What Are the Most Common Causes of Ear and Neck Pain?

Pain behind the ear is a neurological disease that commonly occurs in the facial nerves. Pain behind the ears is usually caused by a virus, physical pressure or damage to the facial nerves, and is not contagious.

Pain behind the ear

Pain behind the ear is a neurological disease that commonly occurs in the facial nerves. Pain behind the ears is usually caused by a virus, physical pressure or damage to the facial nerves, and is not contagious.

The sensory nerves in the ear are very rich, and they are also related to the nerves of neighboring organs, so in addition to the symptoms of ear diseases, earaches may also be reflex earaches that occur in diseases of neighboring organs.

nickname

Pain behind the ear

Visiting department

Neurology

Common locations

Facial nerve

Common causes

Virus attack, physical compression or damage to facial nerves

Common symptoms

Cheek movement on one side is sluggish and mouth is skewed

Contagious

Non-contagious

way for spreading

No spread

The mastoid process behind the ear is a part of the facial nerve running. The facial nerve runs in a very narrow facial nerve hole. When the facial nerve is attacked by the virus, it edema, and pain will occur after compression. Therefore, pain after the ears may be a precursor to facial paralysis. Most of the causes are caused by cold face, physical injury or virus invasion.

Most patients often find that their cheeks are not working properly and their mouths are skewed when they wash their faces and gargle in the morning. Patients with facial paralysis muscles completely paralyzed, with forehead wrinkles disappearing, eye fissures enlarged, nasolabial sulcus flat, mouth corners drooping, mouth teeth skewed to the healthy side when teeth are exposed, and pain behind ears. The affected side cannot do wrinkle forehead, frowning, closing eyes, gasping, and pursing. When the gills and whistle are blown, the affected side's lips cannot be closed and the air leaks. When eating, food residues often stay in the tooth-cheek space on the diseased side, and saliva often drips from that side. Due to the inversion of the puncta with the lower eyelid, the tears cannot overflow and drain as normal.

I. External ear diseases

(A) auricle trauma

External force acting on the auricle can cause auricle hematoma or laceration. Auricular hematomas often occur on the dorsal side of the auricle, with localized pain and severe pain after secondary infection.

(B) auricular chondritis

Serous cartilage chondritis accumulates fluid under the cartilage coat or in the cartilage of the auricle cavity, and is generally not painful or has only mild pain. Suppurative chondritis, local redness and swelling with fluctuations and severe pain.

(Three) herpes zoster

Ear band sores are also called BamsayHunt syndrome, which is a viral infection of the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve. It has severe ear pain when it develops. There are three types of disease.

1. Herpes simplex first has ear discomfort or burning sensation, followed by ear pain, redness and swelling of the skin of the auricle and external auditory canal, and localized herpes after 3-5 days. Herpes mainly grows on the concave surface of the auricle and occasionally on the external ear canal, scabs a few days later, and heals in about a week.

2. Herpes complicated with facial nerve damage, in addition to sores, also has peripheral facial paralysis on the same side. Facial palsy usually occurs about a week after the onset of herpes.

3. Herpes complicated with facial nerve and auditory nerve lesions, in addition to involving the geniculate ganglion, at the same time damage the auditory nerve with tinnitus, sensorineural hearing loss and dizziness. This type is more serious, suggesting that the lesion is in the labyrinth of the facial nerve.

Glossopharyngeal herpes or vagus ganglion herpes can be accompanied by ear pain, but without facial paralysis. Glossopharyngeal nerve herpes has no ear lesions and herpes grows in the soft palate and tonsils. With vagal ganglion neuropathy herpes, the herpes is located in the posterior ear groove and the posterior wall of the external ear canal. Cervical nerve rashes 1 and 2 can also cause ear pain and severe pain, which is limited to the mastoid area. Herpes is located on the convex surface of the auricle and on the skin of the neck.

(D) External ear canal sting embolism or foreign body

Can compress the ear canal skin or tympanic membrane, especially when the water swells, the pain is severe.

(Five) ear

Ear canal is an acute purulent inflammation of the hair follicles or sebaceous glands of the external auditory canal, which easily occurs in the cartilage of the ear canal. Local swelling and tenderness. Spontaneous severe pain, especially at night or when chewing.

(6) Acute diffuse external auditory canalitis

Acute diffuse external auditory canalitis is a widespread purulent infection of the external auditory canal skin. There are obvious spontaneous pains and auricle stretch pain or tragus tenderness.

(7) Necrotizing external auditory canalitis

Also known as malignant external auditory canalitis. This disease occurs in patients with diabetes, so it is also called diabetic external auditory canalitis. The pathogenic bacteria are Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ear canal necrosis quickly spreads to the surroundings, and can be complicated by mastoiditis, skull base osteomyelitis, meningitis, and sepsis.

Second, middle ear disease

(A) tympanic trauma

The most common cause of tympanic trauma is the sudden increase in pressure in the external auditory canal, such as knocking, slapping and diving. In addition, the tympanic membrane can be damaged because the eustachian tube is blown too hard and the instrument is too deep when taking foreign objects. When the tympanic membrane is ruptured, there is temporary tearing pain, hearing loss, dizziness, and tinnitus.

(B) bullous tympanitis

Sudden stinging occurs suddenly after feeling. Examination revealed bloody blisters in the external ear canal and tympanic membrane, which healed in a few days.

(Three) acute suppurative otitis media

Ear pain is one of the main symptoms of acute suppurative otitis media and is often a complication of upper respiratory infections. Sudden onset of illness, severe cases have unbearable stinging, jumping pain. After the secretion of the middle ear from the tympanic membrane perforated, the pain is reduced. Because this disease is often accompanied by the inflammatory response of the mastoid periosteum, tenderness and tenderness in the mastoid area are often present. If the pain in the middle ear does not abate, the possibility of acute mastoiditis should be considered.

(Four) acute episodes of chronic suppurative otitis media

Chronic bone ulcer or cholesteatoma otitis media, such as poor drainage of pus, acute headache, ear pain with headache, fever, suggest that intracranial and extracranial complications will occur.

(5) Barometric Traumatic Otitis Media

Barometric otitis media with ear pain, tinnitus, and hearing loss may occur during sudden changes in air pressure such as high altitude flying or diving.

(6) Middle Ear Cancer

Mostly based on chronic suppurative otitis media, initially there is only faint pain, late persistent dull pain, bloody secretions in the ear canal with prominent granulation, brittle quality and easy bleeding, biopsy can confirm the diagnosis.

(7) Bell Facial Paralysis

Unexplained surroundings

1. Psychological Nursing: Most patients are suddenly onset, and they will inevitably produce tension, anxiety, and fear. Some people are worried about face changes and are ashamed of seeing people and the treatment effect is not good, leaving sequelae. Psychological characteristics, patient interpretation and comfort work, relieve their nervousness, stabilize the patient's mood, and receive the best treatment and care for the body and mind to improve the treatment effect.

2. Eye protection: Because the eyelid is incompletely closed or cannot be closed, the blinking movement and corneal reflection disappear, and the cornea is exposed for a long time, which may cause eye infection and damage the cornea. Therefore, the protection of the eyes is very important. Protected by sunglasses, while dripping some eye drops that have lubrication, anti-inflammatory and nutritional effects, you can wear eye mask or gauze block to protect while sleeping.

3, local care: hot compress to remove wind: apply ginger powder to the facial paralysis side for 1/2 hour a day; warm the face with warm and damp towels, 2-3 times a day, and massage the affected side by yourself in the morning and evening. Appropriate and accurate location; as long as the affected side muscles can move, you can do wrinkles on the mirror, close your eyes, whistle, show teeth, etc. Each action is done two eight beats or four eight beats, 2-3 times a day It is very important to prevent paralysis of muscle atrophy and promote recovery. In addition, patients with facial paralysis should pay attention not to wash their face with cold water, avoid direct hair blowing, pay attention to weather changes, add clothing in time to prevent colds.

Self-massage for facial paralysis

In addition to the cure of the disease, the main therapies are acupuncture, physiotherapy, massage and medicine. Self-massage can improve the curative effect and shorten the course of the disease. The specific operation method is introduced as follows:

1. Prepare. Those who are bedridden have a good pillow; if they are seated, their heads are against the wall. The patient's mind is concentrated to eliminate distractions. Before massage, make a hot compress or Chinese herbal decoction (9 grams of cinnamon sticks, 9 grams of windproof, 9 grams of sage leaves) and soak in a towel. Be careful not to get the liquid into your eyes.

2. Round shaving eyelids. Using the ribbed surface of the index finger and middle finger of both hands as the surgical end, shave the upper and lower eyelids 50 times from the inner iliac crest outward, and then gently rub the eyelids for 20-30 turns.

3. Finger wipe your nose. Using the ribbed surface of the index finger of both hands as the surgical end, rub it down from the sides of the nose to the acupuncture points on both sides of the nose 50 times, and gently knead at the point for 1-2 minutes (Yingxiang point opened 0.5 cm beside the nose). Compression of the fingertips is gradually lighter and lighter, which can cure the symptoms of crooked mouth and nasal congestion.

4. Twist the four white points. The acupoint is in the depression of the infraorbital hole, and the pupil is straight down. Twist the four white points with the index finger as the surgical end, gradually applying pressure while twisting. Lasts 1-2 minutes.

5. Palm rub cheek car, Dicang acupoint. Use the big fish muscle on the same side to stick to the diseased cheek car acupoint (chewing muscle), move to Dicang acupoint (0.5 cm away from the corner of the mouth) while rubbing, and go back and forth 50 times.

Pay attention to keep your face warm during treatment, not to be blown by cold wind, avoid washing your face with cold water, and avoid irritating food. Massage 1-2 times a day is great for healing facial paralysis.

Facial Paralysis and Facial Nerve Diseases-Green Diet

Supplementing calcium and vitamin B group elements can be helpful for facial nerve diseases.

Calcium is not only good for bones and intelligence, but also promotes normal muscle and nerve function. Because patients with facial nerve disease are mainly caused by facial nerve conduction disorders and muscle atrophy, calcium supplementation is very important. Pork ribs, dark green vegetables, egg yolk, kelp, sesame, Fruits, carrots, watermelons, dairy products, etc. are all rich in calcium.

Vitamin B group elements are also helpful for facial nerve diseases, such as B1, B2, B12 and so on. Vitamin B group is rich in the following foods: coriander, tomato, winter melon, cucumber, papaya, apple, pineapple, pear, peach, watermelon, apricot, persimmon, grape. Vitamin B can help the synthesis of nerve-conducting substances, so it should be supplemented appropriately.