Pain in the ear can be due to problems occurring locally in the ear or referred to it from remote areas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1. LOCAL CAUSES<\/p>\n
External ear : Furuncle, impacted wax, otitis externa, otomycosis, myringitis bullosa, herpes zoster, and malignant neoplasms.
\nMiddle ear : Acute otitis media, eustachian tube obstruction, mastoiditis, extradural abscess, aero-otitis media, and carcinoma middle ear.<\/p>\n
2. REFERRED CAUSES<\/p>\n
As ear receives nerve supply from Vth (auriculotemporal br.), IXth (tympanic br) and Xth (auricular br.) cranial nerves; and from C2 (lesser occipital) and C2 and C3 (greater auricular), pain may be referred from these remote areas.<\/p>\n
Via Vth cranial nerve :<\/p>\n
\u25a1 Dental. Caries tooth, apical abscess, impacted molar, malocclusion.
\n\u25a1 Oral cavity. Benign or malignant ulcerative lesions of oral cavity or tongue.
\n\u25a1 Temporomandibular joint disorders. Bruxism, osteoarthritis, recurrent dislocation, ill-fitting denture.
\n\u25a1 Sphenopalatine neuralgia. Via IXth cranial nerve :
\n\u25a1 Oropharynx. Acute tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, tonsillectomy. Benign or malignant ulcers of soft palate, tonsil and its pillars.
\n\u25a1 Base of tongue. Tuberculosis or malignancy.
\n\u25a1 Elongated styloid process.<\/p>\n
Via Xth cranial nerve : Malignancy or ulcerative lesion of: vallecula, epiglottis, larynx or laryngopharynx, oesophagus.
\nVia C2 and C3 spinal nerves : Cervical spondylosis, injuries of cervical spine, caries spine.<\/p>\n
3. PSYCHOGENIC<\/p>\n
When no cause has been discovered, pain may be functional in origin but the patient should be kept under observation with periodic re-evaluation.
\nOtalgia is a symptom. It is essential to find its cause before specific treatment can be instituted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pain in the ear can be due to problems occurring locally in the ear or referred to it from remote areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eye-care"],"yoast_head":"\n