Ear pain, like toothache, can be unbearable.
Its first symptoms can signal the development of various diseases, so they can not be left without attention.
This article will consider in detail what needs to be done if an ear hurts in an adult, and what pathologies can trigger the appearance of acute ear pain.
Adult Ear Hurts: Non-Medical Causes
Ear pain can not always be caused by any disease. Sometimes in healthy people, it can occur for the following reasons:
1. Due to walks in windy weather. A strong wind will negatively affect the auricle, forming a bruise in it. This condition usually goes away after a few days. It does not require additional treatment.
2. Due to water entering the auricle.
3. In case of untimely cleaning of the auricle from sulfur.
4. Ear injury due to bruising or falling. At the same time, it is important to know that if, in addition to pain after bruising, blood flows from the ear, then in this case the victim should be shown to the doctor as soon as possible.
5. Pain provoked by sudden jumps in blood pressure. Because of this, a person may feel an unpleasant tapping in the ears.
6. Pain in the ears can also be caused by air travel, when atmospheric pressure changes dramatically. In this case, it is recommended to yawn, swallow and eat something often.
7. The presence of a foreign body inside the auricle. As a rule, this often happens in young children who accidentally pushed small parts of toys into their ears.
In adults, it may be an insect that flew into the auricle and failed to get out of there. At the same time, a person will feel unpleasant rustling and knocking in his ears. Hearing loss is also possible.
It is important to know that you can’t try to pull something out of your ears on your own, since this can only aggravate the situation (damage the eardrum, etc.) In this case, you need to urgently see an ENT doctor.
Ear hurts in an adult: possible diseases
The following diseases can cause pain in the ears:
1. Otitis. It is one of the most common diseases that provoke acute pain in the ear. The cause of otitis media is ARVI and flu, which were not cured in time and gave complications to the ears.
Otitis can be of various forms. Its course and symptoms depend on this.
2. Otitis externa develops due to infection in the outer zone of the auricle. It causes severe inflammation, accompanied by purulent discharge. Also, external otitis media can occur with weakened immunity, which can not cope with various microtrauma of the ear.
External otitis media, in turn, is divided into two forms:
• acute otitis externa. It occurs due to the formation of a boil in the auricle. With its course, a person may have purulent discharge, as well as pain, giving to the eyes and jaw;
• acute diffuse otitis media flutters in the form of an inflammatory process in the ears. It proceeds much more complicated than ordinary acute otitis media. Usually it is accompanied by fever, fever and purulent discharge.
3. Otitis media It affects the tissues of the tympanic septum, as well as the entire area in the middle ear. This disease is divided into the following subgroups:
• acute otitis media (occurs due to respiratory tract infections that have not been resolved with medication);
• chronic otitis media (develops as a complication of acute otitis media). Such a disease requires a long medication course of treatment. It is accompanied by fever, pain in the ears and purulent discharge;
• acute purulent otitis media is considered the most dangerous, since with such a disease, profuse purulent discharge can enter the skull and provoke meningitis, as well as chronic hearing loss;
• acute catarrhal otitis media affects the human auditory tube. The cause of its occurrence are dangerous staphylococcal bacteria that enter the ears through the nasal passages.
4. Otitis media develops as a complication of untreated chronic inflammation in the middle ear. It causes dizziness, ear pain and hearing loss. Like otitis media, the internal otitis is divided into several subspecies:
• limited otitis media - affects the area of the bone labyrinth;
• diffuse internal otitis media - affects all parts of the bone labyrinth, due to which a person has purulent discharge. If this disease is not treated, then it can lead to complete deafness;
• purulent otitis media is accompanied by high fever and purulent discharge.
5. Mastoiditis - This is a disease in which a small temporal section becomes inflamed. It is accompanied by accumulation of pus and pain in the ears. Otitis media of the middle ear usually leads to its occurrence.
There are several types of mastoiditis:
• typical mastoiditis is accompanied by reddening of the skin at the site of inflammation;
• atypical mastoiditis is characterized by mild symptoms, but at the same time it contributes to bone destruction.
Ear hurts in an adult: treatment
Ear pain treatment is selected depending on the detected disease and the patient's condition. Also, when selecting drugs, the attending physician should charmingly take into account the patient’s age, the presence of concomitant diseases and the individual susceptibility of drugs.
With otitis media, the Otinum drug has proven itself, which is able to significantly reduce pain in a few minutes. In addition to the anti-inflammatory effect, it has an antimicrobial and antifungal effect, providing a direct effect on the root cause of the disease.
The classic treatment of pain in the ears involves the appointment of such groups of drugs and procedures:
1. Taking antibiotics in the form of ear drops or injections.
2. Prescribing pain medication and anesthetics in the form of tablets.
3. Applying alcohol compresses to a sore ear.
4. Warming of the ear cavity (this procedure cannot be done at high temperature).
5. Ear washing with antiseptic solutions. This procedure can not be done independently, so as not to damage the eardrum. It should be done by an ENT doctor.
6. Investing in the external auditory meatus of various tampons with therapeutic ointments.
With insufficient effect of drug therapy, the patient undergoes surgical treatment. Such operations can be of two varieties:
• maringotomy (piercing the eardrum to extract pus from there);
• an antrotomy (extraction of pus from the inflamed area in the ear).
The above operations are performed under anesthesia, so you should not be afraid of them.
Rehabilitation after them is also uncomplicated, so that after two weeks a person will be able to return to their previous lives.
Ear hurts in an adult: first aid and treatment tips
If you experience sharp pain in the ears, you need to know about the following rules of first aid:
• examine the ear cavity;
• drip two drops of boric alcohol into the ear;
• warm up a little salt and put it in a gauze dressing;
• attach it to a sore ear;
• in case of severe pain, drink pain medication;
• call a doctor.
Many people have difficulty with the process of ear instillation. In fact, everything is very simple. You need to follow this procedure:
• put your head on your side;
• Pull the ear slightly up to align the ear cavity;
• instill potassium in a sore ear;
• lie on your side for about three minutes;
• put a small piece of fleece into it.
The method of preparing an ear compress provides for the following actions:
• take sterile gauze;
• put a small plastic bag on top of it;
• put cotton on the back;
• put medicine on top of cotton wool (ointment, gel or other substance);
• apply a compress to your ear and wrap it with a warm scarf or towel;
• hold the necessary time.
Sometimes, nose drops are prescribed for the treatment of pain in the ears. Bury them in the following order:
• lie on your back;
• turn your head slightly to the right;
• drip two drops inside each nostril;
• squeeze the nostril;
• Wait three minutes for the medicine to fully penetrate the nasal cavity.
An ear hurts in an adult: alternative methods of treatment
The most effective traditional medicine recipes for treating earaches are:
1. Instillation of almond oil in a sick ear (2 drops each).
2. Washing the ears with infusion of chamomile (1 tsp. Chamomile in a glass of boiling water).
3. Laying in the ear cavity of chopped garlic, wrapped in gauze. Such a tool helps with purulent otitis media.
4. Burying in the ears the infusion of lemon balm (1 teaspoon of lemon balm pour a glass of boiling water).
