The child's ear hurts: what to do at home?

The structure of the children's ear has physiological features. Their Eustachian tube is narrower and thinner. As a result of this, even minor external influences cause all kinds of inflammatory processes in all parts of the ear. According to statistics, up to 75% of children encounter the first ear diseases at an early age.

Parents of such children know how painful ear pain is. It manifests itself in the evening or at night and prevents the child from falling asleep. The situation is complicated by the fact that not a single clinic is working at this time of day. A quick inspection by a specialist is not possible. In such cases, adults need to take measures to alleviate the condition of the child. The first step is to determine what contributed to the onset of pain.

Parents can find out the causes of the disease on their own if they analyze what the child did during the last day and what diseases he was diagnosed with in the last week. Having identified the cause of the discomfort, parents can choose the appropriate treatment methods, which will quickly help the child.

Ear Pain Factors

External:

1. A typical reason for families vacationing by a pond is getting water in their ear. Dirty and cold water negatively affects the baby’s delicate auditory organ. Also quite often, the ear of the baby begins to hurt some time after home bathing in the bath. This daily routine may result in water entering the auricle. It is also worth paying special attention to the children's washing cosmetics used by the child. Shampoos based on aggressive surfactants such as SLS / SLES, PEG, MEA should be discarded. It should not contain chemical dyes. If it gets into the ear, such substances can cause severe irritation and cause significant discomfort.
2. Penetration into the ear canal of a foreign body. Often this happens with parents of very young children who stuff small objects in their ears.
3. Mechanical trauma to the ear.
4. The occurrence of sulfur cork. Due to the physiological characteristics of the structure or enhanced production of earwax.
5. Lack of caps while walking in cold weather.

Internal:

1. Most often, ear pain is experienced in children who have been diagnosed with otitis media or eustachitis.
2. Propagation of the fungus.
3. Virus.
4. The consequences of acute respiratory infections and SARS.
5. The pain can give in the ear with mumps, sore throat, toothache.
6. Diseases of closely located organs.
7. Blood pressure or intracranial.

The factors leading to ear pain, it is recommended to find out before the arrival of the doctor to help him make the most accurate diagnosis. It is important to list all symptoms noted. In most cases, parents, having correctly analyzed the situation, can help the child themselves.

Symptoms to watch out for

After the child’s first complaint of ear pain, adults should begin to closely monitor their behavior and conduct an initial examination of the auricle.

If a foreign body is found that is not shallow, you can try to get it. This must be done very carefully, without using tweezers, so as not to push the object further.

You should press your fingers on the tragus - cartilage in front of the external auditory meatus.If pressing provokes an increase in pain, then with a high degree of probability it can be argued that the baby develops inflammation and he needs emergency medical care. The absence of pain when pressed indicates that there is no inflammation.

Be sure to measure the body temperature of the child. An increase in temperature indicates an inflammatory process - otitis media or eustachitis. In such a situation, it is advisable for the child to take an antipyretic medicine in a dosage and in a form appropriate for age (candles, syrup, tablets) so that he can more easily transfer the waiting time of the doctor.

The absence of elevated temperature confirms that the cause of the malaise is external exposure. Such symptoms can also be observed due to sudden surges in pressure. Therefore, in the absence of temperature, pressure measurement becomes a necessary procedure.

The appearance of purulent discharge from the ear canal indicates the development of a viral or bacterial infection.

A swelling of the auricle, a color change to red or bluish is an obvious symptom of an insect bite or severe bruising.

If the child becomes infected with a fungus, he will suffer from severe itching.

Frequent symptoms of severe ear pain in children, especially young children, are moods, crying, turning into a cry, lack of appetite, and insomnia. To cope with them, parents should give the baby a painkiller for a short time to save him from suffering. The intensity of ear pain is often rightly compared to toothache. Most people who have ever come across it know how unpleasant it is. Adults should be patient, keep calm before the arrival of medical personnel. The panic mood of an adult will be transmitted to the child, which will only lead to a deterioration in his condition. A small child needs to be reassured by pressing to itself, rocking and singing a song. For older children, it is advisable to be condescending, to allow the child to do what he likes, for example, to watch TV longer or read an interesting book to him. Calmness of all family members will benefit a sick baby.

First aid for a child with pain in the ear

1. If you find the first symptoms and complaints from the child, you must immediately call a doctor. If the pain arose at night - it is better to contact an ambulance right away. Only a specialist can correctly diagnose and prescribe the necessary treatment.
2. In anticipation of professional help, you can give your child a proven pain medication in a dosage appropriate for age.
3. A proven folk method that alleviates the condition is an alcohol compress on the ear. It is made quite simply. Make a cut in a gauze napkin and a piece of cellophane. Gauze should be soaked with alcohol diluted with water (pure sport can cause a burn) and put so that the auricle is not closed. In the same way cover the gauze with cellophane. Wrap it all with a warm scarf. Important! An alcohol compress can not be done if the child has a high temperature!
4. With a critical increase in temperature and a severe deterioration in the condition, you can give the child an antipyretic.
5. A good therapeutic effect is provided by cotton wool soaked in warm boric acid and laid in the auricle, but not in the ear canal.
6. If the child’s ear diseases are repeated regularly, then the medicines prescribed by the doctor earlier are probably at home. In an emergency, you can instill proven ear drops - Otipaks, Otinum. First you need to check the expiration dates of the drugs.
7. The standard recommendation of doctors, which is to provide the child with plenty of warm drink, is also appropriate in case of ear pain, since the dehydrated body copes with any disease worse.

Medication for Ear Pain

In case of inflammation (otitis media, eustachitis) and bacterial infections, the use of penicillin antibiotics is mandatory for 7-10 days. The form is selected depending on the complexity of the disease and the age of the children - injections, tablets, suspension. In no case should you neglect such treatment, despite the fact that taking antibiotics alone can cause negative consequences in the form of an intestinal upset. Treatment of otitis without antibiotics can turn into serious complications.

Ear drops are topically effective pain relievers. They exhibit antibacterial action, may contain an antibiotic.

1. Otipax is a medication for the treatment of otitis media, which has a strong anti-inflammatory effect. Anesthetizes due to the content of lidocaine. But it is worth remembering that this component is a strong allergen.
2. "Otofa" - relieves acute conditions, the composition contains the antibiotic rifampicin.
3. Otinum is a strong painkiller designed for children over 1 year old.
4. "Remo-Vax" - used to liquefy and gently remove sulfur plugs.

In the case of severe fungal lesions, additional physiotherapy may be required, for example, washing the ear canal.

Along with medical treatment, doctors recommend proven folk remedies that can significantly improve the condition of the child and accelerate his recovery.

Examples of folk remedies

1. In a warm form, almond oil is instilled 1 drop 3 times a day into a sore ear.
2. Rinse the affected ear with chamomile infusion 2 times a day. To prepare the infusion, pour dry chamomile flowers with hot, but not boiling water (1 teaspoon per glass of water) and let stand. Before use, the infusion must be filtered. Such washing is especially useful when there is purulent discharge.
3. You can apply a compress of beets cooked in water with honey to the affected ear.
4. You can also wash your ear with infusion made from fresh lemon balm (1 sprig per glass of warm water). If the child is not prone to allergies, such an infusion can be offered to him as warm tea.
5. A mixture of honey and alcohol in equal amounts effectively fights inflammation. To drip such a homemade medicine you need 1 drop 3 times a day.

It is important to understand that folk remedies are not a panacea for all diseases, and they are used as adjunctive therapy. When treating folk remedies, especially children, you need to be very careful, as the effects of some components may be too aggressive or cause an allergic reaction.

In any case, before using folk remedies, you need to consult your doctor, and if he does not mind, start treatment. Otherwise, with the abuse of self-medication methods, complex pathologies can develop, up to hearing impairment and deafness.

Preventative measures

1. Avoid strong mechanical influences on the auricle and foreign bodies entering the ear canal.
2. You should always wear a hat that, in cold windy weather, will reliably protect children's ears.
3. It is useful to strengthen the immunity of the child so that numerous viral and bacterial infections do not end in complications in the form of otitis media.

When these simple rules are followed, the child has a chance to never know how unbearable the pain in the ears is.

Video: what to do if a child has a sore ear?