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What causes Earaches?
Earaches occur most often in children.However, they can occur in adults as well.An earache may affect one or both the ears.It may be constant or come and go and the pain may be dull, sharp, or burning. If you have an ear infection, fever and temporary hearing loss may occur.Young children who have ear infections tend to be fussy and irritable. They may also tug or rub their ears.
What are the common causes of earaches?
Earaches may be caused by injury, infection, or irritation in the ear.Earaches may also be caused by referred pain.Referred pain is pain that is felt somewhere other than the site of the infection or injury. Pain originating in the jaw or teeth may be felt in the ear.
Common causes of earaches include:
- Ear infection
- Lymphosarcoma
- Ear wax buildup
- A sore throat
- Shampoo or water in the ear
- Changes in pressure
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
- A foreign object in the ear
- Sinus infection
- Use of cotton swabs in the ear
Less common causes of earaches include:
- Temporomandibular joint(TMJ) syndrome
- Perforated eardrum
- Arthritis affecting the jaw
- Tooth infection
- Impacted tooth
- Eczema in the ear canal
- Trigeminal neuralgia (chronic facial nerve pain)
When to see a Doctor
If you or your child has a persistent fever of 104 degrees F or higher, seek medical attention.For an infant, seek help immediately for fever higher than 101 degrees F. You should also seek immediate medical attention if the severe pain stops suddenly. This can be a sign of the eardrum rupturing. There are other symptoms you should also watch for. If these symptoms appear, make an appointment with your doctor:
- Severe ear pain
- Dizziness
- A bad headache
- Swelling of the ear
- Drooping of the facial muscles
- Blood or pus drainage from the ear
- Some earaches may be preventable
- Medical treatment for earaches
- Preventing Earaches
Is an earache gets worse or does not improve in 24 to 48 hours, make an appointment with your doctor.
If you have an ear infection, your doctor will prescribe antibiotic tablets or eardrops.It is important that you finish your prescription.This ensures that the infection will clear up completely.Do not just stop taking medication once your symptoms improve.
If the wax buildup is causing your ear pain, you may be given wax-softening eardrops.This may cause the wax to fall out on its own.Your doctor may also flush it out of your ear.
TMJ, sinus infections, and other causes of earaches will be treated directly.This should improve your ear pain.
Preventive measures include:
- Avoiding smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke
- Keeping foreign objects out of the ear
- Drying the ears after swimming or bathing
- Avoiding allergy triggers, such as dust and pollen