The ear canal may be blocked by earwax (cerumen), scar tissue, a tumor, a foreign object, or an insect.
Foreign objects are a common cause, particularly among children, who often put objects, particularly beads, erasers, and beans, into the ear canal.
Symptoms of Ear Blockages
Ear blockages may cause
Itching
Pain
A feeling of fullness in the ear
Temporary hearing loss
Symptoms of excessive earwax can range from itching to a feeling of fullness in the ear to a loss of hearing. However, even large amounts of earwax often cause no symptoms.
Foreign objects may remain unnoticed until they cause pain, itching, infection, or a foul-smelling, pus-filled discharge.
Diagnosis of Ear Blockages
A doctor's examination
Doctors can usually identify a blockage based on symptoms and results of a physical examination.
Treatment of Ear Blockages
Methods to remove ear blockages
Doctors can usually identify a blockage based on symptoms and a physical examination.
Before and after attempting to remove earwax, a foreign object, or an insect, doctors may do a hearing test, particularly if the person also reports hearing loss. If the person's hearing does not return after the blockage is removed, the blockage (or prior attempts to remove it) may have damaged the middle or inner ear. If the person's hearing worsens after the blockage is removed, the removal process may have caused damage. Permanent injury to the ear canal or eardrum, pain, and hearing loss are rare if earwax or foreign objects are removed in a careful and safe manner with adequate lighting and appropriate instruments.
Removal of earwax
To remove earwax, the doctor may use an
Earwax curette—an instrument with a loop at the end
Suction device
These methods can be quicker and safer than the use of water to flush out the wax (irrigation). Irrigation is sometimes done and may be combined with an agent to soften the ear wax. Irrigation is definitely not used if a person has or has had a perforated eardrum (hole in the eardrum), because water can enter the middle ear (air containing space on the other side of the eardrum) and cause a middle ear infection. Similarly, irrigation is not used if there is any discharge from the ear because the discharge may be coming from a perforated eardrum. Irrigation is also not used in people with an ear infection, diabetes mellitus, any disorder that weakens a person's immune system, prior radiation therapy to the head and neck, and certain ear canal abnormalities and in people on blood thinning drugs. Discharge from the ear is most safely removed with a small suction device and use of a microscope.
Some people require routine cleaning by a doctor because their ear canal is narrow, their earwax is sticky or thick or they have a chronic skin condition in the ear canal.
Did You Know...
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Removal of a foreign object
Foreign objects in the ear canal should be removed by a health care practitioner and, in some cases, an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat doctor). The doctor carefully removes the foreign object using a microscope and special tools. For some objects, the doctor uses a small, blunt hook or small vacuum device. Objects with an edge (such as paper) can be removed with small forceps. Objects that are deep in the canal are more difficult to remove because the eardrum may be injured in the process.
For many children, removal of a foreign object is usually safest when done in an operating room. In an operating room, children can be sedated or given anesthesia to lessen pain and help them remain still and thus prevent additional injury to the ear.
