There are other symptoms of a cold that are less common than the widely recognized runny nose. Occasionally, a cold can go into one or both ears, though you rarely hear about those. While you might generally consider colds as harmless, here’s why this ear-related cold symptom should never be disregarded.
What does a cold in your ear feel like?
It’s not abnormal to feel some congestion in your ears when you’re experiencing a common cold. After all, your sinuses and ears are linked. Usually, when you use a decongestant for sinus relief, this blockage will also be relieved.
But if you experience pain in the ears, this is something you should never disregard, even during a cold. If the cold moves into the ear, the eardrum can become infected. When it does, inflammation occurs. Inflammation is an immune reaction that causes fluid to build up on the outside of the eardrum. So an individual who is coping with an inflamed eardrum might also experience a gradual leaking of fluid from the ear. This leak is most apparent when you sleep on your side because the leak is so gradual.
This impacts how well you hear in the short term, which is known as conductive hearing loss. But long term hearing loss can also occur if this inflammation forces the eardrum to burst. Sensorineural hearing loss, which is injury to the nerves of the ear, can then occur.
It could be costly if you wait
If you’re noticing ear pain, have your ears examined by us. In many cases, a primary physician assumes that the ear symptoms will clear themselves up when the primary cold does. Occasionally, a patient will even forget to mention any pain they may be experiencing in their ear. But the infection has most likely reached the point where it’s doing damage to the ear if you’re feeling pain. In order to prevent additional damage, the ear infection needs to be promptly addressed.
Many people who develop pain in their ear during a cold, get over their cold only to find that the ear pain lingers. Most people typically decide to consult a hearing specialist at this time. But at this point, a lot of damage has already been done. Irreversible hearing loss is frequently the result and that’s even more true with individuals who get ear infections frequently.
Every time you have an infection, eardrum lacerations and scar tissue can occur which, over time, can affect hearing clarity. In a normal, healthy individual, the eardrum serves as a boundary between the middle ear and inner ear. If the eardrum becomes perforated even once, then the infection that was previously restricted to the middle ear can now enter the inner ear, where it can harm the irreplaceable tiny nerve cells that you need to hear.
What should you do if you waited to address that ear infection?
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Most people simply assume ear pain with a cold is normal when it really points to a much more significant cold infection. If you are dealing with continued hearing loss after a cold, it’s best to make an appointment with us as soon as possible.
We can determine whether the hearing loss is short-term (conductive). You may need to have an obstruction professionally removed if this is the case. If the hearing loss is permanent (sensorineural), we can talk about solutions that will help you hear better, including new hearing technology.
If you’re having trouble hearing after a cold, make an appointment asap.
