Swimmer’s Ear sometimes an unfortunate part of summer water fun
Who can resist a dip in the pool, lake or oceans on that first visit as the weather warms?
But that dip can sometimes make your ears feel kind of different. It may feel like there is something stuck in there, so the natural thing to do is take your finger and wiggle it in your ear. If you have swimmer’s ear, that may prove to be quite painful.
What you are feeling is a condition called “otitis externa” (o-tie-tis-er-stur-nuh) or “Swimmer’s Ear” as it is more commonly known. This is different from what people normally refer to as an ear infection, which is otitis media, an infection of the middle ear. That is normally the kind of infection that accompanies a cold.
Swimmer’s Ear happens when bacteria grow in the ear canal, which leads to the eardrum. In the ear canal, the skin is quite delicate, and is normally protected by a thick coating of ear wax.
Most of the time this waxy surface causes water to run in and out of the ear canal without causing problems. The ear wax also causes a slightly acid condition that inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi.
A period of long exposure to water such as swimming or water skiing can cause this protective waxy coating to be washed away, losing its acidic properties. This allows bacteria to grow on the delicate skin of the ear canal, resulting in Swimmer’s Ear.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of swimmer’s ear usually appear within a few days of exposure and may include:
• Severe pain on moving your outer ear areas, or pushing on that little “bump” (tragus) in front of your ear
• Pain or discomfort in or around the ear — usually only one ear is involved
• Itching of the outer ear
• Swelling in your ear
• Feeling of fullness or stuffiness in your ear
• Pus draining from the ear
• Decreased in hearing or muffled hearing
Swimming in polluted waters is never a good idea either, as this increases your exposure to potential harmful bacteria. In older individuals, immune system deficiencies or poorly managed diabetes will increase the risk as well.
When to seek
medical advice
Make an appointment with your physician if there is pain, swelling or drainage from your ear. Swimmer’s Ear is not an emergency, but if left untreated, it can cause long term problems like:
• Hearing loss
• Recurrent outer ear infections (chronic otitis externa)
• Bone and cartilage damage (necrotizing otitis externa)
• More wide spread infection including brain or cranial nerves which can lead to severe and life threatening conditions
Have someone examine the inside of your ear. If the inside of the ear appears red and swollen associated with the pain, most likely you’ve got it. If your ear canal appears scaly, with flaking skin, and there is drainage, a visit to your physician is recommended.
Treatment
As with any infection, the goal in treatment is to clean up the infection. Treatment normally includes the following:
• Cleaning: Clean the outer ear canal of any drainage or flakey skin to allow the topical medications to work more effectively. Don’t clean out your ear canals with a Q-tip, pencil or other object inserted into the ear canal.
• Topical medications: Your doctor may prescribe ear drops that contain antibiotics to fight the infection and steroids to reduce the swelling and inflammation. Follow the instructions on the label.
• Oral medications: Products such as Aspirin, Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen may ease the pain.
Prevention
Prevention is sometimes more effective that treatment. Try these tips:
• Keep your ears dry.
• Swim wisely; avoid swimming in polluted water.
• Use earplugs: Some ear plugs are especially made to keep water out of your ears while swimming.
• Practice self-care: Mix 1 part white vinegar with 1 part alcohol to make an effective eardrop before swimming. Pour 1 teaspoonful of the solution in each ear and let it drain out. This will prevent the growth of bacteria or fungus in the ear.
• Avoid putting foreign objects in your ear: Never attempt to dig out excess hardened earwax with things such as cotton swabs, paperclips or hairpins.
• Protect your ear: Avoid substances that can irritate the ears such as hairsprays and hair dyes.
Using a little common sense can prevent summer seasonal ear problems. Ask your pharmacist for advice on product selection.
See your physician if the condition worsens or hearing loss occurs.
Steve Mullenix (R.Ph) co-owns The Pharmacy in Mount Olive with his wife, Sherry Mullenix (J.D., R.N.). They can be reached at 631-1201.