Cleaning your ears with cotton swabs, not ducking in time when a frisbee comes your way in Exploration Park or getting in a car accident are just a few of the ways you can physically damage your ears. While keeping cotton swabs out of your ears and driving safely can reduce your risk of injury, you may not be able to prevent all accidents.
Let’s look at a few signs of hearing loss, what ear injuries may cause it and how your specialists at Today’s Hearing will address it.
Signs of Hearing Loss
A few signs of hearing loss include:
- Trouble understanding speech
- Difficulty with high-pitched noises, like children speaking
- Turning up the TV louder than usual
- Avoiding social gatherings
- Frustration during conversations
- Ringing in the ears
In addition to the signs of hearing loss, you can identify an ear injury by the following:
- Bleeding or other fluid from the ear
- Balance issues
- Dizziness
- Earaches
If your injury stems from head trauma or a car accident, you should also seek emergency medical care if you notice any of the following signs of a concussion:
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Confusion
- Amnesia surrounding the injury
Types of Ear Injuries and Their Treatments
Injuries from a blow to the head or foreign objects in the ear typically affect the middle or outer ear. A few types of injuries and their treatments include:
- Ruptured eardrum. A ruptured eardrum may arise from scratching your ear canal or attempting to remove wax with a cotton swab. Most ruptured eardrums heal on their own, but severe cases may require a small, medicated patch placed during a procedure we call a tympanoplasty.
- Detached outer ear. Detached outer ears are rare injuries, but they can happen in bad car accidents. We may recommend reconstructive surgery to reattach or reshape the ear.
- Fractures. Your middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, which are responsible for amplifying sound vibrations. A forceful blow to the ear can fracture these bones, necessitating an Ossiculoplasty—a surgery to repair or replace the bones.
Middle ear hearing loss is often temporary, but severe or long-lasting damage can lead to permanent loss. If you notice any signs of an ear injury, contact Today’s Hearing to schedule an exam with one of our specialists.