Pain in Ear that is Sharp and Comes and Goes

If you are suffering from sharp, intermittent pain in your ear, it can be caused by various factors. From sinus infections to excessive earwax buildup, read on to learn more about the causes of your pain and possible treatments.

There’s something bleak about a pain that sits close to the brain, be that migraine or toothache or pain that whistles through our ears. When this happens, we want it treated as fast as possible. So what causes sharp, intermittent pain in our ears, and what can we do about it?

Causes of Sharp Pain in the Ear

The pressure in our ears is regulated by the Eustachian tube. This tube keeps us balanced and hearing clearly, but if it becomes blocked, the resulting imbalance in pressure can result in dizziness, hearing loss, ear pressure, and severe pain in the ear.

So often, in the following conditions, the whole head is affected by ear pain. Ear pain can be debilitating and uncomfortable, whether accompanied by difficulty breathing or vertigo. Here is a list of its possible causes.

Sinus Infection

Also called sinusitis, this infection can occur when your sinuses become inflamed and swollen. The mucus builds up, making breathing difficult. The main symptom of this is ear pain, but you can also suffer from aching teeth, a headache, and a cough if suffering from a sinus infection. 

Otitis

If that crucial Eustachian tube that controls the pressure inside of the ears becomes infected, this can cause severe problems in both your ears and other areas of your head. It connects the nasal passage to the middle ear, thus spreading the infection.

Swimmer’s Ear

This will be familiar to those of us who are partial to a dip in the sea, whether we’re full-blown surfer dudes or weekend lappers. Bacteria can grow in water clogged inside the ear when out swimming and develop into an infection. This can result in muffled hearing, redness in the ear, fluid drainage, and ear pain.

Earwax Buildup

Painful but relatively easy to treat, earwax buildup is a widely experienced condition that can be painful if left untreated. 

The process of natural ear-cleaning is fascinating. First, the wax is created by the sebaceous glands and the ceruminous glands in the inner ear, and then the wax moves to the outer ear, collecting dead skin cells and other debris that could cause infection in the inner ear. The jaw movement moves the wax, and it eventually falls out of the ear naturally or with warm water. 

However, this natural process can be hindered by the buildup of excessive earwax or by using objects such as cotton swabs, earbuds, and hearing aids. These push the wax back into the ear, sometimes lodging it until it dries out and affects the ability to hear clearly. It can also cause sharp ear pain and damage to the eardrum.

The above is not a comprehensive list of the causes of ear pain. Sometimes, pain in the ear can be because of a head trauma or a problem with your jaw muscles from clenching or grinding your teeth, like a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). It may also signal that you might be suffering from a nerve problem. It is, therefore, best to use this as a simple guide and seek medical assistance if you suffer from persistent and painful hearing problems.

How to Treat Sharp Ear Pain

For each of these conditions, a hearing professional will give you different advice on their treatment. However, you can take pain relievers to limit the amount of pain you are in, such as ibuprofen. 

If you are suffering from an infection, your doctor may prescribe you antibiotics or decongestants if you have a sinus infection. This will help reduce the inflammation and relieve the blocked pressure on the Eustachian tube.

If you have impacted earwax (compacted earwax), you might be recommended to use ear drops to soften the hardened wax that is causing you pain.

Now you know what can happen if your ears aren’t correctly looked after, here is a short list of things you can do now to prevent the onset of ear pain in the future:

• Keep your ears clean and dry, and do not use cotton swabs that can work to push earwax further into your ear and stimulate the overproduction of wax
• Protect your ears if you know you will be subject to loud noises. This can be through headphones at a gig or ear protection at construction sites.
• Look after your head if you’re doing anything that could potentially cause you head trauma, like cycling or motorcycling.

For medical advice, visit your local hearing professional, such as Hearing Associates of Las Vegas. They offer personalized care plans based on a one-to-one consultation and a series of tests to determine your best course of action.

If you are suffering from hearing pain, call Hearing Associates of Las Vegas as soon as possible!