Otitis media is considered a disease in which an inflammatory process develops in the middle ear region behind the eardrum. This is accompanied by quite painful sensations. After proper treatment, in most cases there are no complications. However, sometimes (5-10%) patients complain of ear congestion after otitis media. Why does this happen? Worth looking into.
Root Cause
It is worth saying a few words about an inflammatory disease called otitis media, which causes complications. The appearance of inflammation is due to the harmful effects of various microorganisms (viruses, bacteria), ear injury. Also, the disease can occur against the background of caries, measles, tonsillitis, scarlet fever.
Children of preschool age are often affected, but it can also appear in adults. Otitis media manifests itself in different ways:
- External lesion - due toblocking the ear canal restricts the passage of sound waves.
- Loss of the middle ear - in this case, pus accumulates, which leads to impaired functioning of the hearing organ: audibility is reduced, noise, echo, congestion appears.
- Otitis of the inner ear - not only congestion appears, but the temperature rises sharply, the pain takes on a shooting character and gives to the head.
Treatment of this disease, as well as stuffy ears after otitis, is best done in a hospital. But after a positive outcome, for some time the patient will feel congestion in the ear.
A number of complications after otitis media
When an inflammatory process in the ear is detected, treatment should be started immediately. Otherwise, there may be serious consequences that simply cannot be avoided. You should not rely on the old Russian custom - "maybe it will blow over." The main consequences are:
- Hearing loss. This complication occurs most often, while hearing can be significantly reduced or it disappears altogether. But after treatment, everything is completely restored. At the same time, in some cases, this process is irreversible, and hearing is lost forever. Unfortunately, this applies to children to a greater extent.
- Meningitis. This complication of otitis occurs when the treatment of the disease is ignored. The inflammatory process is already spreading to the brain.
- Rupture of the eardrum. Occurs due to the accumulation of purulent mass.
- Inflammation of the facial nerve occurs.
- Functionality brokengastrointestinal tract.
- Development of mastoiditis.
- The transition of the disease to the chronic phase. In children, an untreated disease ends with a relapse.
All these complications can be avoided by performing correct and timely therapeutic procedures. In addition, it is useful to monitor your immunity, strengthening it, and eat a balanced diet.
Causes of complications
We have already met the enemy, now it remains to find out why ear congestion does not go away after otitis media. Normally, the pressure in the external auditory canal and in the middle ear is the same. Its alignment between these two areas is the Eustachian tube, which is essentially a canal located between the middle ear and the pharynx. If there are no violations in this organ, then the air passes freely through the channel, equalizing the pressure.
But if the Eustachian tube is narrowed or blocked, air circulation stops. As a result, the middle ear cavity becomes closed with different pressure values. As a result - congestion in the ear.
There are many reasons why this might happen:
- viral diseases;
- nasal infection;
- prolonged rhinitis;
- colds;
- deformity of the nose (acquired or congenital);
- middle ear inflammation.
As a rule, ear congestion after otitis media manifests itself in the form of swelling of the Eustachian canal in the presence of concomitant disease or inflammation. Congestion occurs in patients regardless of age. This affects both infants and the elderly.
But more often this phenomenon occurs among children under 10 years old. This is due to the fact that in a child the Eustachian tube, due to the peculiarities of its structure, is significantly narrower than in adults. Therefore, the violation of the patency of the channel occurs faster. But the main reason is the incomplete treatment of otitis media.
Clinical picture
Many patients after recovery do not know how to remove ear congestion after otitis media. Depending on how the inflammatory process proceeds, each case has its own symptoms. People who develop the external form of the disease often have the following complaints:
- Pulsating pain in temples, teeth, neck.
- Red ear canal.
- Presence of a purulent mass in the ear cavity.
- Hearing loss happens quickly.
Signs of middle ear involvement are slightly different:
- The presence of pain in the ears of a shooting nature.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Appearances of noise in the ear.
- Hearing loss also occurs in a short time.
With inflammation of the inner ear, dizziness is added to nausea and vomiting. If, after the treatment of the disease, congestion in the ear has not passed, it is necessary to find out the cause of this phenomenon. Those signs that are listed above do not always indicate the course of a complication after otitis media. There are certain pathologies with similar symptoms. Therefore, only the attending physician can identify the disease.
It takes a certain period of time to eliminate the symptoms of otitis in children and treatment, and it all depends on the severity of the disease. The main thing is to follow the instructions of the specialist exactly, taking the prescribed medicines strictly on schedule.
What can be done?
To remove congestion in the ear, there are different ways. You can even resort to the advice of traditional healers. However, it should be remembered that self-medication can lead to different consequences. But it’s not worth delaying treatment, no matter how it gets worse. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Depending on the form of otitis in children, the symptoms and treatment differ from person to person. Those drugs that help one patient may not always be suitable for other patients. This is due to the individual characteristics of the body of each person. In this regard, it is the prerogative of the attending physician to prescribe the necessary medications.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the ear, throat and nose is carried out by an ENT doctor, or an otolaryngologist. In the people, it is also called "ear-throat-nose." Only he will be able to prescribe the necessary medications, having previously examined the patient. And after the cause of stuffiness in the ears is established, all efforts are directed to its elimination.
If this is somehow connected with an anomaly in the structure of the nose of a congenital or acquired nature, surgery may be prescribed to eliminate the defect. In the case when the disease is provoked by a cold,ear congestion after otitis is removed by taking antiviral drugs.
During the recovery from otitis, it is important to be vigilant so that you can notice the discharge from the ear. The fact is that they usually happen if the disease has been started. Then the formation of purulent masses is added to the ongoing inflammatory process, which may be fraught with a deterioration in the patient's condition.
For this reason, it is worth contacting an otolaryngologist, and not a therapist. The latter can issue a referral to visit an ENT doctor.
Drug therapy
Despite the fact that ear congestion is not uncommon, some patients do not take it seriously, thinking that they can do without the help of a doctor. But such an approach to one's own he alth only harms. After all, only a doctor can determine the reason for the preservation of such a phenomenon after the disease.
Based on this, ear congestion after otitis media is usually treated with the following drugs:
- Bacteria are eliminated with antibiotics.
- If the cause of the disease is a sulfur plug, then it is removed by surgery, after which medicine is instilled into the ear.
- With external inflammation, it is allowed to use alcohol compresses, the introduction of turundas soaked in alcohol. Only the use of these funds without the approval of the attending physician is highly discouraged. Otherwise, the disease becomes chronic, or complete loss may occur.hearing.
In addition, you can wash your ears with boric acid or Furacilin solution. It is worth considering one important point - if pus is released from the ear, it is necessary to stop using warm compresses and drops.
Which drops can I use?
Often with stuffy ears, the doctor may approve the use of drops that will help eliminate noise, restore hearing.
Recommended remedies:
- "Otipax" - contains lidocaine, which not only eliminates ear congestion and noise after otitis media, but also relieves pain. Active substances are not able to penetrate into the blood, and therefore their use by pregnant women is allowed.
- "Otofa" - has an antibacterial composition. With the help of these drops, you can effectively fight the infection, but at the same time, they do not relieve pain.
- "Normax" - contains a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The result of the application can be expected the next day.
The listed drops can significantly alleviate the patient's condition, but at the same time, it is unlikely that they will be able to cure diseases only with their help. This requires an integrated approach to solving the problem.
Physiotherapy
But if you are worried about ear congestion after otitis media, what to do besides using drops? To do this, you can undergo a course of physiotherapy. The main goal in this case is to eliminate puffiness and normalize blood circulation. These procedures include:
- Magnetotherapy - therapyproduced by exposure to a low-frequency magnetic field.
- Pneumatic massage - air flows are directed to the affected ear.
- Amplipulse therapy - with such manipulation, the sore ear is exposed to sinusoidal modular currents (SMT). The device causes a contraction of muscle tissue, which leads to the normalization of blood flow and the removal of puffiness.
- Solux is a device that affects the affected hearing organ with an ultraviolet lamp. The duration of therapy can be from 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the severity of the disease.
- UHF - this therapy is indicated when the disease is in the chronic stage and the complication of otitis media has become permanent. Here, too, an electromagnetic field is used, but already high-frequency.
For obvious reasons, these procedures are only performed in hospitals.
Treatment with traditional medicine
In addition to traditional treatment, you can resort to the experience of traditional healers. It is only better to first consult with a specialist on this matter.
Good folk remedies can be considered as follows:
- Propolis tincture. Made with water or alcohol. The mixture is applied to the turunda, after which it is embedded in the affected organ of hearing for 10-12 hours. As a result, the inflammatory process is eliminated and pathogenic microorganisms are destroyed.
- Aloe, or rather its juice. True, it is not recommended to use it in its pure form in order to avoid the appearance of allergies. For this reason juicealoe must be mixed with water in equal proportions. With the resulting remedy, the diseased ear is instilled in the amount of 3 drops 2 times a day.
- Warming up. Only before carrying out such a procedure, you must obtain the permission of your doctor. Otherwise, serious consequences of otitis media may begin.
- Tea tree oil. This remedy has an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory effect, which is important in the case of purulent otitis media. Before use, the product must be warmed up, then drip three drops into both ears and leave it for 10 minutes. Then remove excess oil with a clean cotton swab.
- Onion juice. This tool also helps to eliminate the inflammatory process. If you mix it with vodka, you can increase the effectiveness. Drip three drops into the affected ear.
Besides this, there are funds for other uses. Table s alt (half a dessert spoon) should be diluted in a glass of warm water (200 ml). Gargle with the resulting solution. After a while, the congestion in the ear disappears, the patency of the nasal passages improves.
If after exudative otitis media ear congestion remains, caused by viscous exudate, then to thin it, you should use a warm drink in the form of herbal teas, broths, warm milk. Drink as much liquid as possible.
When should ear congestion go away?
As noted by experts, the congestion that remains after the treatment of otitis media is considered quite normal. This complication usually resolves on its own without any help. On average for the fullgetting rid of stuffy ears with the return of hearing, as a rule, takes about 3-4 weeks.
This is due to the fact that the hole in the eardrum needs to be tightened, which does not happen quickly, contrary to desire. This happens in most cases, however, as noted above, sometimes congestion persists.
Conclusion
Many of us, with the onset of the right moment, begin to be interested not only in when the congestion of the ear after otitis media will pass, but also what can be done in this case. Now, armed with the proposed knowledge, you can easily cope with an ailment, from which there is no less discomfort than from a common cold. Or even more.
