Pain in the child’s ear
Pain in the ear often occurs in the first few years of life in small children. There are various causes of ear pain in children. Often, no serious illness is the cause, but parents or guardians should pay attention to some symptoms.
When should I see a doctor?
Earaches can have many different causes. In general, an ear, nose and throat specialist should be consulted – especially if children and young people suffer from earache. The doctor will take a detailed medical history and perform an examination to find the cause of the earache. In this way, unpleasant consequential damages can be prevented and the disease can be treated properly. One should also never try to remove foreign bodies oneself, so that no structures in the ear are damaged or parts of the foreign body can be forgotten or overlooked.
Therapy
Once the cause of the earache has been found, the disease can be treated. Foreign bodies can be gently removed by a doctor. Inflammation of the middle ear or an infection in the nasopharynx are usually treated with medication (besides rest and tea).
Since acute middle ear inflammation usually causes ventilation problems, decongestant nasal sprays can help to calm the mucous membrane and improve ventilation to speed up the healing process. In addition, antipyretic or analgesic tablets (ibuprofen or paracetamol) can be taken to reduce fever and pain. If it is a bacterial inflammation in the ear or nasopharynx, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics.
There are also ear drops that can be used for ear pain. These contain, for example, the active ingredient procaine, which reversibly inhibits sensitive nerve fibers and thus pain. If the ear pain is caused by a dental problem, it must be treated by a dentist.
Depending on the cause of the earache, home remedies can be used. However, since not all home remedies are advisable against every cause of ear pain and can sometimes aggravate it or cause consequential damage such as long-term hearing loss or even facial paralysis, a consultation should be made with the doctor to determine whether the home remedy would promote healing.A household remedy against inflammation in the ear is, for example, the juice from an onion. The onions are cut into small pieces and pressed in a handkerchief.
The onion juice is collected by the handkerchief. This should now be placed on the inflamed ear for half an hour. The onion juice has an antibacterial and disinfecting effect.
In addition to treatment with onion juice, warmth can also help to relieve the pain of inflammation. A red light lamp or a warmed cherry stone cushion is suitable for this purpose. Care should be taken to ensure that the heat is always pleasant and does not cause burns.
Therefore the cherry stone cushion should not be too hot or the red light lamp should be placed at a distance of about 50cm. In the case of middle ear inflammation, a chamomile steam bath can have a pain-relieving effect and accelerate healing. The camomile flowers are infused with boiling water and the diseased ear is held over the steam for a few minutes. Again, make sure that the ear is not exposed to excessive heat.
