GREENSBORO, N.C. — With these hot summer temperatures, many families are looking for ways to stay cool. A trip to the beach or maybe your neighborhood pool might be a part of your weekend plans. As you enjoy fun in the water, health experts want you to be aware of swimmer's ear.
Chelle Jeffrey is a certified physician assistant with Novant Health. She said swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infection typically caused by water that stays in the outer ear canal for a long period of time.
“Swimmer's ear is typically associated with pain of the ear,” Jeffrey said. “The ear itself tends to be tender. People will say that it hurts to pull or to push on the outer part of their ear or to lie on that side. It can also be associated with the temporomandibular joint or even throat pain."
Jeffery said swimmer's ear is more often seen in children but can happen to adults too. It's not to be confused with a middle ear infection, which is also common in children.
“Typically, a middle ear infection while it causes ear pain and can also cause other symptoms like sore throat and neck pain and fever, typically, the outer part of the ear is not tender,” Jeffery said. “Moving that doesn't cause pain."
Swimmer's ear can be treated with antibiotic ear drops. If left untreated, it can lead to further infection.
“I think the most important thing is to shake your ears out when you get out of the water,” Jeffery said. “Don't stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear and if you're having ear pain that doesn't go away pretty quickly, especially with the use of an anti-inflammatory, to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider."
If you are experiencing ear pain after being in the water, Jeffery recommends taking ibuprofen or using a heating pad until you can get a proper diagnosis and treatment.