What is ear pain?
Ear pain is very common in kids. However, it can occur in adults too. Ear pain can be there in one ear or both the ears . It can be constant or may be just for a day or two.
Ear pain is generally not a very serious condition. However, you should not ignore it. This is because it is an indication that something is wrong with the ears. This could be an ear infection or any minor issue.
This article focuses on the symptoms, causes and home remedies for ear pain.
Symptoms of ear pain:
The pain could range from a very minor pain to various symptoms. Adults and children experience different symptoms when suffering from ear pain
Symptoms of ear ache in adults include:
- Pain in the ear
- inability to hear properly
- Fluid discharge from the ear
In children symptoms are:
- ear pain
- Difficulty to ear usually the hearing is muffled.
- Heavy feeling inside the ear
- Fever like condition
- headache usually on the same side as the ear
- loss of desire to eat
- Cannot balance properly.
Common causes of ear pain:
Commonly children experience ear pain more often than the adults. It does not always mean that you have ear infection or some serious issue every time you have an ear ache.
Here are some causes of ear ache:
Wax inside the ear:
Your ear produces ear wax to protect any object to get inside and has a protective action for the ears. Often the ear wax is discarded by the ear itself. However, if you do not clean your ears, then this wax settles inside the ear and causes blockage of ear canal.
If the ear wax is not removed it causes a lot of pain. You should avoid using ear buds to get the wax out. This is because the ear buds push the wax deep inside instead. It causes further blockage of the ear canal. Hence, hearing loss and ear pain can occur.
If you want to clean your ears, you can use the ear wax kit available on-the-counter or visit an E.N.T specialist.
Pressure fluctuations:
The ear is important for maintaining balance of the body. It keeps the pressure equal on both the sides of the ear drum. If there is change in air pressure in instances such as climbing up the mountain or in an airplane. Then you might notice extreme pain in the ears. You can avoid this pain by these quick remedies:
Whenever you are in a plane or elevator, chew a gum, or suck on hard candy.
When the plane is landing just stay awake.
You can try to normalize the pressure in the ear. Pinch your nostrils shut and blow air from your nostrils. As they are shut you will notice air to build pressure in the ears. It is a very effective remedy.
Swimmer's ear:
If you notice pain on pulling your earlobe or on the outer portion of the ear, you might be having a minor outer ear infection. This occurs in people who are into swimming. It occurs because the water may enter and get trapped inside your ear. This trapped water may develop microbes and cause infection.
A very effective way of getting rid of this is by cleaning your ear dry after swimming or any water related activity.
Middle ear infection:
If you are having a sinus infection, cold or allergy then you might notice ear ache due to infection in the middle ear. The fluid builds up and breeds microbes which cause infection. This is known as otitis media in medical language. In such a situation the doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics and decongestants or an antihistamine if you have allergy. The pain improves as the infection is cured.
Other causes of ear pain:
Ears are related to any pain associated with teeth too. This is because the nerves of face and neck are very close to the ears. This cause has no relation with ears, but it seems like the pain radiates from inside the ear.
Some of these causes are:
Sore throat or swollen tonsils.
Teeth cavities or wisdom tooth.
Pain in the hinge where your jaw sits. This can occur due to grinding of teeth or arthritis. It is observed when you chew or yawn or any other moments related to jaw moment.
Home remedies for ear pain:
Here are 10 home remedies for ear ache or ear pain.
Ginger:
Ginger is known to have an anti-inflammatory action and occurs naturally. It can provide relief if you apply ginger juice over the ear canal along with some olive oil. However, you should be careful as ginger gives a burning sensation in the ear so avoid putting it in the ear.
Neck exercises for ear pain:
As we have discussed above that the nerves of the neck are in close contact with ear nerves. So, if you have any pain or discomfort in the neck, you might notice some pain in the inside of the ear. To ease the discomfort try some neck exercises.
You can gently lift up and pull down your shoulders. Rotate your head, look up and down.
Tea tree oil for ear pain:
Tea tree oil is a great antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory agent. Hence, it is very beneficial in treating ear pain related to infections. You can use tea tree oil in the following way for ear ache:
Just take some tea tree oil and put it inside your eardrop by drop. However, you should consider doing an allergy check before trying this remedy.
Table salt for ear pain:
Table salt is very essential for ear damage. You can use table salt in the following way:
Take 1-2 tbsp. of table salt and heat it for 4 mins in the microwave.
Then take a cotton cloth and spread salt on the surface of it. Wrap the cotton cloth in the form of a poultice and keep it in your ear for a few minutes.
You will notice that your ear ache improves with time.
Onion for ear pain:
Onion is one of the best remedies for ear pain. You can place onions on your ear for treating middle ear infections. It works best in children. For treating infection related hearing issue , you can use onion in the following way:
Take 300gm of onions and macerate them with 1 liter of water. Drink this water one glass each at least 3 times every day.
Garlic:
Garlic is one of the most used flavor in the kitchens around the world. You can use garlic drops for your ear. Follow these steps:
Take 100gm of garlic and macerate it with 400gm of alcohol wine. Take 1tsp. of this every day for relief from hearing issues.
Garlic is anti-inflammatory in action and helps in treating the inflammation in the ears.
Ear irrigation:
Ear pain caused due to excessive wax buildup inside your ears can be treated with this method.
These Ear irrigation kits are available easily online and in the drug stores. The wax in your ear can build up and cause haring problems . This wax can if not removed can lead to rigid wax in the ear.
If you do this method and your problem persists or worsens then contact the doctor immediately.
Rosemary and pepper oil :
You can combine these oils with coconut oil and do a head massage. Or you can also use these oils in steam inhalation. Inhale the vapors of rosemary and black pepper oil for relief from ear ache.
Mustard:
Mustard oil has long been used for solving ear pain. You can use mustard oil in the following way:
Take 1tsp. of mustard oil and add garlic. Heat the oil with the garlic clove. Then place the garlic clove on your ears and let the oil drip inside your ear. The mustard oil and garlic will help ease the inflammation and pain due to infection inside the ears.
Heating pad:
Heat makes the muscles relax and improves blood circulation. Hence it can be used for ear pain. If you have ear pain, just place a heating pad on the outer side of the ear for 20 minutes. You can repeat again. It is very helpful for temporary pain relief. Moreover, it eases the pain and makes you feel relaxed.
This can be accompanied along with the other remedies for fast relief from ear pain.
Ice pack:
If you are suffering ear pain because of dental issues then you can use an ice pack for relief. The cold conditions numb the nerves and constrict the blood vessels. Hence they provide relief from toothache and hence earache too.
Chiropractic:
It is an alternative health approach which focuses on improving conditions of muscle and bones. It is assumed that the ear pain occurs due to change in alignment of upper neck bones. Hence, a chiropractor will work on bringing these in line for pain relief.