What Exactly is a Ruptured Eardrum
The eardrum separates your outer ear, or ear canal, from your middle ear, where the 3 middle ear bones are. The eardrum has several functions. It helps you hear by vibrating when sounds travel from the outer ear. The eardrum also protects your middle ear from bacteria, water and dust.
A ruptured eardrum is a hole or tear in that part of your ear. Ruptured eardrums are not uncommon – about 2% of the population currently has one.
What causes a ruptured eardrum?
The most common cause is a middle ear infection, other causes include:
● A physical injury to your head or ear.
● Loud noises close to your ear, such as an explosion or gunshot.
● Rapid changes in air pressure. This can happen if you’re flying on a plane, scuba diving or going up into the mountains.
What does a ruptured eardrum feel like?
If your ear hurts, like the pain from an ear infection, you may find that it feels better once your eardrum bursts. But once that happens, you might notice:
● Ear pain, especially sharp pain
● Fluid or pus leaking out of your ear
● Buzzing or ringing in your ear
● Trouble hearing or muffled hearing in your ear
● Dizziness or vertigo
How is a ruptured eardrum treated?
If you think that you have a ruptured eardrum, see an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT). They can look into your ear with a lighted device called an otoscope. If there’s just a small hole, they may recommend initially that you watch and wait.
As you wait, there are some simple things you can do at home to ease pain and speed up recovery. They include:
● Place warm compresses on your ear
● Try over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen
● Avoid swimming
Your ENT may also prescribe antibiotic eardrops to prevent infection.
If your eardrum heals on its own, your hearing should return to normal. If it doesn’t, an ENT may recommend one of these medical procedures:1
● Myringoplasty. If the hole is small, an ENT repairs it by placing gel or a special paper over the eardrum. The eardrum tissue grows back, filling in the hole.
● Tympanoplasty. An ENT will take skin or cartilage from another part of your body to use as a patch over the hole or tear.
Can you prevent a ruptured eardrum?
There are some steps that may help lower the odds of a ruptured eardrum:
● Treat ear infections as soon as you can.
● Never put cotton swabs or other objects into your ears.
● Yawn or chew gum when you fly on a plane.
● Wear earplugs if you know that you’ll be around loud noises.
● Don’t swim in lakes, especially without special swimming earplugs
● Sneeze with your mouth open. This helps take pressure off your middle ear canal. But don’t forget to cover your mouth with your arm or tissue so you don’t spread germs.
● Don’t blow your nose too hard.