What Are the Most Common Causes of Inner Ear Pain?

Otitis media can cause pain in the ear. Otitis media is the inflammatory lesions that affect all or part of the structure of the middle ear (including the eustachian tube and tympanic sinus and the mastoid air cell). Most of them are non-specific inflammation, especially in children. Can be divided into non-purulent and suppurative two categories. Non-purulent patients include secretory otitis media, barotrauma otitis media; purulent patients have acute and chronic, and specific inflammation is too rare, such as tuberculous otitis media. Secretory otitis media, acute suppurative otitis media, and cholesteatoma otitis media and barometric otitis media are common.

Pain in the ear

Otitis media can cause pain in the ear. Otitis media is the inflammatory lesions that affect all or part of the structure of the middle ear (including the eustachian tube and tympanic sinus and the mastoid air cell). Most of them are non-specific inflammation, especially in children. Can be divided into non-purulent and suppurative two categories. Non-purulent patients include secretory otitis media, barotrauma otitis media; purulent patients have acute and chronic, and specific inflammation is too rare, such as tuberculous otitis media. Secretory otitis media, acute suppurative otitis media, and cholesteatoma otitis media and barometric otitis media are common.

Affected area

head

Related diseases

Pneumonia cold arteriosclerosis

Related symptoms

Pain behind the earsAuricular pain Tinnitus Ear pain

Affiliated Department

Department of Otolaryngology

Related inspections

Brain evoked potential

Acute otitis media is an acute purulent inflammation of the middle ear mucosa, which is most common through the Eustachian tube route. After a cold, the inflammation of the throat and nose spread to the eustachian tube, the eustachian tube and the mucosa of the lumen became congested and swollen, and ciliary movement was impaired. Pathogenic bacteria invaded the middle ear and caused otitis media. The common pathogenic bacteria are mainly pneumococcus and Haemophilus influenzae, so preventing colds can reduce the chance of otitis media.

Incorrectly blowing your nose can also cause otitis media. Some people often hold their noses with both fingers when blowing their noses, and force them out. This method of blowing your nose is not only completely but dangerous. The nose contains a lot of viruses and bacteria. If both sides of the nostrils are pinched and pressed hard, the pressure will force the nose to squeeze out the nostril and reach the eustachian tube. Causes otitis media. Therefore, the correct method of blowing the nose should be promoted: hold the nostril on one side with your fingers, and push out the snot on the opposite nostril with a little force, and then blow on the other side with the same method. If the nasal cavity is blocked and the nasal discharge is not easy to come out, you can use chlorampe nasal drops first, then wait for the nasal cavity to ventilate.

Avoid swallowing the pharynx in the mouth when swimming to avoid otitis media caused by water entering the middle ear through the nasopharynx. Traumatic tympanic membrane perforation is forbidden to drip any watery liquid, so as not to affect the healing of the wound. The external auditory canal can be blocked with a sterile cotton ball to prevent infection from otitis media.

If infants and young children are feeding supine, because the eustachian tube of the infant is relatively straight, and the lumen is short, and the inner diameter is wide, milk can enter the middle ear through the eustachian tube and cause otitis media. Therefore, the mother should take a sitting position when feeding her child, hold the baby in an inclined position, and suck the milk vertically on the head.

In addition, smoking can cause otitis media. Smoking can cause systemic arteriosclerosis, especially the nicotine in cigarettes entering the blood, causing spasms and increased viscosity of small blood vessels, sclerosis of the arteries supplying blood to the inner ear, causing insufficient blood supply to the inner ear and severely affecting hearing.

There are also long-term listening to large decibel music with headphones. If it is longer, it can easily cause chronic otitis media, cause tissue damage to the ears, severe hearing loss, and other complications such as otitis media.

Otitis media is the most common symptom of stuffy or blocked feeling in the ear, hearing loss and tinnitus. It often occurs after a cold or unknowingly. Sometimes changes in head position can improve hearing. There are self-listening enhancements. Some patients have mild ear pain. Children often show sluggishness or inattention.

(1) Tympanic membrane: The slack part or the whole tympanic membrane is invaded. The light cone is shortened, deformed, or disappeared. The malleolus stem is shifted backwards and upwards. The tympanic membrane loses its normal luster when the tympanic fluid accumulates, showing a single yellow, orange-red, or amber color, and the light cone deforms or shifts. Chronic patients can be gray or milky white, with dilated microvessels in the tympanic membrane tension, short protrusions more chalky, and sacrum handles embossed. If the liquid is serous and does not fill the tympanic cavity, the liquid level can be seen through the tympanic membrane. This liquid surface is like a curved hairline, which is called a hairline. The concave surface is upward. When the head position changes, its parallel relationship with the ground remains unchanged. Air bubbles can be seen through the eardrum, and the air bubbles can increase after the eustachian tube is stretched. Tympanic otoscopy has limited tympanic membrane activity.

(2) The sound of corkscrew: After pressing the tragus separately, the speed is released, and the two ears are tested separately. The patient consciously has a sound similar to that when the cork is pulled out.

(3) Hearing test: The results of tuning fork test and pure music listening valve test show conductive deafness. Hearing loss varies, with severe cases reaching around 40dBHL. Because fluid volume often changes, the hearing threshold may fluctuate. Hearing loss is generally dominated by low frequencies, but due to changes in the middle-ear ship structure and impedance in the two springs, high-frequency air conduction and bone conduction hearing can also be objectively decreased, and hearing is improved after the effusion is discharged. Acoustic Kento is of great value for diagnosis. The flat type (type B) is a typical curve of secretory otitis media; the high negative type (type C3) shows dysfunction of the eustachian tube, and some have tympanic fluid. Hearing impaired persons should undergo an auditory brainstem response and otoacoustic emission tests to determine if they affect the inner ear.

(4) CT scan showed that the air cavity of the middle ear system had increased density in different degrees.

(5) Secretory otitis media can develop into adhesive otitis media or tympanic sclerosis.

Pain behind the ears: Many patients often experience pain in the papillae behind the ears before symptoms of facial paralysis occur.

External ear canal pain: External ear canal pain is a type of ear pain.

Auricular pain: The sensory nerves in the ear are very rich, and they are also related to the nerves of adjacent organs. Therefore, in addition to the symptoms of ear diseases, ear pain may also be reflex earaches that occur in diseases of adjacent organs.

Intermittent earache: The main cause of earache is inflammation. In addition, neuralgia around the ear is also a common cause of earache. Neuralgia appears paroxysmal.

1. Prevent colds. If you have a cold, do not squeeze your nostrils and blow your nose, because this will increase the pressure on your nose and throat, so that your nose and bacteria can enter the middle ear through the Eustachian tube. The snot can be sucked backwards and spit out from the mouth, or the handkerchief can be placed on the front nostril and gently blow out the snot; or the front nostril on one side can be gently squeezed to gently blow out the snot in the opposite open nasal cavity.

2. Nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal diseases should be treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Hypertrophy in children should be treated early. When you get acute infectious diseases such as measles, pay more attention to the hygiene of your mouth and nose to prevent otitis media.

3. Improper blowing of nose when swimming, or bad methods of diving and back swimming, can make water penetrate the middle ear from the nasal cavity. If you do nt master the head posture and jump your ear against the water, you can break the eardrum. Therefore, pay attention to correct posture when swimming to prevent tympanic membrane rupture and middle ear inflammation. Do not cut your ears with sharp objects (such as hair clips, wool needles, etc.), so as not to hurt the eardrum. It's best to get rid of ear digging.