Feeling a sharp, burning pain in your ear? You have earache! Here you will find everything you need to know about attracting ear pain, such as what causes this uncomfortable sensation and how Pharmacy First enables you to easily access advice and treatment. 

What is earache? 

Earache is simply, a sharp, dull, or burning feeling that causes pain to one or both of your ears. Often, these uncomfortable symptoms are consistent, but can often come and go. However, for different age groups earache can affect them differently, particularly in babies and young children. 

Who can get earache? 

Unfortunately, earache is a common ailment, and can impact anyone. However, ear pain tends to affect and be spotted differently in babies and young children, as they can experience more symptoms such as: 

• They do not to react to certain sounds  
• Losing their balance 
• Appear irritable and restless 
• Have a high temperature (38C or above) 
• They rub or pull at their ear 
• Be off their food 

Why do I have earache?  

By now, you must be wondering what causes earache, or at least why does it occur? So, here is a list of five causes that often bring about earache: 

1. Ear infection 

Outer ear infection (otherwise known as otitis externa) can cause extreme pain to the ear along with itchiness or irritation around the ear canal. This results in redness and swelling as well as pressure inside your ear. Otitis externa needs to be treated by a professional, and our pharmacists are here to help you.  

2. Earwax build-up 

Usually, earwax tends to fall out on its own however, if you start to experience hearing loss, a sensation of your ears feeling blocked, dizziness, sickness or a ringing and pain in your ear, you must speak to a pharmacist for advice on treatments like ear microsuction.  

3. Toothache 

When you experience toothache, it is likely you will also experience earache. This occurs because the pain from the tooth tends to radiate to surrounding areas like the ear, potentially triggering infections. Toothache can be caused by the loss of a tooth, dental abscess or in younger children who are undergoing the teething stage. 

4. Flu 

Adults tend to experience a variety of symptoms when they have the flu like headaches, a high temperature and a dry cough. But in younger children, earache as well as low energy tends to be a symptom of the flu. In this case, finding an Allied Pharmacy near you and speaking to a pharmacist for recommendations on flu remedies and treatment for your child, is key. 

5. Eustachian tube dysfunction 

When the mucosal lining of the eustachian tube is swollen or unable to open and close properly, this can cause extreme pain to the ear. Unfortunately, this mostly affects young children, as their eustachian tubes are smaller therefore, it is harder for them to drain fluid out of their ear. 

When does earache stop? 

The time it takes for earache to improve, entirely depends on its cause, but usually this tends to be within a few days. However, here are a couple of at-home remedies you can do to quicken ear pain relief: 

• Painkillers (paracetamol and ibuprofen) 
• A warm or cold flannel on the ear 

How can Pharmacy First help?