The occurrence of pain behind the ear can be caused both by diseases of the hearing organ itself, as well as by damage to nearby areas (temporal bone, nasal sinus, lymph nodes). Unpleasant sensations significantly worsen the patient's quality of life - sleep is disturbed, appetite decreases, fatigue and irritability increase, the person is in a state of weakness. It is extremely important to find out as soon as possible what triggered the onset of pain, the tactics of further treatment will depend on this. The most common causes of pain behind the ear will be discussed below.
Otitis
Otitis media is an inflammation of the ear. Depending on the localization of the pathological process, otitis media can develop in the outer, middle or inner ear. The most common causes of this disease are non-compliance with hygiene rules and irritation of the ear canal with foreign objects. With an external inflammatory process, redness of the ear skin is noted, the formation of purulent masses in the ear cavity. In the absence of the necessary treatment, the disease turns into a severe stage, a violation of the integrity of the tympanic membrane and, as a result, complete hearing loss is possible.
Otitis media is a common cause of pain behind the ear, especially if the inflammation is localized in the inner ear cavity. Also, the inflammatory process is accompanied by edema of the mucous membrane of the ear cavity, pain in the area of the hearing organ, an increase in temperature values, and headaches.
Sulfur plug
The plug is formed due to the complete lack of care for the ear cavity or poor-quality hygiene procedures. Gradually, sulfur completely fills the ear canal, as a result, hearing sharply decreases, and painful sensations appear behind the ear.
A characteristic feature of this disorder is a one-sided lesion - in this case, a person does not hear with only one ear.
The general condition in this situation remains normal.
Self-cleaning of the ear cavity with a foreign object after a long break can cause displacement of the wax clot and blockage of the ear canal. Only an otolaryngologist can remove the sulfur plug using special instruments. It is not recommended to carry out this procedure independently at home.
Lymphadenitis and mastoiditis
Why is there pain behind the ears? The causes of discomfort may be due to the development of lymphadenitis - inflammation in the parotid lymph node, which is localized immediately behind the auricle. When a pathological process occurs, the size of the lymph node increases, there is intense soreness and swelling. In very rare cases, lymphadenitis is an independent pathological process. Lymph nodes become inflamed with various serious disorders - lymphogranulomatosis, mononucleosis, cancer.
The causes of pain behind the ear (left or right) are often caused by inflammation of the mastoid process of the temporal bone. This violation is called "mastoiditis".
Often mastoiditis is the result of prolonged otitis media.
Signs of mastoiditis are similar to those of otitis media:
- severe painful sensations, localized mainly behind the ear;
- deterioration in general health (weakness, increase in temperature indicators, headache);
- suppuration from the ear cavity.
If you experience the symptoms described, you should contact a medical institution. Surgical removal of purulent masses may be required.
Inflammation of the sinuses and dental diseases
Pain behind the ear can be a symptom of inflammation in the sinuses (sinusitis). With such a violation, temperature indicators increase, a headache develops, the general well-being of a sick person can periodically improve and worsen. In this case, it may also be necessary to carry out surgical intervention to eliminate purulent masses.
Ear pain can be caused by the development of tooth decay. In the case of a deep lesion of the dental nerve, peripheral nerve endings are irritated, pain covers other parts of the body and may even radiate to the arm.
Upon contact with a diseased tooth, the painful sensations increase markedly. In this case, the help of a dentist is required.
Osteochondrosis and trigeminal neuralgia
Pain behind the ear is often a symptom of degenerative disorders in the articular cartilage of the cervical spine (osteochondrosis). Damage to the intervertebral cartilage leads to the occurrence of a pathological process, as a result of which discs are reduced and nerves are compressed.
With the development of the disease, the working capacity of the muscles of the cervical spine decreases, the pain increases when the neck turns, there is a crunch of the vertebrae and muscle stiffness.
With trigeminal neuralgia, painful sensations most often occur in the lower face, but pain behind the ear can also develop.
Pain in osteochondrosis is characterized by constant localization and does not spread to other areas.
Modern medicine offers effective ways to reduce painful sensations. In the absence of the necessary therapy, the disease can become chronic.
Mumps and herpes
Mumps is a disease of viral etiology, characterized by the defeat of all glands of external secretion. Most often, the pathological process affects the salivary glands. The disease mainly develops in childhood. Symptoms of the disorder are pain and swelling of the salivary gland (at first, a one-sided lesion is noted, but with the development of the disease, the other side is involved in the pathological process). Inflammation of the parotid gland is accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the area of the organ of hearing and behind it; when chewing, the pain intensifies.
Another cause of pain behind the ear is herpes (can be simple or shingles). At an early stage in the development of herpes infection, there is a tingling and burning sensation in the area of the branches of the trinity nerve, including behind the ear. After 1-2 days, a blistering rash characteristic of this disease is formed.
The causes of pain behind the ear are varied. A specialist will be able to determine what exactly triggered the onset of pain and prescribe the appropriate therapeutic measures.
