EAR PAIN

Ear pain can be especially uncomfortable and often complicated to work out the cause as the outer, middle and inner ear can all play a part. In addition, you can experience referred pain from the teeth, neck, jaw and throat. Common causes of ear pain are ear infections both external and middle, neck problems and throat issues.

ADULT HEARING PROBLEMS

Adult hearing loss is a common concern and the person may not initially notice the problem, however family and friends do.

The two categories of hearing loss are conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss means the sound is not transmitted to the inner ear. This is often caused by problems with the ear canal such as wax impaction, middle ear due to fluid accumulation or damage to the bones of hearing. Cholesteotoma and otosclerosis are two other causes that may need surgery to correct.

Sensorineural hearing loss is when there is a problem with the inner ear or hearing nerves. Causes include Noise exposure ie. industrial deafness, ageing, Meniere’s Disease and medication side effects.

EAR INFECTIONS

Ear infections can be caused by a virus, bacteria or fungus. 

Outer ear infections, also known as ‘Swimmers ear’ often occur after exposing the ear to water, but this is not always the case. These infections involve the ear canal and in severe cases can spread to involve the ear and earlobe.

Middle ear infections are behind the ear drum and are more common among children than adults but can occur in all ages.  Typically, there is pus behind the eardrum causing pain or perforation.

TINNITUS

Tinnitus is a physical condition where you experience noises or ringing in your ears or head, when no such physical noise is present.  Common noises include ringing, buzzing, whistling, roaring or humming. This can be extremely debilitating, and affect your ability to work or cope with normal life activities.

Tinnitus reflects some problem with the hearing nerve and there are techniques available to help minimise the impact of the noise. One particular type of tinnitus called Pulsatile tinnitus is often in time with the heartbeat. This often needs to be investigated further by an ENT specialist to rule out an underlying cause.