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Earache

Causes of Earaches

  • Ear Infection. An infection of the middle ear is the most common cause of earache. Can happen at any age, but more common in kids. Bacterial ear infections need antibiotics. Viral ear infections get better on their own. Both need pain medicine.
  • Infection in the Ear Canal can cause pain and leak fluid from the ear. Common in people with small or blocked ear canals. Also common in people who wear hearing aids. Can be treated with medicine and ear cleaning by a health provider.
  • Swimmer's Ear is an infection or raw feeling of the ear canal lining. It often happens to swimmers in the summer. Main symptom is an itchy ear canal. Can hurt if the ear canal gets infected. May happen over and over again.
  • Shingles can cause pain in the face and/or ear. It may feel like ear pain before the rash appears.
  • Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone that connects the part of the skull behind the ear to the middle part of the ear.
  • Ear Canal Injury. A cotton swab or fingernail can scratch the ear canal and cause infection and pain.
  • Pus Pocket in Ear Canal. A painful infection of a hair follicle in the ear canal. It looks like a small red bump. Sometimes turns into a pimple and needs to be drained.
  • Earwax. A piece of hard earwax can cause mild ear pain. If the wax has been pushed in by a cotton swab, the ear canal can become blocked. This pain will be worse.
  • Ear Canal Object. Objects put in the ear canal will hurt if they are sharp or left in for a long time. Bugs can also crawl into the ear and cause ear pain.
  • Airplane Ear. Quick changes in air pressure can cause ear pain. Often starts when coming down for a landing or taking off. Can also happen during mountain driving.
  • Pierced Ear Infections are very common and should be treated right away. Symptoms are redness, pain and swelling of the outside part of the ear.
  • Referred Pain. Ear pain can be referred from problems that are not in the ear. Tonsil infections, tooth problems and mumps can cause ear pain. Jaw pain (TMJ) can also be felt as ear pain.