What Makes Your Ears Sore?

Kids get sore ears all the time – they come from an infection in the outer ear canal or in the middle ear.  Outer ear infections give you a painful ear canal and external ear (called the pinna).  Middle ear infections give you pain deeper inside your head and can be more serious as they can spread to the surrounding bone (this infection is called mastoiditis).

What Causes Ear Infections?

Outer ear infections usually come from bugs or fungus picked up from swimming – particularly in public pools.  If you look in the ear you will see a swollen mucky ear canal.  Middle ear infections are more serious.  They are bacterial infections that usually follow a cold – because the cold virus blocks the Eustachian tube so that the air in the middle ear becomes stagnant.

Can You Prevent Ear Infections?

·        Outer Ear Infections – use swimmers’ ear drops (mostly alcohol ear drops) each time after you swim in dirty water or a public pool.  Make sure you drain your ears properly.

·        Middle Ear Infections – these can be prevented by making sure that the Eustachian tube works well in draining the middle ear.  For kids who get a lot of middle ear infections, blowing your nose every day or blowing up a balloon every day prevents infections by forcing fresh air up into the middle ear.

How Do You Treat Ear Infections?

If you have a sore ear, your doctor can tell you whether you have an outer or inner ear infection.  She or he will give you simple ear drops for an outer ear infection, which should clear the problem in a few days.

Middle ear infections usually need antibiotic tablets that you take for 5 to 7 days, plus a decongestant which helps to unblock the Eustachian tube to drain the middle ear.

What About Grommets And Glue Ear?

Kids who get lots of middle ear infections usually have a Eustachian tube that doesn’t drain properly. This causes a build up of gluey fluid in the middle ear called glue ear, which can make them a little deaf.  If infections keep coming back despite antibiotics, an ear surgeon may insert some grommets – tiny tubes that are pushed through the eardrum to drain the middle ear a different way.

Grommets are usually only necessary for a year or two – and generally fall out by themselves when they are no longer needed.

Yukky Bits

·        What is Ear Wax?  It’s a waxy liquid made by the body to lubricate the ear canal.  If it doesn’t drain out of the ear normally, it builds up as big dark brown waxy lumps.