Acute pain in the ear of a child is always a great stress for parents. The child cries, and we often do not know what and how to do, and instead of the necessary help, we make mistakes that lead to the complication of the disease. In order for you not to find yourself in a similar situation, we have collected all the necessary information in this article.
Causes of ear pain in a child
Pain can be caused by both external and internal factors:
- Otitis - inflammation of the ear canal as a result of a viral or bacterial infection, can also be a complication after an illness. You can bring a fungal infection into the ear, for example, when visiting the pool.
- Foreign object in the ear. Toddlers can accidentally put some small object into their ear during the game: a coin, a mosaic, parts from designers and toys. Small insects can also often enter the ear during warm periods.
- Mechanical injury. The ear may become sore after being hit or damaged in some way.object, including a cotton swab, which is strictly prohibited for children.
- Sulfur cork. Usually, plugs do not form in a physiologically correctly formed passage. The reason for their formation may be an anatomical feature or the use of cotton swabs to clean the ears.
- Also, ear pain may not be symptomatic, but felt like an echo of a toothache, headache, or other pain.
Self Diagnosis
At the age of 3-4, a child complains of earache already on his own, at a younger age, parents should guess about it. The most informative in this case is a thorough examination.
You need to gently pull the baby's ear to the side and down a little to inspect the ear canal. This is done under the light of a lamp. For better visibility in the ear, you can shine with a regular flashlight, for example, built into the phone.
If you observe swelling of the ear canal, redness, wet or purulent discharge, you should contact an otolaryngologist. First aid must be given to the child before contacting.
An indication for going to the doctor is the detection of a foreign object in the ear. It is forbidden to remove it yourself, you can cause injury to the child, which will entail serious consequences, up to partial or complete hearing loss.
Also an indication for treatment is pain when pressing on the tragus and adjacent areas. This is the most important sign to be guided by, even if the ear canallooks he althy. Perhaps inflammation occurs in a depth that is not accessible for visual inspection.
First aid
First aid for a child with earache should not be redundant. The main thing is not to harm until the patient is examined by a specialist. No need to look for what to bury in the ear for pain in the child. In some cases, for example, when the eardrum is damaged, this is absolutely impossible to do.
Vasoconstrictive nasal drops
The first thing to do is to check the freedom of nasal breathing. Older children can be asked to breathe through their nose. Warn the little ones that you will check the nose, and ask them to cover their mouths with their hands. Place your finger up to your nostrils and check if air comes out of both nasal passages.
You can check the nose of very young children by giving a sucking lollipop, a pacifier or a bottle of water. If the child has no difficulty breathing through the nose, continue with the following steps.
If the nose is still stuffy, you need to drip vasoconstrictor drops from the common cold. The nose and ears are strongly connected, and a stuffy nose creates increased pressure in the ears, which, when inflamed, only makes the pain worse.
Painkiller and antipyretic
After vasoconstrictor drops, it is necessary to give the child an anesthetic. Read the instructions to find the right medicine for your age and give you the correct dose.
Now you need to calm the child, hug, sit next to him, measure the temperature. Explain to the child that you are now going to the doctor, whowill help you and cure everything.
If the body temperature is normal, you can go to the doctor, if not, you need to give a suitable antipyretic, and then go to the hospital. Ear pain in a child is a serious enough symptom that requires an immediate visit to a specialist.
Contact a specialist
You need to get an appointment with an otolaryngologist. If you need help with earache in a child during the daytime on a weekday, contact the clinic at the place of registration, or the nearest one to you. With acute pain you will be accepted in any. Just before the visit, call and check the appointment time.
Before you go out, take care to take care of your sore ear. If there is a strong wind outside, you should wear a thin hat even in summer.
If a severe pain in the child's ear made itself felt in the evening or at night, then you will be examined by the ENT on duty. If you are going to get on your own, then call an ambulance and find out in which hospital the specialist you need is on duty today. You can also call home emergency care for children, they will take you to the doctor on duty. But in this case, take care of how you will get back, because the ambulance will leave for the next call.
At the appointment, a qualified specialist will examine you, carry out all the necessary manipulations and prescribe the necessary medicines.
What not to do?
When a child has earache, parents, wanting to help, often only do more harm. We will try to explain what and why in this case it is impossible to do.
- You can't wet the sore ear. The cause of the pain can be a sulfur plug, which, when wet, can swell and bring more pain, the more difficult it is to remove. Also, the ingress of liquid into the ear is very dangerous if the eardrum is damaged. If this barrier is broken, fluid will enter the inner ear and cause hearing problems. Therefore, in no case do not rinse or bury the sore ear before the doctor's examination. You yourself will never see the eardrum.
- If you want to check for wet or purulent discharge in your ear, don't use a Q-tip. It is better to use cotton flagella. About cotton buds, perhaps, it is worth mentioning separately. Subject to the rules of children's hygiene, their use is strictly prohibited. The fact is that thanks to them, sulfur plugs form in the ear. The auditory canal of a child is much narrower than that of an adult, therefore, wielding a cotton swab in it, you seem to ram the earwax, creating the prerequisite for a cork.
Proper ear hygiene in children is simply washing them with soap and water. If necessary, the use of gauze and cotton flagella is allowed. Understand that the auricle is designed in such a way that it does not need any additional cleaning.
Folk remedies
The child has an earache, how to relieve the pain? When young parents address a similar question to the older generation, they often receive recommendations from the field of traditional medicine in response. To the question of what to drip into the ear for pain in a child, traditional medicine has a lotanswers. From onion juice to baby pee.
The last option is not even worth talking about. This is not only unhygienic, but also dangerous to he alth. As for vegetable juices, be it onions, garlic, radishes or something else, perhaps they really contain substances that help relieve irritation. But in addition to the necessary substances, these organic solutions also contain many others that can cause irritation and allergies.
Decoctions of herbs are less aggressive in this regard, but it is better to use them after consulting a doctor.
Warming up
Child complains of ear pain - what to do? One of the first things parents think of is warming up.
The idea is very bad. In case of inflammation, a foreign body or a sulfuric plug, this will not bring much harm, as well as benefit. But there is also the possibility of a bacterial or fungal infection. In this case, heat is strictly contraindicated. After all, a warm and humid environment is ideal for the growth and reproduction of bacteria.
A clear symptom of a bacterial infection is purulent discharge from the ear canal. But even in their absence, it's not worth the risk on your own.
Compresses
As for compresses, in this case their benefit is extremely small. The fact is that the skin is a protective barrier of the body that prevents the penetration of substances from the outside into the body. And the ear canal, moreover, is quite deep. So the likely benefit of a compress for ear pain in a child is minimized.
Eardrops
Ear drops are perhaps the most popular remedy. The child has an earache, how to relieve the pain? Of course, drip the medicine. But drops after all too happen different. For example, with inflammation caused by a viral infection, some are suitable, with a bacterial lesion, completely different.
It is not easy to find the optimal medicine on your own. But despite this, drops are the safest way to self-medicate. The main thing is to be completely sure that the ear is not damaged and there is no wax plug in it.
- For very young children, Otipax drops are often prescribed. They relieve pain and inflammation. But they should be used with caution, since lidocaine, which is part of them, can cause allergic reactions.
- If the child is older than one year, then the use of ear drops "Otinum" is allowed. In addition to relieving pain and inflammation, the product has an antifungal effect and is used when washing the ear canals.
- In case of inflammation resulting from a bacterial infection, Garazon drops are used. A contraindication to their use is the age of up to 8 years.
- A popular drug for removing sulfur plugs at home is Remo Wax. Its use in accordance with the instructions is allowed for children from the first days of life.
It is worth noting that both ears are always instilled. This is done in the following way. First you need to warm the drops, holding them in your hand, to body temperature. The child is laid on his side and, according to the instructions, 2-3 drops of medicine are instilled into the ear. Afterthis needs to lie down for a few minutes. The ear canal must be closed with a cotton swab so that more medicine remains in the ear. The same is done with the second ear. Cotton swabs can be removed after an hour.
Antibiotics
Self-treatment with antibiotics is highly discouraged. Any drugs of this type are prescribed in the treatment complex. An illiterate approach can only harm the body. Antibiotics are started after confirming the bacterial nature of the infection and prescribing them by a doctor.
Recommendations for prevention
- Maintenance of general immunity: prolonged breastfeeding, hardening. It is worth noting the importance of creating a low-allergenic environment, free of dust and other allergens that cause nasal congestion. It is also worth monitoring the maintenance of a he althy children's team, the less a child communicates with sick children, the better.
- Treat all respiratory problems at an early stage by avoiding yellow-green nasal discharge. This is a signal that a bacterial infection has developed in the nose, which easily passes to the ear canal. Treat all diseases until complete recovery, do not rush to take the child to the team immediately after the cessation of temperature rises. Complications most often occur with untreated diseases.
- Keep your nose and ears clean. Do not neglect the saline nasal cleansing solutions. His daily morning toilet is an unshakable rule not only for he althy children, but also for adults.
- Remember that ear washing isthis cleansing only the auricle without penetrating the inside.
Following these simple rules will help you stay he althy and avoid problems associated with inflammation of the ear canal. And if trouble does happen, remember three simple steps: restore free nasal breathing with nasal drops, give the patient an anesthetic and antipyretic if necessary, contact an otolaryngologist.
Already at the consultation with the doctor, you can discuss your preferences in treatment, together build a picture of how and with what funds it will proceed. Nobody forbids traditional medicine, you just need to remember that these are the same medicines as in traditional medicine, and you need to start using them after consulting a specialist. Now, faced with the problem of ear pain in a child, you will be fully equipped and quickly defeat the disease.
