Infections Inside The Ear
Antibiotics are not usually offered because infections inside the ear often clear up on their own and antibiotics make little difference to symptoms, including pain.
Antibiotics might be prescribed if:
- an ear infection does not start to get better after 3 days
- you or your child has any fluid coming out of the ear
- you or your child has an illness that means theres a risk of complications, such as cystic fibrosis
They may also be prescribed if your child is less than 2 years old and has an infection in both ears.
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What Are The Signs Of An Ear Infection
The signs of an ear infection can vary according to its location in the ear. Generally speaking, ear infection symptoms in adults and older children may include:
- Ear pain
- A feeling of plugged ears
- Ear drainage
In younger children, common signs of an ear infection can include:
- Ear pain that may worsen when lying down
- Increased fussiness or irritability
- Pulling or tugging at one ear
- Irresponsiveness to sounds
- Loss of appetite
Will A Clogged Ear Go Away On Its Own
Clogged ears can happen for a number of reasons, from allergies, to a cold, to earwax. Will your clogged ear clear up on its own? That depends, and there are a few things you can try to help unclog it.
Weve all been there the uncomfortable feeling when your ear is clogged and no amount of yawning or swallowing can make it feel better. Your hearing is muffled and you cant get it to clear. Youve tried decongestants and blowing your nose, but its lingering and you wonder whether you need to see a doctor.
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What Happens If You Let A Sinus Infection Go Untreated
In most cases, sinus infection goes away on its own. However, if it lingers or keeps rearing its ugly head and you still keep overlooking it, a sinus infection can lead to potentially grave complications.
The possibility for serious health risks stems from the fact that your sinuses are too close to other parts of your body, especially your brain and eyes.
Heres a list of some important complications that can arise as a result of an untreated sinus infection.
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Do: Try Shaking Out Any Water

Sometimes water becomes trapped in your ear, either from a shower or swim, and this can make your ears feel clogged. Tilting your head to the side and gently shaking it can dislodge a drop of water and clear your ear. Sometimes gently putting your finger in your ear and wiggling it will do the same thing.
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Can Ear Infections Be Prevented
Some lifestyle choices can help protect kids from ear infections:
- Breastfeed infants for at least 6 months to help to prevent the development of early episodes of ear infections. If a baby is bottle-fed, hold the baby at an angle instead of lying the child down with the bottle.
- Prevent exposure to secondhand smoke, which can increase the number and severity of ear infections.
- Parents and kids should wash their hands well and often. This is one of the most important ways to stop the spread of germs that can cause colds and, therefore, ear infections.
- Keep children’s immunizations up to date because certain vaccines can help prevent ear infections.
Ear Infection Treatment Online
Speak to a board certified doctor, securely from your phone or computer and request ear infection treatment online in 15 minutes. There are many home remedies and prescription medications a doctor can recommend to help you recover faster.
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How Is Acute Sinusitis Treated
Acute sinusitis is typically a short-term condition that is not too severe. For many people, little or no treatment is needed. Most people get better on their own after seven to 10 days.
Antibiotics are only helpful for bacterial infections. Most sinusitis is due to viruses or other causes that are not cured by antibiotics.
Other treatment options include ways to manage your symptoms. You can:
- Try nasal sprays and decongestants. You should not use over-the-counter medicated nose sprays longer than three days unless your healthcare provider says you should.
- Get extra rest and drink extra fluids.
- Use over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen if you have significant pain.
- Irrigate your nasal passages with saline solution. Since this is just salt and sterile water applied to the nose for cleaning, you can continue longer than five days.
How Is An Ear Infection Diagnosed
Ear exam
Your healthcare provider will look at your or your childs ear using an instrument called an otoscope. A healthy eardrum will be pinkish gray in color and translucent . If infection is present, the eardrum may be inflamed, swollen or red.
Your healthcare provider may also check the fluid in the middle ear using a pneumatic otoscope, which blows a small amount of air at the eardrum. This should cause the eardrum to move back and forth. The eardrum will not move as easily if there is fluid inside the ear.
Another test, tympanometry, uses air pressure to check for fluid in the middle ear. This test doesnt test hearing. If needed, your healthcare provider will order a hearing test, performed by an audiologist, to determine possible hearing loss if you or your child has had long lasting or frequent ear infections or fluid in the middle ears that is not draining.
Other checks
Your healthcare provider will also check your throat and nasal passage and listen to your breathing with a stethoscope for signs of upper respiratory infections.
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When To See A Doctor
Any infection that lasts past three days needs to be checked out by your doctor. Other times when a doctor visit is necessary is when there is a high fever, when the fluid does not drain after the infection clears up, if your immune system is compromised, or if you seem to be having ear infections on a regular basis. All of these conditions can mean you are dealing with a much greater problem that will need a doctors care.
How Are Ear Infections Treated
To treat an ear infection, health care providers consider many things, including:
- the type and severity of the ear infection
- how often the child has ear infections
- how long this infection has lasted
- the childs age and any risk factors
- whether the infection affects hearing
The type of otitis affects treatment options. Not all kinds need to be treated with antibiotics. Because most ear infections can clear on their own, many doctors take a wait-and-see approach. Kids will get medicine for pain relief without antibiotics for a few days to see if the infection gets better.
Antibiotics arent routinely prescribed because they:
- wont help an infection caused by a virus
- wont get rid of middle ear fluid
- can cause side effects
- usually dont relieve pain in the first 24 hours and have only a minimal effect after that
Also, overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are much harder to treat.
If a doctor does prescribe antibiotics, a 10-day course is usually recommended. Kids age 6 and older who dont have a severe infection might take a shortened course for 5 to 7 days.
Some children, such as those with recurrent infections and those with lasting hearing loss or speech delay, may need ear tube surgery. An ear, nose, and throat doctor will surgically insert tubes that let fluid drain from the middle ear. This helps equalize the pressure in the ear.
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Can An Ear Infection Go Away On Its Own
Its truean ear infection can go away on its own in some cases. The term ear infection typically refers to acute otitis media, or an infection that impacts the middle ear directly behind the eardrum. The outside of the ear may also become infected, as can the inner ear, although these conditions are less common.
Ear infections are caused by viruses or bacteria. They can affect anyone, although children are more likely to develop ear infections than adults. Because some ear infections can go away on their own, treatment usually begins with self-care measuressuch as over-the-counter ear drops and pain relieversto ease symptoms.
What Causes A Bruised Throat

A bruise, also called a contusion, is a type of injury that occurs due to blunt trauma and involves injury to the underlying blood vessels with intact overlying skin or mucus membrane. This results in a discolored, swollen, and often painful area due to the collection of blood underneath the intact skin or mucus membrane.
A bruised throat or throat contusion generally occurs due to injuries sustained in automobile accidents, falls on the neck, physical assault, and contact sports, such as boxing. In children, accidental strangulation while playing or falls are generally responsible for causing a bruised throat.
Throat bruises may even occur in the absence of external injury or trauma. Excessive vomiting, severe coughing, bleeding disorders, and throat infections may cause a bruised throat.
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Should My Child See Her Pediatrician For An Ear Infection
In some cases with older babies and toddlers, mild symptoms may go away on their own. But if your child is under 6 months old, has a high fever, severe pain, drainage or swelling in the ear, its time to call your pediatrician. However, your doctor wont necessarily prescribe antibiotics right away. Ear infections are caused by both bacteria and viruses, so antibiotics arent always the solution. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, there are several reasons why doctors dont prescribe antibiotics for every ear infection:
- Antibiotics dont work for ear infections caused by viruses.
- Antibiotics dont help the pain associated with ear infections
- Infections from both viruses and bacteria often disappear without antibiotics in a few days, especially in children over two years old.
- Physicians are keenly aware that the overprescription of antibiotics makes vital medicines less effective, so we work hard to use them only when truly necessary. In many cases, your doctor will watch the infection for a few days to see if it goes away on its own.
When To Seek Medical Care
So, how do you know when its time to seek professional treatment for an ear infection? Every case is different, but you should always consult with a medical professional if:
- Your ear pain is severe in nature
- Your symptoms persist for more than three days
- You develop new symptoms, such as a fever or dizziness
- Your symptoms include ear discharge, which may contain blood, pus or clear fluid
If your child develops an ear infection, seek medical care if:
- Ear pain is severe in nature
- Symptoms last longer than 24 hours
- Any symptoms are present in a baby younger than 6 months old
- Symptoms include ear discharge
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What Are The Symptoms Of Otitis Media
Symptoms of ear infection include:
- Ear pain: This symptom is obvious in older children and adults. In infants too young to speak, look for signs of pain like rubbing or tugging ears, crying more than usual, trouble sleeping, acting fussy/irritable.
- Loss of appetite: This may be most noticeable in young children, especially during bottle feedings. Pressure in the middle ear changes as the child swallows, causing more pain and less desire to eat.
- Irritability: Any kind of continuing pain may cause irritability.
- Poor sleep: Pain may be worse when the child is lying down because the pressure in the ear may worsen.
- Fever: Ear infections can cause temperatures from 100° F up to 104° F. Some 50% of children will have a fever with their ear infection.
- Drainage from the ear: Yellow, brown, or white fluid that is not earwax may seep from the ear. This may mean that the eardrum has ruptured .
- Trouble hearing: Bones of the middle ear connect to the nerves that send electrical signals to the brain. Fluid behind the eardrums slows down movement of these electrical signals through the inner ear bones.
What Is An Outer Ear Infection
An outer ear infection is an infection of the outer opening of the ear and the ear canal, which connects the outside of the ear to the eardrum. This type of infection is medically known as otitis externa. One common type of otitis externa is referred to as swimmers ear.
This outer ear infection often results from exposure to moisture. Its common in children, teens, and adults who spend a lot of time swimming. Swimmers ear results in nearly
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How Is An Ear Infection Treated
Treatment of ear infections depends on age, severity of the infection, the nature of the infection and if fluid remains in the middle ear for a long period of time.
Your healthcare provider will recommend medications to relieve you or your childs pain and fever. If the ear infection is mild, depending on the age of the child, your healthcare provider may choose to wait a few days to see if the infection goes away on its own before prescribing an antibiotic.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics may be prescribed if bacteria are thought to be the cause of the ear infection. Your healthcare provider may want to wait up to three days before prescribing antibiotics to see if a mild infection clears up on its own when the child is older. If your or your childs ear infection is severe, antibiotics might be started right away.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended when to prescribe antibiotics and when to consider waiting before prescribing based on your childs age, severity of their infection, and your childs temperature. Their recommendations are shown in the table below.
American Academy of Pediatrics Treatment Guide for Acute Otitis Media
Childs Age | ||
---|---|---|
in one or both ears | Mild for < 48 hours and temp < 102.2° F | Treat with antibiotic OR observe. If observe, start antibiotics if child worsens or doesnt improve within 48 to 72 hours of start of symptoms |
Pain-relieving medications
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When Else Are Antibiotics Needed
Antibiotics can be the right treatment for kids who get a lot of ear infections. Their doctors might prescribe daily antibiotics to help prevent future infections. And younger children or those with more severe illness may need antibiotics right from the start.
The “wait-and-see” approach also might not apply to children with other concerns, such as cleft palate, genetic conditions such as Down syndrome, or other illnesses such as immune system disorders.
Dont: Use A Cotton Swab To Try And Unclog Your Ear

Seriously, this is worth repeating: dont use a cotton swab to try and unclog your ear, because you will only make things worse. Cotton swabs actually push earwax deeper into your ear canal, which can cause a total blockage. In fact, anything that gets inserted in your ears can lead to an earwax blockage, including hearing aids and earplugs. To prevent earwax buildup, you should only use cotton swabs on your outer ear.
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When Should I Return To My Healthcare Provider For A Follow
Your healthcare provider will let you know when you need to return for a follow-up visit. At that visit, you or your childs eardrum will be examined to be certain that the infection is going away. Your healthcare provider may also want to test you or your childs hearing.
Follow-up exams are very important, especially if the infection has caused a hole in the eardrum.
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