Over the course of his life, every person at least once faces the fact that his ear hurts. 3 years is the age when the problem appears most often. It is worth noting that pain is not the disease itself. Rather, this symptom can be called a symptom. It appears when a problem arises. This article will tell you what to do if your child’s ear hurts. First aid will be presented to your attention. You will also learn about ways to treat the underlying disease.
Why does the ear hurt?
What to do at home with the manifestation of this symptom, you will learn further. To begin with, it is worth saying why a person may have this feeling. Pain is most often a sign of inflammation or injury. Also, some problems (neurological, dental) can provoke the irradiation of discomfort in the ear.
Ear pain in a child is usually triggered by an inflammatory process. Kids are prone to these pathologies because of the structural features of their body. Most often, the doctor makes the following diagnoses for children: acute and chronic otitis media, purulent inflammation, eustachiitis, and so on.
Should I pay attention to the problem?
If the child has a sore ear, the doctor should definitely conduct an examination. You yourself are not able to determine what caused the development of an unpleasant symptom. It should be noted that the treatment depends on the diagnosis. When a child has an ear ache, symptoms may appear as follows: nasal congestion, itching, redness, pus, fever, and so on. Be sure to remember everything your baby complains about and tell the doctor about it.
Ignoring the problem often leads to the development of unpleasant consequences and complications. These include hearing loss, rupture of the eardrum, cramps, meningitis and the like.
The child’s ear hurts: first aid. What can parents do?
If the baby has very severe pain in the ears, which is accompanied by backache, then he needs to be helped immediately. The fastest and most effective remedy in this situation will be a drug containing ibuprofen or paracetamol. It can be "Nurofen", "Panadol", "Tsefekon" or any other tool that is in your medicine cabinet.
Remember that these formulations lower the temperature. That is why it is worth measuring it before using them. The information obtained is useful to the doctor in the diagnosis and for the implementation of appointments. After all, antibiotics are prescribed to children in most cases when the body temperature rises.
Use of drops: pros and cons
If a child has a sore ear, what to do at home? Never grab topical products immediately. Simply put, drops. The use of some compounds is unacceptable in case of a damaged membrane. It is worth recalling that you cannot establish this fact yourself. Only a specialist with the help of an otoscope will be able to inspect the specified area and determine its integrity.
If the eardrum is intact, then the ENT often prescribe drops for children. Such compositions can relieve inflammation and reduce pain. These include Otipaks and Otinum. These formulations are the most popular. Opinions differ on the use of these drugs. There is a group of doctors who says that ear pain can be relieved with the above-described drugs (with ibuprofen or paracetamol), and for treatment it is better to use Otof or Dioxidin drops. These drugs belong to the group of antibiotics. Often for children, the medicine "Dioxidin" is prescribed simultaneously with magnesia. Such a composition has an antibacterial and regenerative effect, due to which the disease quickly recedes.
The use of compresses
What to do if a child’s ear hurts ? Parental first aid often consists in the use of a compress. As soon as the baby begins to complain of discomfort, mom or grandmother heat camphor and apply it to a sore spot. Some manage to bury this composition in their ears.
Experts strongly do not recommend such manipulations. It is always necessary to remember a very important thing: a purulent inflammatory process is forbidden to warm. Otherwise, a boil may rupture and the patient's condition worsens, including hearing loss and meningitis. Assign compresses can only a specialist. Remember this.
The use of antibacterial agents
If a child has a sore ear, antibiotics are inevitable. In most cases, the pathology is caused by the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms. Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that can always be present in the nose and ear of a person. Once you catch a little cold, the microorganism immediately wakes up and begins to act. Only antibiotics can cope with it.
As you already know, there are drugs for topical use - Otofa and Dioxidin. However, they are not enough. The treatment is most often prescribed in a comprehensive manner in order to surely eliminate the problem. Oral, intramuscular or intravenous administration of antibiotics is attached to the described drops. Effective drugs include Amoxicillin, Amoxiclav, Flemoxin, Cefatoxime, Ceftriaxone, etc. The dosage and duration of use are determined by the doctor.
Additional funds
When a child develops otitis media, it is necessary to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. Usually this pathology is accompanied by a runny nose. Simultaneously with the ear, in this case, the nose must be treated. Otherwise, the effect of the medication will not be complete.
As additional drugs, the doctor prescribes vasoconstrictor drugs (Zirtek, Tizin, Avamis). Drops with an antibacterial effect are also used for insertion into the nasal passages (Isofra, Polydex, Bioparox). Washing of the sinuses with inflammation in the ears is strictly prohibited.
Folk remedies for ear pain
- Laurel broth. Take five parsley and boil them in half a liter of water. Let the broth infuse and cool. After this, drip the prepared product into the ear. The medicine has an anti-inflammatory and absorbable effect.
- Almond oil. This tool is sold in almost every pharmacy chain. Insert a cotton swab dipped in almond oil into the ear canal. It has a calming effect, reduces pain and reduces noise.
- Water mode. If your ear hurts, you should never let it get wet. A humid environment is an excellent flora for the reproduction of fungi and bacteria. That is why it is forbidden to wash your hair until complete recovery. Compliance with the water regime will allow you to get rid of the problem quickly and with minimal effort.
A little summary
So what to do when a child’s ear hurts? First aid on your part should be to call a pediatrician. Only as prescribed by a specialist can certain drugs be used. Remember that they all have side effects and contraindications. Never change the dosage and dosage regimen yourself. Follow all specialist recommendations. I wish you good health!