It is scary to swallow even your own saliva due to ear pain. Sounds familiar? Usually, people who experience ear pain have ear infections. However, there are conditions when sharp ear pain is a result of nerve irritation or damage.
Symptoms of Ear Pain When Swallowing
These are the most common complaints of people with ear pain when swallowing:
- Stabbing ear pain when swallowing saliva
- Ear ache when moving tongue
- Ear pain when moving tongue side to side
- Sharp ear pain when swallowing food or water
What causes ear pain when swallowing?
When you have ear infection, the lining of the ears swells and it will give you either a left or right ear pain when swallowing. This is true for water, solid foods and even your saliva.
Sometimes, colds or sore throat could lead to ear pain when swallowing saliva. The ears and throat are interconnected through a tube called Eustachian tube. When the throat is irritated, it is not impossible for the ears to feel sharp pain. Therefore, when you have sore throat and you swallow, the ears will feel pain because the nerves under your tongue and upper throat are connected to the ears.
On the other hand, an inner ear pain may be due to infections in the ear itself. It may not be a result of another illness.
Other Causes Of Ear Pain
- Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ Pain)
- Insect inside the ears
- Bacterial infection
- Excessive ear wax discharge
- Allergies to medicines
Treatment for Ear Pain When Swallowing
If you can, try to minimize ear pain by taking simple pain relievers. Mefenamic Acid or Ibuprofen will work wonders. However, you need to first reduce the swelling in the ear lining using honey or anti inflammatory sprays. For throat related pain, you may use Kamilosan M spray which is very good in reducing swelling in the nasal cavities and throat.
Seek medical attention if you experience hearing loss or any other symptoms like headache, fever and dizziness.
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