Table of Contents
What Is an Earache?
Earache is mild to severe pain experienced in the inner, middle or outer ear.
The pain you experience may feel sharp, dull or like a burning sensation. The duration of the pain might stop and start or be constant.
A feeling of pressure or blockage often accompanies the pain or discomfort. You’ll temporarily experience conductive hearing loss if your ear canal is blocked.
Sometimes ear pain results from pain originating from elsewhere in your body, called referred pain.
Referred pain occurs because the pain signals travel along the same nerve pathways to the brain. An example is a severe sore throat causing referral pain in your ear.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Earache?
If you’re an adult, the signs and symptoms of earache include:
- ear pain and discomfort
- difficulty hearing
- a feeling of pressure in your ears.
Children who may be less able to describe an earache might:
- frequently rub and pull their ear(s)
- be more irritable than usual
- eat less than normal
- experience hearing loss symptoms
- have trouble keeping their balance
- have a high temperature.
What Causes an Earache?
The most common cause of earache is an ear infection.
An earache may also be caused by the following:
- A hardened build-up of earwax.
- An object stuck inside the ear.
- A hole in your eardrum or tympanic membrane rupture.
- Rapid changes in air pressure, such as when you take off or land on a plane.
- Referred pain from a throat infection.
- A problem with the joint of your jawbone.
- Dental issues such as an abscess.
Earache may affect one or both ears, but it is in one ear most of the time. The pain it causes can be worrying, but it will often get better in a few days without treatment.
Sometimes earache is not caused by an underlying condition or disease. Other causes of ear pain include:
- earbuds that are too big or are the wrong shape
- jaw clenching
- teeth grinding
- ear piercing
- resting your head or sleeping on hard surfaces.
How Common Is Earache and What Are the Risk Factors?
An earache is quite a common complaint, especially in children.
Age is the most significant risk factor for earache. Most ear infections that contribute to earache are caused by Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).
ETD is more common in children due to anatomy. A child has a smaller and more horizontal Eustachian tube that gets blocked more easily.
Ear infection or acute otitis media (AOM) is common in young children. Studies in developed countries finding up to 80% of children under three years of age have had at least one episode.
In a 2012 study, the incidence of OAM in New Zealand children under five years was 27% over one year. They also found no difference in earache rates between Maori, Pacific and ‘Other’ ethnicities, and incidence declined with age.
Other risk factors include:
- premature birth
- low birth weight
- not being breastfed
- exposure to smoke from wood fires or tobacco
- inadequate nutrition
- poor hygiene
- access to medical services
- overcrowded living circumstances
- sudden changes in barometric pressure
- indoor environmental factors such as dampness, mould and flooding.
4 Ways To Help Relieve Earache
With mild to moderate ear pain, you may try to relieve some pain and inflammation at home.
However, if the pain persists or becomes severe, please seek medical attention.
When taking over-the-counter medications, remember they may interact with prescription drugs and have side effects. Always check with a medical practitioner or pharmacist if you’re not sure.
- Hold a cool or warm compress to the outside of your ear.
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen may help to relieve pain and inflammation.
- Try to remain as upright as possible when resting or sleeping.
- Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of fluid.
When To Consider Medical Care for Earache
You should seek immediate medical attention from a healthcare professional if your earache results from something stuck in your ear.
Do not attempt to remove the foreign object yourself. Contact your nearest Ear Health clinic or general practitioner, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Seek urgent medical advice if you have an earache and:
- a high temperature (fever) over 39°C
- severe ear pain (especially if it stops suddenly, as this is a sign the eardrum may have ruptured)
- vomiting
- a severe sore throat
- swelling or pain around the ear
- discharge from the ear
- sudden hearing loss
- the earache doesn’t improve after three days
- the earache keeps returning.
