Getting Headache And Felt Swelling In Outer Ear. Is This The Cause Of Concern?

Posted on Fri, 18 Jan 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 Answered on

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : grandson complaining that his helix (top part of outer ear) feels like it is big or bit by a bug and now has a headache. Ears are not big or swollen.

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. Get his pinna, ear canal and ear drum checked by an ENT Specialist, especially since he has a headache.

2. Pain in the upper pinna and helix without any signs of inflammation may be a referred pain. The ear is innervated by multiple nerves which supply a large area of the head, neck, chest and abdomen. Hence a search must be made in these regions.

3. Specifically, in his case, the regions supplied by the greater auricular nerve Cervical Spine C2, C3) and the auriculo-temporal nerve (Trigeminal Cranial Nerve V).

4. Sometimes sleeping only on one ear causing pinching of the ear cartilage may cause a similar pain with no signs of inflammation.

5. If all examinations are normal, you may give him a trial of a pain killer, anti-inflammatory medication for a couple of days.

I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar