Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentComplicationsDiagnosisWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Complications
Diagnosis
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Ear paincan come on suddenly and cause a lot of anguish. Adults can often name their symptoms of earache, like fever and pain. Butear infectionsare most common in kids, especially infants between 6 and 15 months old,and they can’t verbalize their symptoms. Because of this, it’s important that parents and caregivers know the symptoms of earache, including unexpected ones, like clumsiness.
Continue reading to learn more about symptoms and treatments for earache in adults and children.
Symptoms of Earache
The most common symptoms of earache are:
These main symptoms present differently in children who might not have the verbal capacity to express that they are in pain.Signs of earache in kidscan include:
Symptoms of ear infection in adults can also include muffled or reduced hearing and sore throat.
Rare Symptoms
Some ear infection symptoms are rare. In adults, it’s uncommon for an ear infection to affect balance.
In children, rare ear infection symptoms include:
Causes of Earache
The most common causes of earache include:
Otitis media causes pain due to a buildup of fluid and pus behind the eardrum. It can occur after drainage of the middle ear is blocked, often due to a cold orallergies.Viruses or bacteria are introduced to the middle ear and result in inflammation.
External otitis often occurs when water or irritating substances such as soap or shampoo get trapped in the ear. You may also be more at risk if you use cotton swabs in your ear or other methods to remove ear wax, which protects against infection.
In eustachian tube dysfunction, the channel that equalizes air pressure changes is blocked. Fluid can build up behind the eardrum, causing pain. It happens more often in children because the tube is smaller and aligned more horizontally in them than in adults. A rapid change in air pressure can cause it (barotrauma). The tube can also become blocked during colds, allergies, or due to growths.
Ear infections are less often the cause of ear pain in adults.A variety of conditions can cause pain from other sites to be felt in the ear. Conditions affecting thetrigeminal nerve(which provides sensation to the face, eye, and jaw) are the most common sources of referred pain to the ear.
How to Treat Earache
You should report an earache to a healthcare provider and get a diagnosis and treatment plan aimed to correct the underlying condition.
Discuss with a healthcare provider whether OTC ear drops may be helpful for your condition.These should not be used if you have a perforated eardrum.
Other home remedies to help relieve ear pain include:
Medical treatment for common underlying causes of earache include:
How to Stop an Earache Fast
Complications and Risk Factors Associated With Earache
Speech and Language Delays
Kids who have repeat ear infections are at higher risk for hearing loss. In turn, that can lead todevelopmental delays, especially when it comes to speech and language development. These delays are often temporary. They can be treated withear tubesand early interventions likespeech therapy.
Ruptured Eardrum
Rarely, an infection can lead to aruptured eardrum. The symptoms include:
A ruptured eardrum will usually repair itself within two months, but it’s still a good idea to see your healthcare provider to make sure you don’t need any other treatment.
Mastoiditis
Mastoiditisis a rare infection of the bone beneath and behind the ear. It can happen when an ear infection spreads and affects the area behind the ear.The symptoms of mastoiditis include:
If you or your child has mastoiditis, you’ll need antibiotics in the hospital and possibly surgery.
Cholesteatoma
Cholesteatomais a growth in the ears that can lead to hearing loss. It can happen when cells build up in the ear after repeat ear infections.
The symptoms of cholesteatoma include:
The condition is treated with surgery to remove the growth and prevent or reverse hearing loss.
Facial Paralysis
If an ear infection causes inflammation and swelling, it can pinch the facial nerve, leaving a child or adult unable to move their face.Facial paralysisis very alarming but usually temporary when it’s associated with an ear infection.
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Earache?
A healthcare provider will consider your medical history and report of symptoms. They will conduct a physical examination, including looking inside the ear with anotoscope. They will also pull on the auricle of the ear and press on the tragus (the inner side of the external ear).
Most conditions can be diagnosed with these methods alone. If they don’t see abnormalities with these examinations, the healthcare provider may recommend further testing such as:
Ear infections are common and usually resolve on their own. However, you should call a healthcare provider if you or your child experience:
Summary
Earaches are most often due to middle ear infection, external ear infection, eustachian tube dysfunction, or referred pain.
Young children may be unable to express their pain verbally, so caregivers should look for other symptoms of earache, including tugging at the ear, trouble sleeping, fussiness, or lack of balance. Adults with an ear infection may experience pain and fever.
Ear pain may be relieved with OTC pain relievers and home remedies such as applying a cold pack, chewing gum, and not lying flat. Further treatment will be geared to address the underlying condition.
Frequently Asked QuestionsMost earaches start improving within 48 hours. If you or your child have symptoms that last longer than that, call your healthcare provider.If a person has three ear infections in six months or four ear infections in a year, they have chronic infections.Talk to a healthcare provider about the best treatment.Learn MoreChronic Ear InfectionsEar infections are most common in babies and young children, but anyone can get them.Learn MoreEar Infections in Adults
Most earaches start improving within 48 hours. If you or your child have symptoms that last longer than that, call your healthcare provider.
If a person has three ear infections in six months or four ear infections in a year, they have chronic infections.Talk to a healthcare provider about the best treatment.Learn MoreChronic Ear Infections
If a person has three ear infections in six months or four ear infections in a year, they have chronic infections.Talk to a healthcare provider about the best treatment.
Learn MoreChronic Ear Infections
Ear infections are most common in babies and young children, but anyone can get them.Learn MoreEar Infections in Adults
Ear infections are most common in babies and young children, but anyone can get them.
Learn MoreEar Infections in Adults
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Ear infections in children.MedlinePlus.Earache.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.Huston, K.Common and uncommon middle ear infection symptoms. Norton Children’s.Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear pain: diagnosing common and uncommon causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(1):20-27.Charlton A, Janjua N, Rejali D.Cotton bud in external ear canal causing necrotising otitis externa and subdural abscess.BMJ Case Reports CP. 2019;12(3):e227971. doi:10.1136/bcr-2018-227971Schilder A, Bhutta M, Butler C, et al.Eustachian tube dysfunction: consensus statement on definition, types, clinical presentation, and diagnosis.Clinical Otolaryngology.2015;40(5):407-411. doi:10.1111/coa.12475Schilder AG, Chonmaitree T, Cripps AW, et al.Otitis media.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16063. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.63Hui CP.Acute otitis externa.Paediatr Child Health. 2013;18(2):96-98. doi:10.1093/pch/18.2.96NHS Inform.Middle ear infection (otitis media).
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Ear infections in children.MedlinePlus.Earache.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.Huston, K.Common and uncommon middle ear infection symptoms. Norton Children’s.Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear pain: diagnosing common and uncommon causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(1):20-27.Charlton A, Janjua N, Rejali D.Cotton bud in external ear canal causing necrotising otitis externa and subdural abscess.BMJ Case Reports CP. 2019;12(3):e227971. doi:10.1136/bcr-2018-227971Schilder A, Bhutta M, Butler C, et al.Eustachian tube dysfunction: consensus statement on definition, types, clinical presentation, and diagnosis.Clinical Otolaryngology.2015;40(5):407-411. doi:10.1111/coa.12475Schilder AG, Chonmaitree T, Cripps AW, et al.Otitis media.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16063. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.63Hui CP.Acute otitis externa.Paediatr Child Health. 2013;18(2):96-98. doi:10.1093/pch/18.2.96NHS Inform.Middle ear infection (otitis media).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Ear infections in children.MedlinePlus.Earache.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.Huston, K.Common and uncommon middle ear infection symptoms. Norton Children’s.Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear pain: diagnosing common and uncommon causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(1):20-27.Charlton A, Janjua N, Rejali D.Cotton bud in external ear canal causing necrotising otitis externa and subdural abscess.BMJ Case Reports CP. 2019;12(3):e227971. doi:10.1136/bcr-2018-227971Schilder A, Bhutta M, Butler C, et al.Eustachian tube dysfunction: consensus statement on definition, types, clinical presentation, and diagnosis.Clinical Otolaryngology.2015;40(5):407-411. doi:10.1111/coa.12475Schilder AG, Chonmaitree T, Cripps AW, et al.Otitis media.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16063. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.63Hui CP.Acute otitis externa.Paediatr Child Health. 2013;18(2):96-98. doi:10.1093/pch/18.2.96NHS Inform.Middle ear infection (otitis media).
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Ear infections in children.
MedlinePlus.Earache.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.
Huston, K.Common and uncommon middle ear infection symptoms. Norton Children’s.
Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear pain: diagnosing common and uncommon causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(1):20-27.
Charlton A, Janjua N, Rejali D.Cotton bud in external ear canal causing necrotising otitis externa and subdural abscess.BMJ Case Reports CP. 2019;12(3):e227971. doi:10.1136/bcr-2018-227971
Schilder A, Bhutta M, Butler C, et al.Eustachian tube dysfunction: consensus statement on definition, types, clinical presentation, and diagnosis.Clinical Otolaryngology.2015;40(5):407-411. doi:10.1111/coa.12475
Schilder AG, Chonmaitree T, Cripps AW, et al.Otitis media.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16063. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.63
Hui CP.Acute otitis externa.Paediatr Child Health. 2013;18(2):96-98. doi:10.1093/pch/18.2.96
NHS Inform.Middle ear infection (otitis media).
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