Often, against the background of a cold, a person experiences severe pain in the ear cavity. Painful sensations in the ear canal, at first glance, can occur for no apparent reason. Intense pain significantly worsens the quality of life of a sick person - sleep and appetite are disturbed, working capacity decreases, and irritability increases. Identifying the cause of such a violation becomes a top priority. Only knowing why the ear hurts inside, you can prescribe the necessary treatment, which will allow you to quickly cope with the disease at an early stage of development and avoid dangerous complications.
Causes
Why do your ears hurt inside? The causes of painful sensations in the ear cavity are different.
Most often, pain in the ear canal is the result of an untreated cold disease, which leads to serious complications.
If the ears hurt inside, in most cases the following disorders are the cause:
- otitis media of all forms. The inflammatory process is accompanied by severe painful sensations, pain relievers do not bring the desired effect or alleviate the patient's condition for a short time.
- sinusitis. If the ear hurts inside (left or right), then the cause may be inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. This disorder is diagnosed more often in childhood.
- trauma to the outer or middle ear. If, after a blow, the ear hurts inside, this indicates damage to the nerve and the development of an inflammatory process in the area of injury.
- pinched nerve.
- tonsillitis (acute or chronic).
- inflammation of nearby lymph nodes.
- the presence of a foreign element that can scratch the ear cavity.
- sulfur plug. With an excessive amount of sulfur in the ear canal, pain, ringing and tinnitus appear.
The above factors most often provoke the development of painful sensations in the ear canal. But also the ear inside can hurt due to pathologies of other organs. Let's consider them in more detail.
Other possible diseases
If the right ear hurts inside or the left and the painful sensations are of a shooting character, then in addition to otitis media, one can suspect the development of arthrosis. The ear is located close to the temporomandibular joint, and therefore the location of the pain may be incorrectly determined.
Arthrosis is characterized by an exacerbation of painful sensations in the morning. The manifestations of this disease are:
- crunch of the joint when opening the mouth;
- violation of the mobility of the lower jaw;
- stabbing pain in the temple, ear, joint.
The symptoms of arthrosis are similar to those of another disorder, arthritis. This pathology can also give a complication to the ear, in which case there is a decrease in hearing, noise and ringing in the ear cavity. Other manifestations may also be present:
- an increase in temperature indicators;
- swelling and hyperemia of the skin in the joint area;
- headache.
With mastoiditis (inflammation of the mastoid process), the pain is localized at the back of the auricle.
The disorder is characterized by the discharge of thick purulent masses from the ear canal, the following symptoms are also noted:
- hearing loss;
- an increase in temperature values, chills;
- hyperemia of the skin in the area of inflammation;
- swelling of the auricle and the surrounding area;
- headache, severe weakness.
In acute parotitis (inflammation caused by staphylococcus or streptococcus), the ear is often involved in the pathological process. Painful sensations can be sharp or dull, aggravated by swallowing. The course of the disease is accompanied by an increase in temperature values and intoxication of the body.
Severe ear pain is one of the manifestations of such a dangerous disease as lymphadenitis. With this pathology, the lymphatic system is affected by infectious agents, the lymph nodes swell, and the body temperature rises. When swallowing, pain occurs in the ear cavity, hearing decreases, ringing and noise appear in the ear canal.
Varieties of painful sensations
Depending on the underlying pathology, pain inside the ear can have a different intensity and be accompanied by other manifestations:
- itching. The symptom may occur due to the presence of water in the ear canal or the development of an inflammatory process.
- pressure pain. If the ear hurts inside when pressed, then this indicates acute inflammation. In this case, other symptoms are also observed - an increase in temperature indicators, chills, headache.
- severe swelling. Such a sign may indicate the presence of a tumor neoplasm. In this situation, the patient has a foreign body sensation in the ear canal.
- discharge from the ear cavity. If the ear hurts inside and there is moist discharge from the ear canal, this may indicate developing eczema.
- burning. The symptom is characteristic of the early stage of ear inflammation. Also, a burning sensation can be observed in the presence of a foreign body in the ear cavity.
If you experience any discomfort in the ear cavity, and even more so if the ear inside hurts badly, you need to immediately find out the cause of the unpleasant sensations.
Lack of timely treatment can lead to complete hearing loss.
Treatment activities
Severe pain in the ear canal occurs sharply and more often at night. What to do if your ear hurts inside? How to alleviate the patient's condition? There are several ways to help relieve pain and improve a person's well-being before visiting a doctor. Let's consider the most effective methods:
- at normal temperature, you can make a warm compress - heat the salt in a frying pan, pour it into a tissue bag and apply it to the sore ear.
- boric alcohol will help eliminate pain. Moisten a cotton swab in this product and insert into the ear canal.
- with severe pain, you can take an anesthetic, most often Spazmolgon or Tempalgin is used for this purpose. Before using medications, you should read the instructions.
- traditional medicine can also be used (onion juice, vegetable oil, herbal infusions, etc.). However, in this case, special care must be taken, especially when treating children.
Features of treatment in childhood
In children, various ear diseases develop more often than in adults. Even if the child is small and cannot report painful sensations, it is not difficult to understand what is bothering him - he is constantly crying, reaching out with his hands to his ear, reflexively trying to roll over to the side of the sore ear.
How to treat if the ears hurt inside the child? Pain relievers will help ease the condition. In childhood, Nurofen or Ibuprofen is most often used. If the body temperature is not elevated, a warm compress can be used.
Even if the above manipulations brought a positive effect and the child calmed down, a specialist must be visited without fail. The doctor will conduct an examination and prescribe treatment aimed at eliminating the cause of the painful sensations. Antihistamines, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory drugs can be used. The doctor may also prescribe nasal drops, since an untreated runny nose is a common cause of ear pain.
Treatment of the disease in adulthood is carried out in the same way - after the relief of severe painful sensations at home, you should consult a doctor regarding the necessary therapeutic measures.
