How do I Choose the Best Ear Pain Remedies?

The best ear pain remedies for you likely depend on what part of your ear is hurting. Ear pain may be either internal or external, and the treatment you use depends on what type you're experiencing. If you are having internal ear pain, you may find relief with pain-relieving medicine, ear drops, or a warm compress placed on the outside of your ear. Sometimes a buildup of congestion and fluid inside your ears might cause pain, and if this is the case, decongestant medicine might be the answer. Ear pain that is external can often be remedied with an ice pack to relieve swelling and inflammation.

Inner ear pain is often the result of too much fluid inside the ears, ear infection, or swimmer's ear. An excess of fluid in your ears is usually caused by a cold or allergies, and this problem could also lead to an ear infection. Ear pain remedies for problems such as these typically include pain-relieving medicine or numbing ear drops. If you have an ear infection, you might end up having to take antibiotics for about a week to clear it up. Decongestants also tend to be helpful for ear pain that resulted from a cold or allergies.

Your ear pain could have also been caused by too much ear wax inside your ears. Doctors normally advise their patients to avoid cleaning their ears out because ear wax is generally a beneficial substance, and it might effectively keep bacteria and debris from entering your ears. Even though it is rare, people do occasionally develop too much ear wax, and this can become painful. If you think this is what is causing your ear pain, you can attempt to clean your ear wax out carefully with a Q-tip. A warm compress placed against the side of your ear might also help to loosen up the ear wax, making it easier to clean out safely.

Swimmer's ear is a type of fungal or bacterial infection that occurs when water becomes trapped inside your ears. Despite the name, you can get swimmer's ear even when you haven't been swimming. The most common place for most people to develop swimmer's ear is inside their own bathtubs. When water becomes trapped inside your ears, it makes it very easy for fungus and bacteria to grow and spread. Swimmer's ear can be incredibly painful, but most of the time it may be remedied without medical attention. There are over-the-counter ear drops available specifically for treating swimmer's ear, and most of these are anti-fungal. If these drops do not take care of the problem, you might have to see your doctor for a round of antibiotics.

Ear pain remedies for external ear pain are typically very different from those used for internal ear pain. Most of the time, external ear pain is the result of blunt force trauma to the outside of the ear. This trauma could cause extremely painful swelling. The best ear pain remedies for swelling normally involve the use of ice packs on the affected area. The ice should effectively constrict the blood vessels on the outside of the ear, which should make it more difficult for blood to pass through, thus reducing any swelling while also easing pain.