Why does the ear hurt when pressed from the outside?

When an adult or child complains that he has a pain behind the ear when pressed from the outside or pressing on the bone, such symptoms may indicate the presence of serious diseases that are associated not only with the condition of the ears. The cause of the pain must be determined as soon as possible in order to prevent the worsening of the situation.

Why does pain occur?

Anatomically, the auricle is located in the stony region of the temporal bone, while painful sensations most often occur in the part of the mastoid process of the skull, which is located directly behind the ear. This area, also called the bone, becomes inflamed, swollen, and painful in a number of common conditions. Many patients do not attach importance to such symptoms, which is fundamentally wrong, because this is how the signs of otitis media appear. Usually, middle ear inflammation is diagnosed after a detailed examination, but it should be borne in mind that pain when pressing the tragus or moving the lobe is a direct confirmation of such a diagnosis. If the patient feels uncomfortable sensations from the left or right ear, or characteristic "shooting" pains, he is most likely to develop neuralgia.

The standard and most common cause is an infectious disease, which often develops against the background of severe hypothermia, for example, with a sharp change in climate or in the spring season. Some people tend to quickly change warm clothes for lighter ones or prefer not to wear a hat, which can ultimately lead to otitis media and other pathologies. Many of them prefer to cope with the problem on their own, using various folk remedies, but the danger is that the ears can hurt for other reasons. In the case of an incorrectly established diagnosis and appropriate treatment, the initial disease progresses and becomes more severe.

The cause should be determined immediately after the establishment of the pain syndrome and immediately contact the otolaryngologist.

In accordance with the symptoms, the specialist will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment in a timely manner.

Common Causes and Symptoms

Acute pain behind the ear, on the left or right, is usually a sign of otitis media, which is also characterized by high fever and tinnitus.

If you press the tragus, the painful symptoms intensify, in especially advanced cases, when the disease turns into a chronic form, pus begins to stand out from the ear. In the absence of treatment, a headache joins the ear pain, which becomes more noticeable every day. Otitis media is often the result of an incompletely cured sore throat or flu, therefore, in such a situation, first of all, it is important to eliminate the underlying cause, the whole process should be under the supervision of a doctor. Patients should not be allowed to re-hypothermia, any drugs can be taken only after consultation with the ENT.

If discomfort in the ear area becomes pulsating, becomes more noticeable at night or after eating too cold or hot food, affects the neck and head area, most likely we are talking about a serious stage of caries and other dental diseases. Do not hope that taking painkillers will help solve the problem - this is only a temporary measure. After confirming the diagnosis, it is necessary to consult a dentist as soon as possible and cure bad teeth, since caries can lead not only to ear diseases, but also noticeably impair the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and heart.

Trigeminal neuralgia can also cause pain in the ears, they appear abruptly in the form of short attacks, and then disappear for a while. Pain can trigger the most common activities, including chewing food, brushing teeth, and even light touching. With this disease, patients also complain of muscle spasms. This disease often develops against the background of dental problems, various injuries, or as a complication after herpes. There are other reasons why a patient has a sore ear when pressed, for example:

Inflammation in the mastoid bone (mastoiditis) due to infection
Lymphadenitis or inflammation of the lymph nodes;
Osteochondrosis in the cervical spine;
The formation of a lipoma (wen) in the area of the auricle.

Pain in children

Children also often complain of acute pain in the ear area; this symptom can manifest itself in both infants and preschoolers. Most often, this complication makes itself felt after the transferred infectious diseases due to a sharp decrease in the child's immunity. Difficulties in making the correct diagnosis arise if pains appear in young children under three years of age, who cannot always say for sure what exactly hurts them and inform their parents in a timely manner. In such cases, you need to pay close attention to unusual signs of pathological conditions, including:

Crying, aggravated by examination and pressing on the auricles;
Frequent head movements;
The presence of purulent or bloody discharge from the ear;
Decreased appetite, refusal to eat;
Recently transferred or not completely cured disease of an infectious nature.

It is quite difficult to determine the cause of ear pain in children, so if you have any of the symptoms listed above, you should contact your pediatrician or otolaryngologist as soon as possible.

Treatment methods

With otitis media and other ear diseases, first of all, it is necessary to adhere to the recommendations of a doctor who will prescribe the correct course of treatment. If the pressure on the bone (on its projection) gives unpleasant sensations, you should not solve the problem yourself and buy random medications, as they can aggravate the situation with some ear diseases. Since otitis media is relatively easy to treat, doctors prescribe special antibiotics and pain relievers. If a high fever due to a cold joins all the standard symptoms, an additional intake of ibuprofen or acetaminophen is most often prescribed.

Usually, a course of antibiotics is prescribed in cases where the infection in the ear is not caused by ARVI viruses, since the action of the pills can react with other medications taken in parallel. It is the best option for quick relief of ear pain, which relieves pain after 48 hours. Appropriate measures should be taken depending on the cause of the pain syndrome. In case of caries, it is necessary to sanitize the oral cavity and thoroughly examine it as soon as possible. Neuralgia, osteochondrosis and other diseases in which unpleasant symptoms occur behind the ear below are treated in a comprehensive manner.

You can also pay attention to some folk remedies, for example, warm compresses to warm up a sore ear. They are prepared on the basis of heated alcohol mixed with water, camphor oil or vodka in equal proportions, then put two or three times a day for several hours. A geranium leaf is also a good pain reliever, which is rubbed to form juice and inserted into the ear canal. You should also pay attention to homemade ear drops, for the preparation of which aloe juice or a mixture of walnut and tea tree oils is used. It is necessary to instill two or three drops several times a day. The low incidence of allergies makes this remedy one of the most popular.

Precautions and Prevention

If the pain in the ears intensifies, affects the area below the auricle, pus or blood comes out from the ear, do not postpone the visit to the otolaryngologist. Acute conditions are a sign of serious illnesses in which the patient needs quick and timely help.