Severe ear pain can be compared to a toothache - it appears suddenly and it is very difficult to endure it. All the patient's thoughts are only about how to get rid of painful sensations. But before carrying out therapeutic measures, you should find out why the ear hurts. The treatment program and its effectiveness will depend on this.
In addition to the lack of the desired result, improper therapy can lead to severe complications, up to complete hearing loss. Effective treatment methods prescribed by a specialist will help to avoid unwanted consequences and quickly get rid of ear pain.
The main reasons for the violation
The most common disease that almost everyone has encountered at least once in their life is otitis media. The disorder is an inflammatory process in the organ of hearing, in which there is an acute pain in the ear.
Otitis media can occur on its own, but more often this violation is a complication of colds. Otitis media in acute form is difficult - severe pain in the ear of a shooting character develops, pus is formed, temperature indicators increase, the general condition of the body worsens.
Another common cause of ear pain is mechanical trauma to the ear canal. Experiencing itching in the ear cavity, many people try to cope with the problem with the help of improvised means - hairpins, toothpicks, matches. Using such items, you can not only violate the integrity of the inner shell of the ear canal, but also introduce an infection.
Due to the penetration of foreign objects into the ear, otitis externa may develop. With such a violation, a furuncle forms in the outer ear area, which causes discomfort and pain.
If there is pain in the ear without fever, caries may be the cause. Painful sensations with carious teeth can radiate to the neck, temples, and also the ear. In this case, of course, you need to visit the dentist and cure the diseased teeth.
Also, if your ears hurt, the following conditions may be the cause:
- pinching of the facial nerve, in which there is a pulling pain in the ear;
- migraine attack, after stopping the attack, the pain in the ear cavity disappears;
- sulfur plugs, in the absence of sufficient ear hygiene, a large amount of sulfur accumulates in the ear canal, which can cause ear pain in adults and children.
Treatment principles
If your ears hurt, of course, you need to find out the cause of the painful sensations. It is dangerous to use any medicines without the appointment of a specialist. This can further aggravate the current situation.
In situations where the ear is very sore, first aid can be provided on your own.
It is important to take into account that if the ear hurts and the body temperature is elevated, warming up the ear is strictly prohibited.
Exposure to heat on the ear area is also contraindicated if carious teeth are the cause of painful sensations.
If the temperature does not exceed normal values, you can prepare a dry warm compress - warm up the salt or sand, pour it into a tissue bag and apply it to the sore ear.
A good therapeutic effect is provided by lubricating the skin around the auricle with warm camphor oil. You can also soak cotton swabs with oil and insert into the ear canal. The procedure is recommended before bedtime.
After the relief of acute pain, you should contact a medical institution to clarify the diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment.
If the ear hurts outside and there is a boil, the specialist will remove the abscess, treat the affected area with an antiseptic and prescribe the drug Sofradex. This medicine should be applied locally - drip 2 drops into the ear 3 times a day for a week.
If an adult's or a child's ear hurts, medications are prescribed taking into account the underlying disease, its form and the intensity of painful sensations.
If there is a sharp pain in the ear, Paracetmol (4 times a day, 1 mg) and Otipax ear drops (instilled 2 times a day) are used to reduce painful sensations.
If there is pain in the left ear or in the right and there is swelling of the ear canal, use vasoconstrictor nasal drops (Tizin, Naphtizin). This will improve the outflow of purulent masses from the middle ear cavity. Your doctor may also prescribe antihistamines to relieve swelling.
If severe painful sensations are accompanied by suppuration, the attending physician will prescribe antibacterial drugs. Because in this case, the painful sensations are the result of exposure to infectious agents.
Surgical intervention may be required to cleanse the ear cavity from purulent masses. After the operation, drops are instilled into the ear canal, accelerating the healing process of tissues and destroying pathogenic microflora.
It is important to take into account that it is impossible to bury the medication directly on the eardrum. The medicine is applied to a cotton swab and inserted into the ear canal.
Before using an antibiotic, you need to do a susceptibility test. Although most often there is no time for such manipulations. When choosing one or another antibacterial agent, it should be borne in mind that some medications can lead to hearing impairment. This applies more to the drugs of the aminoglycoside group. Even a single use of such funds with otitis media can provoke deafness.
If there is severe pain in the right or left ear and it is necessary to use antibiotics, then it is better to opt for the drug Amoxycycline. Apply the medicine 3 times a day for 10 days. If, after three days of treatment, the desired therapeutic effect is absent, Augmentin or Cefuroxime should be used instead of this medication.
To completely eliminate the inflammatory process, the course of treatment with antibacterial drugs should be at least 8-10 days.
Even if the patient's condition has returned to normal, the therapeutic course should not be interrupted. Otherwise, a relapse of the disease and the development of hearing loss are possible.
If drug therapy is ineffective, surgery is performed. Depending on the localization of the inflammation, the doctor may prescribe the following:
- myringotomy (during the operation, the tympanic membrane is punctured and purulent contents are removed);
- antrotomy (in this case, pus is removed from the inflamed area in the ear canal).
The operations are performed under anesthesia, so you shouldn't be afraid of them. The rehabilitation period is also short - after 2 weeks a person will be able to return to their usual way of life.
Physiotherapy procedures
Physiotherapy is used today for many diseases. If the right ear (or left) hurts, this method of treatment will also help get rid of the discomfort.
A good effect is given by microwave, or ultra-frequency therapy (UHF), ultra-high-frequency inducometry (UHF), a solux lamp, inhalations, semi-alcohol compresses on the area of the sore ear.
Physiotherapeutic methods of treatment effectively eliminate edema, stop the development of the inflammatory process, activate tissue regeneration, and have a bacteriostatic and vasodilating effect.
Physiotherapy significantly speeds up the healing process. However, when using this technique, it should be remembered that physiotherapy is not suitable for everyone.The above procedures are carried out with caution in people over 60 years of age, in patients with chronic pathologies of the digestive and cardiovascular systems, as well as in the event that there is a history of stroke, heart attack, mental disorders, surgical interventions.
In addition, physiotherapeutic treatment is prohibited at elevated temperature indicators, exacerbation of chronic pathologies.
Alternative medicine
If the aching ear pain occurs at night, and the necessary medicines are not at hand, you can use the proven methods of alternative medicine.
Consider the most effective recipes:
- 2-3 drops of sunflower oil (always warm) drip into the ear. You can apply the oil to a cotton swab, insert it into your ear cavity, and wrap a warm scarf around your head. This remedy is great for eliminating shooting pain.
- combine in equal quantities (3 tbsp. l.) forest angelica and spike lavender, add 2 tbsp to the mixture. l. medicinal sweet clover and 1 tbsp. ivy budra. It is important to strictly observe the indicated amount of ingredients, since the last component belongs to the strongest poisons. Pour 0.5 liters of alcohol or boiling water over the composition, leave to infuse. In the resulting drug, moisten a small piece of cotton wool and apply to the sore ear (without inserting it into the ear canal itself).
- 1 teaspoon dry chamomile inflorescences pour 0.2 liters of boiling water, insist, strain. With the resulting infusion, gently rinse the ear cavity with a syringe (of course, without a needle).
- Peel the beets, add honey, put on low heat and cook until tender. Apply a small piece of boiled beets in the form of a compress to the sore ear.
- if the left ear or the right one is very sore, it is necessary to cut off a small piece of onion, wrap it with cotton wool and insert it into the ear cavity. After a few days, the painful sensations will become less intense.
- combine honey and propolis tincture in equal proportions. The resulting product should be instilled before going to bed in each ear, 2-3 drops.
- Pour bay leaves with 100 ml of water, bring to a boil over low heat, then wrap and leave for 2-3 hours. 10 drops of infusion drip into the ear cavity and take 3 tbsp. Perform the procedure three times a day.
- combine olive or corn oil with propolis extract in a 2: 1 ratio. Mix the composition well. In the resulting product, moisten a cotton ball, insert into the ear cavity and leave for 4-5 hours. This procedure is recommended to be performed daily for 20 days.
- a container with a volume of 100 ml, fill 1/3 with juniper fruits, top up with olive oil. Place the container in a saucepan with water, simmer over low heat for at least 4 hours. The procedure should be performed 3 days in a row. At night, drip 3 drops of the medicine alternately into each ear.
- 300 g of peeled garlic, place in a container and pour 0.5 l of alcohol. The mixture should be infused for 3 weeks. Drink 100 ml of milk daily with the addition of 20 drops of the received medicine. In case of kidney disease, this remedy is contraindicated.
Aromatherapy
If there is a sharp or dull pain in the ear, essential oils will also help to eliminate discomfort, in addition to the above recommendations. You can use them in the following way:
- in 0.5 liters of boiling water add 5 drops of chamomile or lavender essential oil. You should breathe over the steam for about 10 minutes.
- in 2 tsp of olive oil add 3 drops of lavender oil, you can also add the mixture with St. John's wort or mullein oil. Drop the medicine into the ear canal, then close it with a piece of cotton wool.
- Mix 2 teaspoons of almond oil with olive oil. Rub the product into the skin in the ear area.
If suppuration or bleeding from the ear cavity is observed, it is impossible to bury it with any drops (both medicinal and self-prepared) - this can lead to a violation of the integrity of the eardrum.
