Ear pain in a child: how to treat? Video
Ear pain can occur both by itself and be a complication of one or another infectious and inflammatory disease. Pulsing, sharp or aching, it causes a lot of inconvenience and requires urgent medical advice and treatment.
Ear pain in a child: how to treat?
The most common causes of ear pain
Ear pain is most often a symptom of otitis media, but there are other causes.
The most common ones are:
- other inflammatory diseases of the middle ear (eg, eustachitis)
- hypothermia
- foreign body or water entering the ear canal
- spread of infection from the throat, nasopharynx, or other organs adjacent to the ear (tooth decay, vascular disease or brain disease)
- trauma, including chronic
- auditory nerve damage
Pain may be accompanied by hearing loss, dry cough, and a feeling of ear congestion
In severe cases (especially in children), ear pain may be accompanied by a fever. Whatever the signs of the disease, it is important to see a doctor in a timely manner and start treatment. In addition, steps should be taken to relieve pain. This can be done at home and before contacting a specialist.
One of the most common mistakes in the treatment of sore ears is the instillation of boric alcohol into the ear canal. Such manipulation can really eliminate painful sensations for a while, but it can lead to serious complications. The fact is that in case of perforation (rupture) of the tympanic membrane, the ear should be protected from liquid getting there, and without a medical examination it is impossible to determine whether it is intact.
The best way to treat ear pain before seeing a doctor is with a warming compress. To prepare it, mix water and vodka in equal proportions, then moisten a thick napkin or gauze folded in several layers in this composition. Before applying the compress, the skin around the ear should be lubricated with baby cream or petroleum jelly. Then the gauze must be wrung out, applied to the auricle, covered with a layer of cotton wool and secured with a bandage or warm scarf. Keep the bandage on for an hour.
In the presence of purulent discharge from the ear, warming compresses are contraindicated. In this case, any procedures and manipulations can be carried out only after an urgent visit to the doctor.
In the absence of alcohol and vodka at hand, you can make a dry compress from a thick layer of cotton wool. This procedure is less effective, but it will still ease the pain a little and help you wait for a visit to the doctor.
In no case should you postpone a visit to a doctor when it comes to a newborn baby or a toddler under the age of one year. All pain relief procedures should be carried out in a hospital under the supervision of qualified specialists.
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