A pain that can occur in any part of the inner, middle, or outer ear is
referred to as ear pain. Ear pain that is also known as otalgia in medical terms
is a common complaint for adults and children. Children are much prone to ear
pain as compared to adults because of physiology of the developing ear
structure. Ear pain can be troublesome and cause a difficult, sleepless night
for both parents and child. Ear pain can have a direct cause or an indirect
cause i.e. pain from other region of the body may radiate to ear.
Direct causes of ear pain are:-
Otitis media: - It is a middle ear infection that results in a build-up of
fluid. In this condition your child may have a runny nose and cough and perhaps
a low grade fever for a few days. Many children will have short-term hearing
loss during and right after an ear infection.
Swimmer's ear: - It occurs when heat and moisture cause the skin layer inside
the ear to swell. Water that gets trapped in the ear canal can cause more
irritation of the skin of the ear canal which can then get infected.
A tumor, cyst may cause pain in ear.
Other causes of ear pain include water from bathing, soap or shampoo retention,
or ear canal irritation from cotton-tipped swabs.
Indirect causes of ear pain are:-
1. Dental pain may cause ear pain.
2. The removal of tonsils.
3. Sinus problem that is normally occurred by a viral, bacterial, or fungal
infection may cause ear pain.
Treatment:-
Treatment for ear pain will depend totally on the primary cause. For infections,
antibiotics are often prescribed along with pain relievers. By using heat pad
pain will reduce to some extent but do not use a heating pad when you are in bed
because you may fall asleep and burn yourself. Ear pain that is caused by
rapidly moving down from high altitudes can be relieved by swallowing, chewing
gum, or other methods.