Ear pain or discomfort
This can signal an ear infection or perforation of the eardrum. If you’re experiencing either, visit a hospital immediately. If you wait too long, bacteria in your ear could travel up through your body and into your brain, causing meningitis—an infection that puts you at risk for hearing loss and brain damage. There’s no reason to feel embarrassed about visiting an emergency room for something like ear pain; it happens more often than we realize.
When you experience ear pain, listen to your body. The problem could be a minor medical issue or something more serious—it’s best not to take any chances if you notice swelling, redness, dizziness, ringing in your ears, discharge from your ear or pain in any part of your ear. Find an emergency room immediately for treatment.
When your ears hurt, it can be difficult to tell whether you have an ear infection or something less serious, like swimmer’s ear. The only way to know for sure is by visiting a doctor. Swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infection caused by water and moist conditions that can cause itching and pain in your outer ear canal.
If you experience symptoms like swelling, redness, tenderness or pain in your ear, go to a doctor as soon as possible. These symptoms may indicate infection, traumatic injury or another serious health problem that needs immediate attention. Common causes of ear pain include: Acute otitis media (AOM): inflammation of the middle ear caused by an upper respiratory infection. Epistaxis: bleeding from one or both nostrils at once.
