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Is Severe Jaw Pain With Sore Ears After An Accident Indicative Of An Ear Injury?
Question: I have recently been struggling with my 1 ear. It used to close up for a few minutes after I was under water but always opened again. A month ago the doctor said I have wax in my ear and it's very dry. It was never a problem and was managed well. 2 weeks ago I had a car accident where a double cab hit my driver's side and my father and I hit our heads together hard. I struggled with my ear for a week after the accident and after a week it just went completely closed. I tried to nurse it for 2 days but afterwards saw a doctor. He first tried to wash it out which was extremely painful. Then he prescribed cerumol and I went back 3 days later to try and flush the wax out again. But the wax was still hard and flushing out was agonizing. He said it looks like there is blood mixed in the wax. I've had unbelievable pain for almost a week. To the point where I can't go 4 hours without pain medication and my jaw hurts. I'm worried that my eardrum burst? I was not checked out by paramedics after my accident as I didn't have a scratch on me and looked fine but I remember have a sore neck and associated the sore ear with whiplash from the accident. Had a sore ear for about 48 hours and a bad headache. Please assist.
Brief Answer:
Unlikely an ear injury during accident
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
There were no obvious signs of ear drum injury with no evidence of blood oozing out.
Second, the doctor would have found a damaged eardrum during an otoscopic examination unless the wax is obstructing the view.
So I do not suspect an eardrum injury during an accident. An eardrum injury can happen with constant ear pocking, cleaning of the ear.
Please do not worry it would heal on its own even if there was an injury.
I generally ask my patients to use Cerumol for 7 days to come back for cleaning in case of tough wax.
I think you can better do that as well. It also takes care of wax mixed with blood.
Second, if you try to take out tough wax it pains a lot and such pain can transfer the jaws while chewing food.
So proper pain medication should be taken to tolerate such pain.
So use Cerumol for a week and go back to the doctor.
For the pain, you can still use the same pain medication.
It is common to have a headache and sore ear after banging the head.
Hope I have answered your query.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Suma Parinam, General & Family Physician
Unlikely an ear injury during accident
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
There were no obvious signs of ear drum injury with no evidence of blood oozing out.
Second, the doctor would have found a damaged eardrum during an otoscopic examination unless the wax is obstructing the view.
So I do not suspect an eardrum injury during an accident. An eardrum injury can happen with constant ear pocking, cleaning of the ear.
Please do not worry it would heal on its own even if there was an injury.
I generally ask my patients to use Cerumol for 7 days to come back for cleaning in case of tough wax.
I think you can better do that as well. It also takes care of wax mixed with blood.
Second, if you try to take out tough wax it pains a lot and such pain can transfer the jaws while chewing food.
So proper pain medication should be taken to tolerate such pain.
So use Cerumol for a week and go back to the doctor.
For the pain, you can still use the same pain medication.
It is common to have a headache and sore ear after banging the head.
Hope I have answered your query.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Suma Parinam, General & Family Physician
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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