Earache usually occurs in only one ear. Some people also have ear discharge or, rarely, hearing loss.
A Look Inside the Ear
Causes of Earache
Ear pain may be due to a disorder within the ear itself or a disorder in a nearby body part that shares the same nerves to the brain as the ear. Such body parts include the nose, sinuses, throat, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
With acute pain (pain for less than 2 weeks), the most common causes are
Middle ear infection (otitis media)
External ear infection (otitis externa)
Sudden pressure change (barotrauma)
Middle and external ear infections cause painful inflammation. A middle ear infection also causes a build up of pressure behind the eardrum (tympanic membrane [TM]). This build up of pressure is painful and also causes the eardrum to bulge. After the eardrum bulges, it occasionally bursts and releases a small amount of pus and/or blood from the ear. Rarely, a middle ear infection spreads to the mastoid bone behind the ear (causing mastoiditis).
People with diabetes and those who have a compromised immune system (due to HIV infection or chemotherapy for cancer) or chronic kidney disease may develop a particularly severe form of external otitis termed malignant or necrotizing external otitis.
Pressure changes during airplane flights and underwater diving can cause ear pain (see also Barotrauma of the Ear). Such ear pain occurs when the tube that connects the middle ear and the back of the nose (eustachian tube) is blocked or fails to function normally. The blockage or dysfunction keeps pressure in the middle ear from equalizing with outside pressure. The pressure difference pushes or pulls on the eardrum, causing pain. Pressure changes can also cause the tympanic membrane to rupture.
With chronic pain (pain for more than 2 to 3 weeks), the most common causes are
Chronic eustachian tube dysfunction
Chronic external ear infection
A less common cause of chronic pain is pain from disorders affecting the larynx (voice box), including cancer (called referred pain).
Evaluation of Earache
The following information can help people with earache decide when a doctor's evaluation is needed and help them know what to expect during the evaluation.
Warning signs
In people with earache, certain symptoms and characteristics are cause for concern:
Diabetes, a compromised immune system, or chronic kidney disease
Redness and swelling behind the ear
Severe swelling at the opening of the ear canal
Fluid draining from the ear
Chronic pain, especially in people who have other head/neck symptoms (such as hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or nasal obstruction)
When to see a doctor
People with warning signs or ear discharge should see a doctor as soon as possible, unless the only warning sign is chronic pain. Then, a delay of a week or so is usually not harmful. People with acute pain should see a doctor within a few days (or sooner if pain is severe).
What the doctor does
Doctors first ask questions about the person's symptoms and medical history. Doctors then do a physical examination that is focused on the ears, nose, and throat. What they find during the history and physical examination often suggests a cause of the earache and the tests that may need to be done (see table Some Causes and Features of Earache). Doctors may also do tuning fork tests to evaluate hearing.
In addition to the presence of warning signs, an important feature is whether the ear examination is normal. Middle and external ear disorders cause abnormalities, which, when combined with the person's symptoms and other medical history, usually suggest a cause.
People with a normal ear examination may have ear pain for another reason, such as tonsillitis. If no abnormalities are found during the ear examination but the person has chronic pain, doctors sometimes suspect the ear pain might be due to a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. However, people with chronic pain should have a thorough head and neck examination (including fiberoptic examination) to rule out cancer or a tumor in the nasal passages and upper throat (nasopharynx).
Some Causes and Features of Earache
Cause | Common Features* † | Diagnostic Approach |
|---|---|---|
Middle ear | ||
Acute eustachian tube obstruction (for example, due to a cold or allergies) | Mild to moderate discomfort Gurgling, crackling, or popping noises, with or without nasal congestion Decreased hearing in affected ear | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone Sometimes audiogram |
Pressure changes (barotrauma) | Severe pain History of recent rapid change in air pressure (such as air travel or scuba diving) Often blood visible on or behind eardrum | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone Sometimes audiogram |
Recent middle ear infection Redness and tenderness behind the ear Often fever and/or ear discharge | Usually a doctor’s examination alone Sometimes CT scan | |
Severe pain, often with cold symptoms Bulging, red eardrum More common among children Sometimes ear discharge | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone Sometimes audiogram | |
Infectious myringitis (eardrum infection) | Severe pain Inflamed eardrum Small blisters on surface of eardrum | Doctor’s examination alone |
Severe pain Blisters or pustules on the outer ear May be accompanied by hearing loss or facial weakness | Doctor’s examination alone | |
External ear | ||
Visible during a doctor's examination Foreign objects almost always in children | Doctor’s examination alone | |
Usually in people who were attempting to clean their ear Visible during a doctor's examination | Doctor’s examination alone | |
Itching and pain (more itching and only mild discomfort in chronic otitis externa) Often history of swimming or recurrent water exposure Sometimes foul-smelling discharge Red, swollen external ear canal filled with pus-like material | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone CT scan if suspected malignant external otitis (infection extending into the skull bone) | |
Causes due to structures in the head and neck‡ | ||
Cancer of the throat, tonsils, base of tongue, voice box (larynx), or nasal passages and upper throat (nasopharynx) | Chronic discomfort Often long history of tobacco and/or alcohol use Sometimes enlarged, nontender lymph nodes in the neck Usually in older people | Gadolinium-enhanced MRI Fiberoptic endoscopy with removal and examination (biopsy) of visible lesions |
Infection (tonsils, peritonsillar abscess) | Pain much worse with swallowing Visible redness of throat and/or tonsils | Sometimes doctor’s examination alone Sometimes culture |
Neuralgia (inflamed nerve, for example, inflamed glossopharyngeal nerve) | Very severe, frequent, sharp pains lasting less than 1 second | Doctor’s examination alone |
Pain worsens with jaw movement Lack of smooth TMJ movement | Doctor’s examination alone | |
* Features include symptoms and the results of the doctor's examination. Features mentioned are typical but not always present. | ||
† Many people with middle and external ear disorders have some hearing loss. | ||
‡ A common feature is a normal ear examination. | ||
CT = computed tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging. | ||
Testing
Most often, the doctor's examination provides a diagnosis, and tests are not needed. However, people with a normal ear examination, particularly those with chronic or recurrent pain, may need tests to look for cancer. Such tests usually include examination of the nose, throat, and voice box (larynx) with a flexible viewing scope (endoscope) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the base of the skull.
Treatment of Earache
The best way to treat earache is to treat the underlying disorder.
Did You Know...
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People should avoid digging in their ears with any objects (no matter how soft the object or how careful people think they are). Also, people should not try to flush out their ears unless instructed by a doctor to do so, and then only gently. An oral irrigator (such as used for teeth cleaning) should never be used in the ear.
Key Points
Most earaches are due to infection of the middle or external ear.
A doctor's examination is usually all that is needed for diagnosis.
If the ear appears normal during the examination, doctors look for a disorder in the structures near the ear.
