My ear felt blocked as if water had been poured into it. Ear congestion without pain - how to treat

If you feel squelching in your ear, consult a doctor immediately; self-medication is prohibited. Squelching in the ear is often associated with a disease of the hearing organs. This may be serous, purulent otitis media.

Often, squelching in the ears occurs as a result of fluid entering the ear canal.

During development eustachitis- this is an inflammation in the auditory canal, which connects the nasopharynx with the middle ear cavity. As a result of the closure of the Eustachian tube, negative pressure appears in the ear cavity, which allows the accumulation of serous fluid. Labyrinthine diseases cause dizziness and nausea.

Squelching in the ear is a symptom of diseases.

Hypertension can cause gurgling. Migraine, osteochondrosis, medications, changes atmospheric pressure, when listening through headphones.

Reasons.

  • Viral infections.
  • Constant physical overload.
  • Fatigue.
  • Overwork.
  • Diseases of the vascular system.
  • Stressful conditions, depression.
  • Mental illnesses.

Often squelching causes serous otitis media. If fluid accumulates behind the eardrum, it can put pressure on the eardrum and cause pain.

The accumulation of fluid is an environment for the development of viruses and infections, blockage occurs auditory tube and disruption of its work.

When the hearing organs fill with mucous or purulent contents, a squelching sensation appears, decreased hearing, pain. The squelching sound can be due to the accumulation of sulfur and the appearance of a cerumen plug that needs to be removed.

Squelching may occur after water procedures. Fluid in the ears needs to be removed, but if it gets into the middle ear area, it will be difficult to remove. It is necessary to remove the fluid from the ear canal. You need to jump on one leg or put a gauze flagellum in your ear for 15-20 minutes.

Symptoms

  • Ear pain.
  • Dizziness.
  • Increase in temperature.
  • Congestion and noise in the ears.
  • Weakness.
  • Nausea, vomiting.

Diagnostics.

Comprehensive audiological diagnostics.

Tone, computer and speech audiometry.

Treatment.

  • Antibiotics.
  • Anti-inflammatory ear drops.
  • Restoring immunity.
  • Glucocorticosteroids.

If you feel like there is water in your ear, you should definitely check with an ENT specialist. Even if nothing else bothers you and your ear doesn’t hurt, an examination by a specialist is required. After all, this may indicate a number of serious illnesses, which flow without bright pronounced signs. But sometimes gurgling in the ear occurs due to natural factors.

Causes of gurgling

The sensation of water in the ear can be a symptom of certain diseases. The sooner their treatment is started, the lower the likelihood of complications. After all, the inflammatory process can spread to the brain, which can provoke meningitis, abscess and other very dangerous pathologies. Let's take a closer look at why the gurgling sensation may occur.

Otitis

Otitis is an inflammation of the ear. According to the localization of inflammation, it is divided into internal, external or middle. Most common otitis media. The disease can begin with the penetration of microbes into the ear, which damage the mucous membrane, leading to local swelling. Discharge is often observed thick mucus, and sometimes pus - in this case, otitis media is called purulent.

The first symptom of inflammation is increasing It's a dull pain, by the end of the day the pain increases and is sometimes accompanied by a migraine, as well as general weakness and a gradual increase in temperature. There is often a feeling that there is something squelching in the ear. Due to inflammation, fluid accumulates, which gurgles from time to time, and a person may hear unusual sounds. To avoid otitis media, you need to protect your ears from drafts and hypothermia.

Reasons causing otitis media, huge number: these can be diseases of the nasopharynx and nasal cavity, as well as viruses that weaken the immune system (for example, influenza, measles), hypothermia and any ear injuries.

If treatment of the disease is not started at an early stage, purulent otitis may develop, which causes shooting pains. Often the pus breaks through and comes out, the pain begins to recede. However, this can be dangerous as pus can enter the brain. Therefore, to pull the pus out, paracentesis is used - a deliberate puncture of the eardrum. The puncture procedure is performed under local anesthesia.

This is inflammation eustachian tube, which is also sometimes called turbootitis and salpingootitis. With this disease, the passage of air to the middle ear is disrupted, which is the main reason for the deterioration of the patient’s hearing. As a rule, this disease is a prerequisite for otitis media. Also, eustachitis is directly related to the pathology of the tympanic cavity.

Children are most susceptible to this disease due to their shorter auditory tube compared to adults. That is why it is recommended to keep an eye on their ears and, if necessary, wear a hat.

In the absence of treatment for rhinitis and pharyngitis, inflammation passes into the mucous membrane of the auditory tube, and eustachitis develops. There are two various shapes diseases – acute and chronic. Both of these forms can lead to the patient developing otitis media.

At acute form The disease mainly exhibits the following symptoms:

  • congestion and noise in the ears;
  • hearing impairment;
  • sensation of iridescent liquid in the ears when changing the position of the head;
  • painful sensations, but they do not always occur;
  • The disease has practically no effect on the general well-being of the patient.

On chronic stage, which arises due to the lack effective treatment, changes in the structure of the eardrum occur - it becomes cloudy and retracts, along with it the auditory tube narrows, some areas turn red and there are complaints of persistent hearing loss.

Lack of proper treatment can lead to hearing loss, so you should carefully monitor your body and consult a doctor at the first symptoms of eustachitis.

Cold

When you have a cold, your ear usually gurgles, but does not hurt. Severe runny nose accompanied by the formation of copious mucus. During breathing, it passes through respiratory tract, near the auditory tube. During this, specific gurgling sounds may be observed.

In addition, the ears become very blocked. Therefore, when tilting the head, chewing and swallowing, unpleasant sounds may also occur. Once the runny nose is treated, it should go away. But if discomfort persist, complications may develop.

Ear plug

It is a small accumulation of sulfur that clogs ear canal. It can form due to poor ear hygiene, due to inflammatory diseases or cleansing the ear canal cotton swabs.

As a result of the appearance of a foreign object, the ears may become blocked. People often complain that gurgling occurs, especially when tilting their head.

Diagnostics

To diagnose a possible pathology, consultation with an otolaryngologist is required. The doctor examines the patient's ears. During a routine examination, he may find ear plugs or inflammation of the outer ear.

If the doctor sees nothing, he prescribes additional diagnostic procedures.Otoscopy, autometry, otoneurological tests and other studies may be required.

Remedies

First of all, it is necessary to cure the underlying disease. In this case, therapy may differ depending on the cause of the gurgling:

  • The basis is the restoration of the ventilation functions of the auditory tube and the elimination of pain, if present. Also important role is given to increase protective functions body, which is stimulated by mineral therapy and lipid therapy. If this disease is detected early, treatment lasts only a few days, especially in the absence of concomitant pathologies. Prevention of eustachitis includes only the timely use of nasal vasoconstrictor drugs for the treatment of respiratory diseases.
  • At initial stage For otitis media, vasoconstrictor drops must be used. Good effect They also give special warming compresses. But for purulent otitis, use drops and thermal procedures is strictly prohibited. At this stage, only specialized drugs are used, prescribed exclusively by a doctor.
  • Anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antipyretic drugs are used to treat colds. To avoid complications, treatment for the disease should begin after the first symptoms appear.
  • The ear plug is easily removed with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, which is buried in ear canal. After a few minutes, the plug will soften and flow out. If foreign object It is too deep to remove it yourself. To do this, you need to contact an ENT specialist who will carry out the washing.

In addition to treatment with synthetic drugs, it is allowed to use folk remedies, but only after consultation with your doctor. For example, you can wrap a warmed piece of onion in a bandage and put it in your ear overnight. Onions are good at eliminating inflammation. But if burning, pain or any other unpleasant sensations appear, the procedure should be stopped.

After finishing treatment, you will need to have your hearing tested to find out possible complications. Perfect hearing assumes that a person can hear the whisper of another person at a distance of 5-6 meters from him, and special attention It is worth paying attention to the perception of hissing sounds - “sh” and “sch”.

Natural causes of the syndrome

Gurgling in the ear can also occur for natural reasons. For example, if water gets into the ear cavity. It may not flow out for quite a long time - even up to several days. Therefore, if the onset of unpleasant sensations was preceded by bath procedures or going to the pool, most likely water got into your ear.

Also, gurgling sounds can appear in people who rise to great heights or descend to great depths. This is due to a sharp change in pressure in the ears. As soon as a person returns to normal height, his condition returns to normal.

Thus, gurgling in the ear may appear due to various reasons. And some of them are very dangerous. Therefore, the sooner you see a doctor, the less likely development of complications.

The feeling of water in the ear is unpleasant, if only because it clogs the ears. And if there’s still something squishing and shimmering in it, it’s generally uncomfortable. Therefore, if a person feels as if there is water in his ear, he needs to make sure that this is really so. To do this, sometimes it is enough to tilt sore ear down. And if there is water there, it usually flows out. But what if this doesn't happen?

The source of inflammation in otitis externa is an infection that has entered the ear canals due to bathing, swimming, or being in conditions with high humidity. Typically, earwax, which is found in the ear canals, prevents fluid from penetrating deep into the ears. But sometimes water manages to penetrate eardrum, after which she remains near her, as if trapped. This results in a tickling sensation in the ear and may be accompanied by pain and hearing loss.

If water remains in the ear canals, opportunistic organisms living on healthy skin, begin to multiply sharply and cause infection of the ear canals. Therefore, swimmer's ear should be treated as soon as possible to relieve pain, congestion, and also prevent the infection from spreading to surrounding tissues.

The feeling that there is water in the ear usually occurs among swimmers. But it can also occur in patients with eczema or in people with excess wax in the ears. Other factors increased risk for the occurrence of “swimmer’s ear” are:

  • Contact with increased amount bacteria that may be present in shower stalls or dirty water.
  • Cleaning your ears too hard with cotton swabs or other objects.
  • Exposure to various chemicals, including hairspray. Therefore, it is very important to cover your ears with cotton swabs before using these products.
  • Damage to the skin of the ear canals during attempts to remove wax plug.
  • A scratch in the outer ear.
  • Various skin diseases.

Most frequent symptoms Swimmer's ear is irritation of the skin inside the ears and pain that gets worse if you pull on the outer ear. Other symptoms include a feeling of a stuffy ear, discharge from the ear canals, redness and swelling of the skin around the ear, elevated temperature, decreased hearing acuity. May appear intense pain, which can spread to the neck, face, and sides of the head. IN advanced case possible tumor lymph nodes around the ear at the top of the neck.

If left unchecked, water in the ear can lead to deafness, cyst formation, eardrum inflammation, and other complications. This is the main reason why you need to get rid of the presence of water in the ear as soon as possible.

To do this, you need to determine where the fluid has collected: in the outer or middle ear. If this happens in the middle ear, only a doctor can treat it. If water has accumulated in the external ear canals, this can be dealt with even at home.

Exercises to remove water from the outer ear

To get rid of water in the ear, you should never insert cotton swabs into the ear canals. This must be done using other methods. The easiest way is to use gravity. To do this you need:

  1. Tilt your head to the side and try to keep your ear with the water parallel to the ground.
  2. Place your palm tightly against your ear and press firmly on it for several seconds. Then sharply remove your palm. A temporary vacuum will be created, under the influence of which the liquid will begin to escape.
  3. Dry any remaining water leaking from your ear with a clean napkin.

Movements lower jaw, which imitate yawning and chewing, also help remove water from the ear canals. This happens because it promotes the flow of air into the middle ear, and also stretches ear canal.

The Valsalva maneuver has good recommendations. This scientist lived in the XVII-XVIII centuries. and was the first to use the term Eustachian tubes, which connect middle part ear with nasopharynx (air enters the middle part of the ear through them). An exercise used to clear the Eustachian tubes is named after him.

The Valsalva maneuver helps equalize the air pressure in the middle ear and helps push water out of the ear canals. To do this maneuver, you need to close your mouth and pinch your nostrils with your fingers, do deep breath. With your mouth closed, exhale lightly into the oral cavity, adjusting the pressure. If this exercise is performed correctly, a slight popping sound will be heard in the ear, which will indicate that the Eustachian tubes have opened. At the same time, you do not need to blow out the air too hard, otherwise you can damage the eardrum.

Warmth to the rescue

A hot compress can help quickly clear fluid from the ear canal if water has gotten into the middle ear. This usually happens if a swimmer inhales underwater or after an unsuccessful nasal drip. The heat helps open the Eustachian tube (where fluid usually accumulates) so that the fluid can flow smoothly through the tubes into the nasopharynx. To make a compress, you need to blot a piece of clean cloth in a saucepan with hot water and squeeze out the water. Then apply the cloth to your ear with water for 30 seconds, wait a minute, then repeat. Do this four to five times. Then lie on your side, ear down, to allow the liquid to drain out.

Steam inhalation is another easy way, which helps get rid of accumulated fluid. The steam helps open the Eustachian tubes and allows fluid to flow out of the ear. To do this you need to pour hot water into a large bowl, cover your head with a towel and slowly inhale the steam for 10 minutes. Then tilt your head to one side, after which the liquid will begin to come out of the ear. You can also take a warm shower to remove water from your ear.

Folk remedies

Isopropyl alcohol and vinegar can also be used to remove fluid from the ear. They work together: while vinegar kills bacteria that is present in the ear canals, isopropyl alcohol helps dry out the ear. To do this, mix one teaspoon of isopropyl alcohol and vinegar. Then, using a pipette, place three drops of this liquid into the ear with water, lightly massage the entrance to the ear canal and wait 30 seconds. Then tilt your head and let the liquid flow out of your ear.

Hydrogen peroxide is another one effective way get rid of fluid in the ear. This product will not only remove fluid that does not want to come out of the ear canal, but will also remove earwax and waste. To do this you need:

  1. Using a pipette, place 4-5 drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide into the affected ear.
  2. Wait 1-2 minutes.
  3. Tilt your head down so that the liquid flows out on its own through the ear canal.

Salt can also be used to drain fluid from the ear because it has the ability to absorb water. For this purpose, you can make a warm salt compress. The heat will help the liquid evaporate and make it easier pain syndrome. To do this, heat a quarter cup of salt in the oven or microwave. Then wrap the salt in a clean piece of cloth and tie it so that the salt does not spill out. Hold this cloth with salt near the entrance to the ear with water for 2-3 minutes. Do not put it into the ear canal!

Olive oil facilitates the flow of fluid from the ear canals. It also has antiseptic properties, reducing the risk of infection. To use it, you need to slightly warm up a certain amount olive oil in a small saucepan. Then, using a pipette, place a few drops of warm oil into your ear and wait 10 minutes. After this, tilt your head parallel to the ground so that the oil and water flow out of the ear. Who doesn't want to use vegetable oil, can buy medicine at the pharmacy, active substance which is pharmacological olive oil.

Putting 2-3 drops of olive oil in each ear before swimming will create a protective lubricant for the skin of the ear canals, which will push water out of the ears. Therefore, it can be called a good prophylactic.

What complications can there be?

If swimmer's ear is left untreated, complications may occur such as:

  • Hearing loss. Once the infection is removed, hearing returns to normal.
  • Chronic external otitis. Without treatment, the infection may continue.
  • Destruction of bone and cartilage tissue(malignant otitis externa). Untreated otitis externa may spread to the base of the skull, brain, or cranial nerves. Diabetics and people with reduced immunity are at increased risk.

To assess the patient’s condition with otitis externa, the doctor examines appearance ear canals, the degree of their redness and swelling. He can also send a sample of any fluid from the ear discharge to the laboratory for analysis to determine the causative agent of the disease, bacteria or fungus.

On early stages treatment otitis externa consists of thoroughly cleansing the ear canals and using drops that reduce the growth of bacteria, fungi and inflammation. For more advanced stages antibiotics are used.

Many patients who have visited an ENT doctor complain of an incomprehensible sensation and say that there is as if there is water in the ear, although in fact there is none there. This symptom may go away on its own without treatment, but in some cases it serves as a signal of a pathological process.

If such a symptom is left unattended, the manifestations of the syndrome can lead to blockage of the ear canal or the development inflammatory process. To get rid of the squelching sensation in the ear, you need to figure out exactly what factors can provoke this symptom.

Possible reasons

Only a small part of cases of visiting a doctor when there is a sensation of water in the ear is confirmed by its actual presence. In other cases, this phenomenon is caused by damage to the sound transmission mechanism, blockage of the ear canal and other reasons. The main reasons why there is a feeling of squelching water in the ear are discussed below.

Water that gets into the ears during hygiene procedures or swimming

If there is squelching in the ear after visiting the pool, swimming in the sea or doing hygiene procedures, there is a possibility that water has actually penetrated into the external auditory canal. Normally, no matter how deep the water flows, it always flows out on its own.

With physiological disorders of the ear structure, for example, with an excessively curved ear canal, water can get not only into the outer ear, but also into the middle ear. This is also possible if the nasal rinsing procedure is carried out incorrectly due to perforation of the eardrum.

Getting water into your ears is a natural process when swimming.

Inflammatory process

If the sensation of the presence of water in the ear does not leave and is accompanied by incipient painful sensations, this may indicate developing inflammation. Similar symptoms are typical for the following diseases:

  • otomycosis;
  • otitis;
  • Eustachitis.

In such cases, exudate accumulates in the cavity of the inner and middle ear, which causes a sensation of fluid in the ear. The accumulation of fluid behind the eardrum causes irritation of the ear ossicles and receptors, leading to the symptoms of gurgling and squelching.

Sulfur plug

If gurgling syndrome is accompanied by deterioration in hearing and a feeling of fullness, it is possible that a ear has formed. It is an obstacle that blocks the ear canal; many people suffer from this disease, without even knowing about the existing problem.

Of course, the most dangerous factor of these is the inflammatory process. In addition to the infection, the following symptoms are characteristic:

  • discomfort and pain;
  • increased body temperature;
  • dizziness;
  • feeling of fullness in the ears;
  • secretions of their ear canal.

Besides the listed factors, a feeling of fullness and gurgling in the ear can cause the following pathologies:

  • hearing loss;
  • damage to the auditory nerve;
  • pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
  • foreign body inside the ear canal;
  • tumor formation;
  • injury in the ear area.

To reveal the real reason syndrome, you need to seek help from an otolaryngologist; if no problems are identified from the ENT system, the doctor will be able to give a referral to narrow specialists, for a thorough examination.

Diagnostics

To determine possible pathologies The ENT system uses a set of research techniques. First of all, the ENT doctor examines the patient’s ear canals, if any acute otitis appropriate treatment is prescribed. If inflammation is not observed, several more examinations are carried out to identify provoking factors:

  1. Otoscopy is a detailed examination of the ear canals for damage and pathological changes.
  2. Audiometry is a procedure that allows you to measure the level of sound perception.
  3. Tympanometry - is carried out to assess the function of sound conduction, as well as for pathology of the eardrum.
  4. Magnetic resonance imaging - helps to identify possible tumors in the ear area, causing sensation gurgling in the ears.


Carrying out audiometry

At the initial stage of the inflammatory process, you may need laboratory tests blood in order to identify pathologies of ENT organs and eliminate them in a timely manner.

Treatment

Patients with gurgling water syndrome in the ear ask what to do in such a situation and how to get rid of obsessive symptom, is there a way out? In order to begin therapy, the doctor must make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment based on the pathology or factor that provoked the problem. Need to consider possible options treatments that apply to the most common causes of water in the ear.

Treatment of otitis media

Therapy for the inflammatory process depends on how advanced the infection is. It is much easier to treat than otitis media or otitis media inner ear, especially complicated by the formation of pus in the cavity. After the examination, the patient is prescribed drug treatment, which includes the following groups drugs:

  • antibiotics - Vilprafen, Rovamycin, Sumamed, they are prescribed to eliminate microbial flora (the cause of the inflammatory process);
  • drugs in the form of drops - they are prescribed at the recovery stage, after relief of the main symptoms of the infection, these can be drops of Otofa, Polydex, Candibiotic and others. Despite the fact that such drops affect large number pathogenic pathogens, they are considered safer to use and more gentle;
  • antihistamines;
  • antifungal medications – in cases where the causative agent of the infection is a fungus;
  • immunomodulatory agents.

During the therapy, an antibacterial, disinfectant and decongestant effect is achieved, and the functioning of the Eustachian tube is improved. If purulent exudate begins to be released during inflammation, it may be necessary to remove it.

The best option If a wax plug forms in the ear, you will need to visit an ENT doctor who will remove it quickly and absolutely painlessly. If the cork has a soft consistency, it is possible to remove it yourself at home. To do this, the doctor may prescribe one of the drugs - A-Cerumen or Revo-Max. These drugs are injected into the ear cavity in an amount of 3 drops at small quantity accumulated sulfur, with significant blockage - up to 10 drops.

After instillation, you need to cover the ear canal with turunda and lie on your side for about a quarter of an hour. After time, the patient needs to bend over a basin or sink, and drops along with softened sulfur will come out of the ear canal. The ear should then be rinsed with boiled warm water.

If the plug has a hard, dry structure, it is unlikely to be removed using the above method - this requires rinsing the ear. Before washing, 10–15 drops of hydrogen peroxide are injected into the ear canal, the patient should lie on his side for a quarter of an hour. Then the patient bends over, peroxide flows out of the ear, and you can begin rinsing with a solution of furatsilin or salt.

This is done using a soft rubber bulb, inserting it shallowly into the ear and applying water under pressure until the plug comes out completely. If the patient is afraid to carry out this procedure on his own, it is better to consult a doctor who will rinse the ear painlessly and quickly, using a large syringe without a needle.

Removing water from the ear

If the cause of discomfort is water remaining after bathing, you can remove it in the following ways:

  • tilt your head to one side, jump to remove water;
  • insert a turunda with a drop into the ear sunflower oil– the gauze will collect the remaining liquid, and the oil will soften the walls and moisturize the mucous membrane.

To prevent getting excess liquid in the ear, special protective devices must be used when swimming.

Water itself does not pose a danger if it is in the ear canal. But when going outside, for example, from a swimming pool, cold air can blow through the moistened ear canal and lead to the development of an infectious process.

Natural causes of the syndrome

  1. Physiological changes occurring in the middle ear, in the area where the main muscles are located. The stirrup is attached to the eardrum with a thread, also connecting to the malleus. During exertion, such as singing, screaming, sneezing, muscle contraction occurs, and auditory ossicles rubbing against each other. This creates a squelching sensation in the ear.
  2. Contraction of the muscles of the larynx and auditory tube causes gurgling in the ear when swallowing food, liquid and saliva.


Gurgling, like tinnitus, can occur when listening to loud music - with strong contractions of the ear muscles

If squelching from muscle contraction causes inconvenience and discomfort, is accompanied by pain and interferes with living a full life, it is better to undergo an examination by an ENT doctor. Harmless symptoms squelching in the ear canal can develop into dangerous inflammation caused by a virus, or occur due to pathologies of the Eustachian tube. Therefore, you cannot ignore discomfort, even if it is physiological and natural. If they last, you need to consult a specialist.

Extraneous sounds in the ear are not normal, especially if they interfere with your sleep, social interactions, and work responsibilities. At discomfort It’s better to protect yourself, not to self-medicate and make diagnoses. Only full medical examination will help identify the cause of squelching in the ear, and in some cases it can be very serious.

Often, when swimming and, especially, when diving, water gets into the ears. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this if it comes out quickly enough. Usually this happens on its own and you don’t even have to specially clean the ear canal. But if water gets in and your ear hurts, what should you do in this case? First try to get rid of it yourself. If such attempts fail, still consult a doctor.

Causes and consequences

With regular and proper care behind the ears and usually water that gets into the ear flows out freely. But for some reason she cannot do this, and then some efforts have to be made to get her out of there. Most often, water is retained in the ear due to:

  • structural features of the ear canal, which is too twisted or very narrow;
  • the presence of cerumen plug, which swells when exposed to water and completely blocks the ear canal;
  • proliferation bone tissue inside the auricle, which changes its configuration.

Clean water getting into the ear does not cause any particular trouble. It doesn’t even interfere with the eardrum’s ability to detect external sounds.

However, a humid environment provides excellent conditions for the active reproduction of pathogenic bacteria, which subsequently becomes the cause of the development various diseases: otomycosis, purulent otitis, inflammation of the middle or inner ear and others. Especially if it is water from polluted open reservoirs, which, moreover, may contain insect larvae and other microorganisms.

Swimmer's ear

More often chronic diseases ear infections occur in athletes who regularly engage in swimming and diving. An additional factor, activating inflammatory processes is regular hypothermia due to prolonged exposure to water. Therefore, if after completing training you do not immediately remove water from your ears, then the risk of earning otitis externa, which has another name - swimmer's ear.

It is very easy to determine the onset of the disease yourself. Its first symptom is a clicking sound in the ear, as if water had entered, even if in fact it is no longer there.

If you grab your earlobe with your fingers and gently pull it down, you will see sharp pain. This means that you need to go to the doctor immediately, since the only quick treatment for swimmer's ear is a course of antibiotics, and if severe itching– also hydrocortisone ointment. With timely treatment, the disease goes away very quickly and without consequences.

How to remove water

Therefore, if under any circumstances, especially after swimming in open fresh water, water still gets in and gets stuck in your ear, what should you do? You should try to remove it yourself. Here are some of the most simple ways how to get water out of your ear:

If the cause of water retention in the ear is sulfur plug, then you can try to soften it by dropping a solution of hydrogen peroxide into your ear. After 5-10 minutes, you need to carefully clean the ear canal with cotton swabs, step by step removing excess wax and remaining water.

If after this there is still congestion and a feeling of water in the ear, you will have to go to the hospital and have it professionally rinsed. The procedure is simple and practically painless, so you should not be afraid of it.

Precautions

But it is better not to allow water to get deep inside the ear at all. Moreover, very simple measures can help with this. People prone to otitis media should wear a rubber cap that fits tightly to their ears when swimming. You can close the ear canal with earplugs or regular cotton wool coated with Vaseline. Also in the pharmacy chain today there are soft paraffin plugs that are easily removed after bathing.

It is especially important to monitor water entry into the ear canal in children. The structure of their auricle is slightly different from that of adults, since the size of the auditory opening does not change throughout life. This means that the baby’s joint is too wide and not so well protected. auricle like adults. In addition, the child does not always complain of unpleasant sensations and the problem may become apparent only when acute pain occurs.

Therefore, when bathing infant his head must be kept above the water at all times so that water does not get into his ears. After water procedures, be sure to dry them with a towel and then clean them with cotton swabs.

Older children should be taught to jump a little after bathing, tilting their head first to one shoulder and then to the other. And be sure to explain how important it is to say that there is water left in the ear.

Major diseases

The feeling as if there is water in the ear can also occur with various ear diseases. Then you won’t be able to get rid of it using the methods described above. But this symptom should never be ignored, hoping that it will go away on its own. It can signal the onset of the inflammatory process and occurs when:

  • barotrauma of the middle or inner ear;
  • complicated purulent otitis;
  • inflammation of the eustachian tube;
  • advanced fungal infection.

Therefore, if you have not bathed, taken a shower or bath, and have not performed any water procedures, but you have a persistent feeling that water is overflowing in your ear, which does not go away within 1-2 days, you should consult an otolaryngologist .

Very rarely, a feeling as if there is water in the ear occurs with increased arterial or intracranial pressure. Therefore, if a strange feeling of congestion arose suddenly and without contact with water, then you should start by measuring blood pressure. It may be enough to take an antihypertensive or vasodilator drug and the problem will disappear.