Sometimes during swallowing there are painful sensations in the hearing that indicate the infection of the ear or surrounding organs. Particular danger is acute pain syndrome, which develops in children. Therefore, it is necessary to understand why there is pain in the ears during swallowing, how to eliminate the symptom.
Pain in the ear when swallowing
Pain syndrome can appear in any person regardless of age. Pain in the hearing system does not allow a person to fully sleep and work. Painful sensations can be the only symptom or accompanied by other unpleasant sensations.
In any case, if you have pain in your ear, you should immediately contact a specialist. Only experienced otolaryngologist can accurately determine the etiology of the disease with the help of complex diagnostic measures, prescribe effective treatment.
Causes of
Pain in the ear, giving to the jaw or cheekbone when swallowing can signal several causes:
- Otitis;
- Inflammatory processes in other ENT organs: angina, laryngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis;
- Neoplasms in the larynx and pharynx;
- Parotite. Pain syndrome occurs in response to inflammation and swelling of the salivary glands located near the ears;
- Injuries to the organs of hearing.
Definition of the cause of pain in the ears should only be handled by a specialist. It is necessary to consider more in detail the most common causes of pain syndrome.
Otitis
According to statistics, the leading cause of pain in the hearing organs during swallowing is middle ear inflammation. Pathology occurs against infections of the upper respiratory tract, influenza, or measles. The risk group for the development of otitis includes such patients:
- People with weakened immune defense;
- Patients with chronic pathology of the nasopharynx and adnexal sinuses in the anamnesis;
- People with a curved nasal septum or after a fracture of the nose.
Otitis develops after entering the middle ear of infectious agents through the Eustachian tube during sneezing, abnormal blowing or coughing.
Pathology provokes the appearance of such symptoms:
- High temperature up to 38-40 ° C;
- Development of a headache that is of a pulsating nature;
- Soreness during swallowing;
- Feeling of stiffness;
- Purulent discharge from the affected ear;
- The appearance of an echo during communication;
- Hearing loss.
In some cases, after a bluff, a person's condition improves by 2-3 minutes.
Symptoms of otitis media in our video:
Inflammations of ENT organs
Often the pain in the ears develops against the background of infection of the pharynx or tonsils. The inflammatory process in this area leads to swelling of the tissues, so during swallowing, the pain syndrome can be reflexively transmitted to the hearing organs, and the pain may have localization from the right or left side.
It is important to start the treatment of pharyngeal diseases in a timely manner so that the infection does not spread over the eustachian tube to the ears.
Sometimes the pain during swallowing of saliva or chewing patients is noted against the background of the common cold, regardless of genesis, sinusitis, viral infections. The development of the symptom indicates the spread of inflammation to the Eustachian tube and ear, especially often this symptom can be observed in the child.
Other causes of
Soreness after swallowing can develop against a backdrop of laryngeal cancer. Oncopathology leads to the emergence of a long pain syndrome of varying intensity. Patients report increased fatigue, apathy, weight loss for no apparent reason, an increase in the size of regional lymph nodes.
The cause of pain can be parotitis. Infectious disease provokes the development of swelling behind the ears due to inflammation of the parotid salivary gland, which causes pain in the ear. Parotitis occurs against a background of fever, headache, general malaise, swelling of the neck and face on one side.
Epidaparotitis occurs mainly in childhood, however, adult patients can also become infected. In severe cases, the infection causes damage to the nervous system, pancreas and sex glands.
Diagnostics
Diagnostic manipulations include the collection of anamnesis, a detailed instrumental examination of the ENT organs and neck.
During the initial admission the patient should tell the doctor about the time of the onset of the pain syndrome, its nature and intensity, duration.
The otolaryngologist must perform an otoscopy to assess the condition of the hearing.
Often, diagnosis involves conducting a general study of blood and urine to determine the severity of the infection process. You may need ultrasound, radiographic diagnosis, computed tomography.
If the doctor can not determine the cause of the development of the pain syndrome during swallowing, then the following dangerous pathologies should be deleted:
- Development of malignant necrotic external otitis media. Pathology develops in patients in old age, against diabetes mellitus or severe immunodeficiency;
- Cholesteatom;
- Inflammation of the temporal artery;
- Malignant neoplasms;
- Myocardial infarction.
Treatment of
If pain develops, contact your doctor. To ease the condition before a visit, you can take an analgesic drug. Each patient with ear pain should undergo an examination with an otolaryngologist. After all, only a doctor can determine the presence of pus in the hearing organ, the integrity of the tympanic membrane, prescribe safe and effective therapy.
Medical treatment
If otitis media is diagnosed at an initial stage, it is recommended to use warming compresses, drops in the ears. With pronounced pathological changes, antibiotic therapy is required.
In the treatment of otitis media, the following topical medications are often used:
- SofraDEX.A drug that has a pronounced antibacterial, dehydrating, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effect. Drops are effective against streptococci and staphylococci. It is enough to dig in 3-4 drops to 3 times a day to eliminate puffiness, itching, pain, feeling of stuffiness;
- Garazon. The drug is released in the form of drops. Has a bactericidal, antifungal, antiviral effect, effectively reduces pain, reduces the intensity of inflammation. Recommend to dig in the Garazon on 3-4 drops three times a day;
- Anauran. A combined agent that has antibacterial and analgesic effects. Recommend to instill 4-5 drops in the affected ear up to 6 times a day.
Effective analgesic methods:
Folk remedies
Whenever there is pain in the ears, it is recommended to use such folk recipes:
- Aloe juice. For treatment, freshly squeezed juice is needed, diluted with warm water in equal proportions. It is enough to dig in 2-4 drops of the obtained composition. Do not use the drug more than once a day, because the juice can provoke skin irritation;
- Propolis tincture. Composition put on the curled cotton wool( turunda), put in a sick ear for 30 minutes;
- Juice of plantain. The product has a pronounced bactericidal effect. The composition is recommended to dig in a few drops not more than 4 times a day;
- Drops of garlic. Vegetables should be cleaned and milled to the state of gruel. Add 40 ml of heated sesame oil. The received means to instill on 1-4 drops at the expressed painful syndrome;
- Juice from ginger. It has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Freshly squeezed ginger juice is dripped 2-3 drops a day, not more often 3 times a day.
Traditional medicine should be used only after consulting a doctor, performing an instrumental examination. It is important to remember that independent treatment can lead to aggravation of the pathological process, the development of severe complications.
Folk remedies for ear pain:
Possible complications of
Any infections of the ENT organs require effective treatment. Otherwise, the disease is transferred to a chronic form, requiring long-term and costly therapy. Infection of the middle ear can lead to such complications:
- Infection of the inner ear. As a result, the acuity of hearing is reduced to absolute deafness;
- Meningitis;
- Encephalitis;
- Damage to the facial nerve.
Prognosis
Ear pain in most cases occurs due to inflammation of the ENT organs, therefore, basically has a favorable prognosis. However, in advanced situations, diseases can lead to infection of the brain, death.