Suggest Treatment For Persistent Ear Pain In A Child

Posted on Wed, 13 Apr 2016

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

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 Answered on

Wed, 8 Jun 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : My 7 year old daughter has had an ear ache for a few days. She had the same issue a couple months ago as well. Was going to take her to the doctor again but now the ear is draining and the pain is subsiding. Is this normal or should we get her to the doctor?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
yes, it means ear drum has likely ruptured due to infection

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Yes, it would be best to take her to be seen.

The pain was likely due to an ear infection , it has likely improved because the ear drum which was inflamed, has ruptured.

Rupture of the ear drum due to infection can result in drainage.

She would need treatment for the infection. Oral antibiotics would likely be prescribed as treatment.

The ear drum would heal though this can take a few weeks in some cases.
She may or may not experience symptoms related to the ear drum rupture eg decrease hearing, dizziness, tinnitus (abnormal noises in the ear eg buzzing, ringing etc).

These symptoms resolve as the ear drum heals

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

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