An ear contusion is a type of acoustic trauma caused by a sudden change in air pressure within the ear canal. This leads to anatomical changes inside the ear, namely, the rupture of the tympanic membrane and the loss of hearing.
Often, concussion is short-lived and passes quickly enough with qualified treatment and proper medical care. However, there may be more complicated cases, leading to deafness on both ears, loss of voice and even speech.
What happens when an ear is bruised?
Contusion is a type of ear damage, in which internal damage occurs, but the auricle is not deformed. In this case, the integrity of the tissues inside can be broken and the auditory ossicle chain is damaged.
Acoustic trauma to the ear occurs under the influence of the blast wave and the sound flow that comes from it. This causes a sudden change in air pressure inside the ear.
This puts pressure on the eardrum, the auditory ossicles and the nerve endings of the ear. Also there is a serious irritation of the sound-receiving apparatus - Corti's organ.
What happens with an ear concussion, see photo
Types
Medicine officially identifies two types of contusion of the ear - acute and chronic. In each case, their treatment is prescribed and first aid is provided.
Acute trauma is characterized by a short-term effect, namely a short and sharp pain, which leads to damage to the tympanic membrane or auditory ossicles.
So, a similar effect can cause a loud whistle, strong sharp music, sharp sound cotton. The treatment is gentle, including elimination of the main symptoms in the form of hemorrhage and acute pain.
In acute type of concussion, deafness often affects two ears at the same time. After some time, the severity of the symptoms begins to gradually subside. The manifestation of one-sided deafness is also often encountered.
Chronic injury is more common and is characterized by prolonged exposure to sounds and noise on the hearing organ. In this case, the hearing aid is gradually fatigued.
In some cases, this results in irreversible effects, since has a regular effect on the eardrum, the corti's organ can lead to the appearance of complete deafness or very severe hearing loss. Such problems arise among workers of shops, factories, forging production.
Degrees of severity
Allocate a light, medium and severe degree of ear damage from sound exposure. With easy traumatization there is an insignificant deterioration of hearing for a while, as well as degeneration of hairs and supporting cells.
At medium degree, damage to the hair supporting and internal cells is observed. There is a traumatization of the auditory canal and its components. There is a manifestation of hearing loss.
With a severe degree, a process of destruction occurs in all cells. This affects the nerve fibers, and hemorrhagia occurs in the ear canal.
Reasons for
The main reason for the occurrence of acoustic ear trauma is the impact of loud sound on the eardrum and other hearing organs. However, there are a lot of circumstances and factors that cause injuries. Here are just some of them:
- shot of firearms;
- explosion;
- exposure to loud music;
- a loud scream.
This is not the whole list of reasons that can lead to a malfunction of the hearing aid. So, regardless of the factor, the hearing organs, in the first place, are exposed to loud sound, the noise impulsivity of which exceeds 160 dB.
In this case, a person feels a sharp and oppressive pain inside. Painful sensations weaken fast enough, but unpleasant sensations may not leave for some time.
The victim should be convinced of the absence of deafness and blood of the jaws of the ear. If you find at least one symptom, you should visit the doctor to exclude the possibility of rupture of the tympanic membrane.
Symptoms of
At any degree of contusion, the symptomatology remains approximately the same. In the standard version, after a damage to the auditory canal, a person senses and observes such signs of the problem:
- sharp pain in the ear;
- instantaneous hearing loss - complete deafness;
- disorientation;
- dizziness;
- ringing in the ears;
- bleeding from the ear or nose;
- vision impairment;
- loss of consciousness( rarely).
In each individual case, the symptomatology manifests itself in different ways and can have a strong or weakly expressed character.
First aid
Providing first aid and emergency aid for concussion involves a number of operational and coordinated actions. They look like this:
- The victim should be taken to a safe place, where he will not be threatened with repeated exposure to sound;
- The ears should be carefully examined for blood or other fluid that may appear after the explosion;
- If a person has lost consciousness, you should bring him to the senses by patting his face or using ammonia;
- The affected ear should be isolated with a sterile bandage or a clean piece of tissue. This will help to protect the damaged auditory canal from infection;
- The victim is urgently transported to the hospital.
After the person has appeared in hospital and has got on reception to the doctor, inspection of the patient is carried out to reveal complexity and degree of the received damage.
Detailed diagnosis is performed. It includes the collection of anamnesis, examination and palpation, examination of the patient ear. If necessary, the collection of blood for the detection of infection and other special procedures.
Treatment of
At the beginning of treatment, the victim needs to ensure complete peace, namely to exclude any possibility of repeated sound trauma.
In order to eliminate hearing loss, a number of measures are mandatory, allowing to renew the auditory function.to the maximum extent possible. In this case, the attending doctor prescribes general restorative therapy. It includes taking sedatives and vitamins.
It will not be superfluous to protect yourself from excessive loads on the ear. So, for the period of treatment it is better to refuse listening to music in headphones and watching TV at high volume.
When an infection occurs, a course of antibiotics is prescribed with the addition of painkillers. Depending on the patient's condition, antishock drugs and sedatives are prescribed in the presence of insomnia and increased excitability.
To the general list of recommendations, diet and moderate exercise are added. These include walking on the fresh air and charging in the morning or evening.
See video how to provide first aid for concussion:
Consequences, complications of
When untimely treatment or delayed care in case of ear contusion, a person may develop some complications, which, first of all, will impose their imprint on the hearing aid. With a rupture of the tympanic membrane, there may be a significant decrease in hearing.
Providing qualified medical care allows you to return the opportunity to hear in the first weeks after getting injured.
If this does not happen, the victim may experience severe hearing loss. The negligence of the infection can develop into the middle and inner otitis, which will inevitably prompt surgery.
Often, chronic otitis, characterized by seasonal manifestations, depending on the state of the human immune system and weather conditions, is quite often among the complications. In case of improperly prescribed treatment, a central nervous system disorder may occur.