Ear Pain Causes and Symptoms

Ear pain is one of the chief complaints for both adults and children. It is important for the cause of the ear pain to be determined before tying to treat the symptom. This can be the symptom of a direct cause or an indirect cause (pain which originates from another region of the body and radiates into the ear). Treatment of ear pain will depend entirely on the underlying cause. Treatment can range from antibiotics to surgery. In fact for some causes of it, there is no real way to prevent the pain, only to treat the symptom itself. It is important to take care of your ears by avoiding loud environments without protection and keeping all objects including cotton swabs our of the ear canal.

Some of the more common causes of ear pain are:

* Ear trauma

This includes slapping or blunt force on the exterior of the ear, loud sounds or blasts of sounds, and excessive ear picking.

* Ear conditions

Ear conditions vary and can be from bacteria causing ear infections, middle ear infection or otitis media. Having a build up of wax holding fluid in can cause pain. Swimmer's ear is when water becomes trapped in the ear canal and causes pain. A foreign object stuck in the ear, a perforation of the tympanic membrane, a boil in the canal, cold sores or ulcers in the ear canal and cancer of the ear are all types of ear conditions that can cause pain. There are far too many ear conditions to list them all, this is only a list of some of the more common conditions.

* External ear pain

Again these can be external ear trauma that does not impact the inner or middle ear. External hematoma, boils, or skin cancer can cause external pain of the ear.

* Underlying causes of referred ear pain

This is when pain originates in one place and radiates into the ear. Dental work or periodontal abscess, along with other dental disorders often cause ear pain. Infections of the throat or sinus passage way, along with tonsillitis, pharyngitis tumors or cancer of the tongue, larynx, or spine can cause ear pain. TMJ disorder or jaw arthritis are tow skeletal disorders that can cause ear pain. Barotrauma which often referred to as ear popping when a person is involved in air travel or scuba diving. Certain kinds of nerve disorders can cause this; as can various skin disorders such as eczema and dermatitis. Glue ear is relatively unheard of but actually is the culprit of many ear pain patients. It is a condition when the fluid accumulates in the middle ear.

Again treatment for ear pain depends upon the underlying cause. The list above barely scratches the surface of the under lying cause that could be resulting in pain. When ever you have ear pain or ringing in your ears, you should contact your health care professional for medical treatment. Only a trained health care professional we be able to determine what the cause is.