Hearing problems are the most common reason for visits to the lore. One of the most famous problems is when patients note that something seems to be moving in the ear, but no one can name the real reason for the discomfort. This category of problems is called subjective noise, and if it is not addressed in a timely manner, it can provoke not only hearing problems, but also neuroses, and even panic states.
So, you noticed that something seems to be moving in your ear: what to do, what could it be?
Causes of the problem
Discomfort in the ears can be both very obvious - physical, and more indirect - arising from some other, usually neurological ailments, in nature. At the same time, the feeling that something seems to be moving and itching in the ear, cracking or making noise, can provoke many third-party factors and triggers:
- a small insect accidentally flown into the auricle;
- infectiontick;
- hit of an inanimate foreign body;
- pulsation of blood vessels;
- presence of sulfur plug.
Insect hit
When you feel like something is moving in your ear, or like a butterfly is flying over your eardrum, it may be a real insect that accidentally entered your ear canal. When you sleep or relax in nature, you become the target for a huge number of small pests: flies, bugs and ants. The presence of insects in the ear itself does not guarantee hearing problems, unless the eardrum is injured, but discomfort can cause neurological problems and headaches.
Sometimes the bug gets out on its own and the problem goes away, but in most cases it just dies there and stays inside, blocking the ear canal. After that, complications appear in the form of suppuration, mucus secretion and odor.
If you are faced with such a situation, you should immediately consult a doctor. You can try to put a few drops of on-board alcohol or slightly warmed vegetable oil into the ear canal - this will at least neutralize the living creature in your ears.
Ear Mite
Ear mite infestation is already a serious, albeit rare, problem. These parasites prefer to settle on animals. Despite everything, the risk of infection from a tick bite is high, and it is very difficult to find its source. If the ear mite chose you as"host", you will feel as if something is moving and hurting in your ear, and other symptoms of an infectious disease may also appear.
It was ticks that gave rise to myths that insects lay eggs in people's ears, as they can breed and try to capture more volumes of the internal territory. If you suspect a tick infestation, you should urgently contact an infectious disease specialist, since ENT is not always able to determine their presence.
Foreign bodies
Besides living bodies, non-living bodies also pose a great danger. Foreign bodies that enter the ears are divided into small and large. Small hairs, bread crumbs, small lumps of dust are referred to as small ones. Large bodies are toy parts, beads, peas, balls and other things that children often put in their ears. In most cases, if the object is small in size, the problem is solved by removing it along with sulfur. However, larger objects are much more difficult to get, including because of the high risk of injury, and besides, they add additional symptoms: itchy and stuffy feeling in both ears, pain. Due to the fact that the object blocks the ear canal, the patient's hearing is also impaired.
Sulfur plug
A similar effect occurs if a plug of sulfur forms in the ears, which stops the eardrum. At the same time, during the motor-chewing movements of the jaws, the sulfur plug (any other body) moves andcauses an uncomfortable feeling. As if something is moving in the ears, discomfort arises when tilting and with mimic reactions.
Pulsation of blood vessels
When you realize that something seems to be moving in your ear, what can it be, except for insects, foreign objects and sulfur? Of course, physiological reasons come to mind. Sometimes unpleasant sensations are associated with blood vessels, the walls of which, during stressful situations, with changes and drops in internal pressure, with spasms of the head, contract, and as a result, the vessels begin to pulsate intensely and create a feeling of movement in the ears. This symptom can tell about the formation of the pathological process.
Allergy
Another reason that you feel as if something is moving in your ear may be an allergic reaction that developed during the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the ears with drops. Allergy gradually develops to the drug and eventually causes the corresponding symptoms.
In this case, it is recommended to simply limit the consumption of the drug without exceeding its dosage, and, if possible, replace it with an analogue medicine.
Inflammation of the Eustachian tube
The auditory or Eustachian tubes connect the middle ear cavity with the nasopharynx. Inflammation of this organ, also known as eustachitis, is a serious pathological condition, the first symptoms of which are just a feeling that something is moving and rustling in the ear, mild pain and partial hearing loss. Of course, then all the symptoms worsen several times over. Therefore, as soon as you feel the first symptoms, it is better to see a doctor right away.
Methods to get rid of the problem
Do you think if you feel like something is moving in your ear, what can you drip to suppress unpleasant symptoms? How can the problem be neutralized without surgery?
First, you need to make an appointment with an otolaryngologist. The specialist must conduct a complete external visual otoscopic examination, and also prescribe, if necessary, additional diagnostic procedures, in particular, dopplerography, to study the functioning of the vessels.
If a foreign object of small or medium size has got into the ear, it can be removed using medical tweezers. In this case, the use of local anesthesia is sometimes suggested, since the procedure may not be painless. If such bodies get into children's ears, parents can ask the child to turn his head to the side and jump on one leg to get rid of the object. But that will only work if he hasn't penetrated deep enough.
If you suspect a bug, ant, fly or other insect in your ear, then you can expel it yourself in several ways:
- drop oil drops with a pipette;
- rinse the ear canal with saline;
- apply disinfectant/antiseptic;
- well, and in extreme cases - pull out the insect with thin medical tweezers.
Sometimes dipping oil can helpliquid, due to the fact that the solution is absorbed into the ear wax, softens it and contributes to its easy and free removal. At the same time, the oil kills living creatures, which is also very important.
Another common situation is the thickening of earwax and the creation of wax plugs. Their removal is a rather complicated procedure, which is better to entrust to Laura - while the ear cavities are washed with a special syringe, to which baking soda or hydrogen peroxide dissolved in warm water is added. The cork located on the surface can be pulled out with ordinary tweezers.
There is another way that is considered controversial. Special hygienic beeswax funnels (ear candles) are put inside, set on fire and wait until the wax has destroyed a certain amount of sulfur, and then the remaining debris is pulled out. But experts do not recommend this method, since it has a high risk of getting burned.
A much more serious cause of noise in the ear canal is the pathology of the vessels of the inner ear. Their presence can be indicated by pulsation in the ears, which subsequently turns into pain. The problem with the neutralization of the pathological syndrome is that in each case it is completely different, requires individual diagnosis and examination of the body for vascular and neurological diseases.
In case of detection of cardiovascular diseases or pathologies of the brain, as a result of which prolonged discomfort is manifested, and something seems to be moving in the ear, a medication course from one of the drug groups can be prescribed:
- neurometabolic stimulants;
- psychostimulants;
- calcium channel blockers;
- neuropeptides;
- alkaloids;
- vitamins;
- statins.
The intake of these drugs (depending on their purpose and on the needs of the body) can optimize neurometabolism, activate normal blood circulation, improve blood flow, strengthen and cleanse blood vessels, remove excess cholesterol. Thus, by eliminating the root cause of the appearance of unpleasant symptoms, the drugs eliminate the symptoms themselves.
Finally, if none of the above methods helped, and something seems to be moving in the ears, turning everyday life into hell, then the last way out is surgery. Some pathologies can be eliminated exclusively on the surgical table by cauterization of problematic vessels. Others can be resolved with bypass surgery, catheter insertion, or reconstruction.
