that can relieve them from pain.

• Use over-the-counter eardrops from a certified pharmacist and make your child sit upright.
• Wrap a soft and cold cloth around the ear but ensure inner ear is not getting wet.
• Chew gum if you are an adult and feed the child to get relieved from pain.

If there are no symptoms of reduced pain, consult your ENT doctor. They may perform a simple check to determine the issue. Usually it would be due to the wax build-up or an infection in the canal. If these are not reasons, an ENT specialist may proceed with diagnostic process and prescribe medications or further course of treatment based on the results.

How to Prevent Earaches?

Most of the earaches triggered by external factors can be prevented. Follow these simple tips to prevent these types of earaches.

• Refrain your children from keeping foreign objects inside the ear.
• Remove the build up wax by following healthy measures.
• Dry after a wash or bath.
• Avoid using earphones for extended period of time.

Ears are sensitive and they demand constant care. Make it a practice of consulting your nearest and certified ENT specialist at regular intervals for healthy ears.