headache and ear popping
Have you recently had a feeling of ear popping or a feeling of something cracking or bursting inside your ear, and is this feeling accompanied by a headache?
And this combination worries your symptoms And you want to know what causes the clinical picture of earache and headache, be sure to read more.
Introduction
Almost all of us have experienced different sounds from the ear. This experience will vary in intensity and quality at different times.
Some people describe hearing a sound in their ears that is similar to the sound of falling water, rain, raindrops, and rusting. Some people also think that their ears are whistling or the wind is blowing in their ears. Some people describe this feeling as hearing loss.
There are many causes that can be described as hearing the sound of an ear burst, and we want to go on to say what causes people to experience this sound and in what cases the combination of earache and burst sound occurs in the ear and headache.
Why does ear popping occur?
Ear popping is actually sounds like your ear blow and people say they swallow something when they open their mouths, and when the plane is soaring or ascending, and when they are landing and descending a mountain. This is a condition that some people experience when they push and cough, sneeze or laugh.
Ear popping, which many people actually associate with hearing a crackle or a bubble opening and exploding in the ear, occurs when pressure builds up behind the tympanic membrane due to the opening of the Eustachian tube (Which is the interface between the ear and the back of the nose and throat) suddenly balances with atmospheric pressure.
What happens when people feel the sound of something exploding in their ear?
The Eustachian tube is a tubular anatomical structure that connects the middle human ear to the back of the nose and throat. It has flexible walls that normally lie on top of each other. And it prevents the throat and balances the pressure inside the middle ear and actually behind the tympanic membrane with the air pressure in the atmosphere around us. If for any reason this tube can not work properly, these pressures are unbalanced and we will feel full and cracked ears. When we swallow something, yawn, squeeze or cough because the Eustachian tube opens, suddenly this pressure balance is created and we hear this process as a crackling sound.
What causes earwax?
In fact, the factors that cause ear capping and pressure behind the tympanic membrane and pressure imbalance on both sides of the tympanum are followed by pressure balancing, sudden opening of the Eustachian tube, and therefore the experience of ear popping.
The following are the factors that often cause hypertension behind the tympanic membrane:
The most important cause of dysfunction is the Eustachian tube. As I said, the Eustachian tube is a thin, short tube that connects the human middle ear to the back of the nose and above the throat. There is a number on each side and it has different functions, including:
Keep the pressure balanced between the two sides of the tympanic membrane
As well as preventing infectious agents from entering the middle ear
In the normal state of the Eustachian tube, its walls lie on top of each other. When we open our mouths, look for something, swallow something, drink something, and swallow saliva, it is suddenly due to increased pressure inside the throat or contractile muscle contraction of the soft palate. The tube opens completely and we hear the popping sound of the ear.
Eustachian tube dysfunction occurs in many cases. In fact, when the Eustachian tube can not be opened and closed properly and at the right time, we say that there is a dysfunction of the Eustachian tube, which makes us feel full on our ears ,Followed by a feeling of ear cracking or ear popping in the ear.
Among the cases that cause dysfunction of the Eustachian tube.
We refer to the following:
Infections including viral infections such as viral colds and viral sinusitis
Cleft palate
Inhalation of polluted air, for example, exposure to dust in the air
Breathing in an environment where smokers smoke
Nasal polyps and tumors and masses inside the nose or behind the nose and above the throat
One of the above factors can cause Eustachian tube dysfunction and cause ear fullness and ear popping after the Eustachian tube opens.
What are the signs and symptoms of Eustachian tube dysfunction?
Clinical manifestations in different people can vary greatly depending on the circumstances
Among the cases that people with dysfunction feel it, the following can be mentioned:
Feeling of pain and discomfort in the ear
Feeling full
Ear congestion
Hearing loss
Occurrence of lightheadedness and dizziness
Another cause that can cause ear popping and then hear ear popping when your ear canal is removed is otitis media or an acute middle ear infection.
Middle ear infections can occur at any age, but generally because the Eustachian tube is short and thin in children and infants, it is more likely that the tube will close and people with a tympanic infection will develop behind the eardrum, but adults They can also experience otitis media.
It is better to say that in fact, the dysfunction of the Eustachian tube causes the accumulation of infectious agents in the middle ear, the discharge does not come out and the earwax canal occurs. Possible symptoms include ear pain, discharge from the ear, and hardening of the ear. Headaches are often accompanied by manifestations.
Infants and young children with otitis media may experience one or more of the following during their illness:
Fever
Headache
Irritability and excessive crying of the baby or child
Sleep disorder
Baby not sleeping
And decreased appetite
Adults with otitis media can often experience earwax due to obstruction or narrowing of the space inside the Eustachian tube. As we said, one of the cases that accompanies headaches is this middle ear infection
The third thing that causes earwax and a feeling of fullness in the ear is the accumulation of earwax. In fact, earwax is naturally secreted from the ear canal cells, which cleans the ear spontaneously and also prevents insects, water and moisture and infectious agents from entering the ear.
Read more about the signs and symptoms of earwax buildup:
Occurrence of popping or cracking sound in the ear
Hearing loss, which is usually relative
Itching and pain
Discomfort in the ear
Feeling of fullness or the presence of a foreign object or obstructive plaque in the ear
Another cause of earwax is temporomandibular joint disorders:
Problems with this joint can cause pain, cramping and swelling in the ear and cause a clicking sound. This click usually occurs near the ear
This clicking or popping sound is felt when you open and close your mouth or look for something. It is also important to note that many people who have problems such as sinusitis, throat infections, etc , can also experience headaches, Among the signs and symptoms that can cause temporomandibular joint problems in you are the following:
Lock the jaw
Or pain and discomfort that usually occurs in the lower jaw, in front of the ear, as well as in the area around the TMJ.
The last cause that can cause ear blockage and then cause ear cracking or ear popping in you is MEM
What is middle ear myoclonus? MEM
This disorder is a type of tinnitus and occurs when certain muscles in the middle ear, such as the tympanic tensor or tibialis tensor muscle, spasm. In fact, it is the muscles that cause the vibrations of the tympanic membrane in the middle ear to be transmitted to the inner ear. Exactly what causes myoclonus is still unknown.
But it is said that there may be traces of congenital disorders and conditions. It can also occur following acoustic damage.
The intensity as well as the frequency of these sounds can be very different from person to person. Other conditions that can occur include sound that can be rhythmic or completely irregular. It can occur continuously or occasionally. It can also affect one ear or be present in both ears.
When should we see a doctor?
If you have cracked or low ear and this condition resolves in a short time, you should not worry, but if you have this condition with one or more of the following manifestations, you must see a doctor.
Symptoms that progress from day to day and become more severe
Existence of severe symptoms
Having a fever that can last more than one to two days
Existence of headache
Existence of ear discharge
Hearing loss
Remember that if you notice any discharge from the ear canal that is bloody or purulent, you should see a doctor immediately.
Diagnosis
In order for your doctor to make a correct diagnosis, the correct diagnosis will depend on your accurate and detailed history, and when your doctor receives your history, he or she will perform a physical examination for the appropriate eczema, such as examining the ear canal with a variety of otoscopes and examining the movement of the membrane or tympanometry.
It is also necessary to observe and examine the intersection of the pharynx, the back of the nose, the back of the tongue and the back of the mouth, above the esophagus and above the larynx.
treatment
Treatment appropriate to the condition is the underlying factor in the ear that is recommended by the physician appropriate to the condition of one or more of the following treatments:
If you have a bacterial infection, you should be treated with antibiotics
If there is an ear wax community, the wax should be diluted with medication and removed with a special tool or by rinsing.
Impaired Eustachian tube function should also be compensated by replacing a tube in the ear until the condition improves.
Surgery will also be needed if there are temporomandibular joint problems
Also, in cases such as neurological problems that cause pain in the temporomandibular joint, the use of tricyclic antidepressants and muscle relaxants as well as pain relievers are prescribed.
How to prevent ear cracking or ear popping with headache
It is best to avoid wiping the ear with ear cleaners or inserting pins, pencil tips and pens into the ear.
Also be careful not to get infections of the upper respiratory tract. This infection is due to the inflammation that develops in the back of the nose and causes the Eustachian tube opening in the throat and back of the nose to close, blocking the Eustachian tube and disrupting Eustachian tube function Air pressure imbalance occurs behind the tympanic membrane.
Avoid exposure to vocal trauma
Avoid exposure to air pollutants, cigarette smoke and allergens such as dust.
These stimuli can impair the function of the Eustachian tube.
Concluding remarks
We have said that many of us hear the sound of rice particles and cracking in our ears during our lifetime, and there are various reasons for this experience. In many cases, Eustachian tube dysfunction can cause middle ear infections and problems such as ear popping and headaches, and if you have severe ear popping and severe headaches or symptoms such as discharge and blood from the ear, We recommend that you see a doctor as soon as possible.