Earaches are sharp, burning or dull pains in the ears. The pain can be constant or temporary. Earaches are extremely common with children and are generally caused by fluid buildup or pressure from behind the eardrum. In adults, earaches generally are perceived to be actually coming from a totally different location, such as the throat or the teeth.
Causes for Children
When children get earaches, they are usually caused by fluid buildup in the ears or increased pressure behind the eardrums, in the middle ear. The Eustachian tube is a short, thin tube that attaches the middle ear to the nasal passages. This tube enables normal fluids to drain out of the middle ear location, which helps to maintain equalized pressure in the ears. Also, allergies and colds can block off the Eustachian tube, particularly in younger children as their tubes are far shorter. Since this prevents the flow of fluid coming out of the middle ear, it can result in stuffiness, ear infection, pain and even hearing loss.
Other Causes
Other potential factors that could lead to earaches are water getting into the ears from showering or bathing, irritation of the ear canal from using cotton-tipped swabs to clean out the ears, and shampoo or soap lingering in the ears.
Warning
If a child has an earache, there might be some situations in which emergency medical attention should be sought. Some of these instances include severe headache, dizziness, swelling around the area of the ears, facial muscle weakening, severe pains suddenly ceasing, as in a possible ruptured eardrum, fever or irritability.
Treatment
There are ways to treat earaches, or at least soothe their symptoms, at home. Using a cold pack around the ears might alleviate the pain. Sitting in an upright position also might lessen the middle ear pressure. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen might also soothe the pain.
Prevention/Solution
There are things that people can do to try to prevent their children from experiencing earaches. Avoid smoking in the presence of children, because the smoke is said to cause countless ear infections. Thoroughly drying the ears after bathing or swimming can also reduce the chance of a child getting an ear infection. Also, avoiding things that can trigger allergies is very effective as well.
Tags: caused fluid, caused fluid buildup, Eustachian tube, fluid buildup, things that