It’s never easy to see a child struggling through the pain of an ear infection. Have you ever wondered whether there are at least ways to reduce that pain and “take the edge off”? Dr. Natalie McKee, Au.D. offers some tips that could help bring a little comfort during that challenging healing process. Watch more Q&As, then schedule your appointment with us at either our Bloomington or Pontiac locations.
I’m Dr. Natalie McKee at Bloomington-Normal Audiology, and welcome to I Hear You, where the audiologists at BNA answer your hearing-related questions. Grace in Bloomington asks, “How can I reduce the pain for my child when they get an ear infection?” And that can be hard. Kids can’t always tell you exactly what hurts or where, and so there are some home things you can do to help them. And you may just have to run through the list and see what works. So some of the things you can try are over-the-counter pain relievers, which you want to be careful about, depending on the age of your child. Always follow the directions and if you’re not sure, be sure to ask your pediatrician on that. Simpler things like warm or cold compresses might work better, depending on which feels better to your child. So, an ice pack…and you probably don’t want to put it directly on the skin. Put something over it to create a barrier between the pack and the skin. You can use a heating pad so you can control the temperature, or sometimes taking a wash cloth and getting it damp and warming it up in the microwave, that steam, allowing that to travel into the canal can be very soothing for an inflamed ear as well. Kind of in combination with those things, a gentle massage around the ear or down the neck, which is where people tend to report that it hurts the most, you can kinda rub and, with the heat or the cold, and maybe get some relief in that way. And the last thing you could try is having them sleep elevated, or with the ear that is in pain up, to relieve pressure from being placed on it. But sleeping upright, or elevated a little bit, if the ear is trying to drain, if there’s fluid and you’re trying to drain, being in that upright position can help that gravity take effect and hopefully clear that canal, the middle-ear space, a little bit faster. If you try those at-home things and they don’t seem to be working, you’re gonna want to reach back out to your pediatrician and let them know that it’s not getting any better, and you may need to come in for a visit, or be referred to an ENT if it’s a persistent issue, just to see if you can get a better handle on it. Hope that helped! If you have more questions, let us know. I’m Dr. Natalie McKee from Bloomington-Normal Audiology, and we’re ‘hear’ for you.