Swimmer's Ear - Symptoms and Causes

What Is A Swimmer's Ear?

Swimmer's ear is an infection of the middle ear. While swimming, especially in cold water, bacteria can build up and cause inflammation which leads to pain, hearing loss, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

Symptoms of swimmer's ear include high fever, an enlarged lymph node behind the jaw (known as tonsillar erythema), painful ear canal swelling, tiredness or dizziness after swimming, swollen auditory canal with dense exudate on both sides of the external auditory meatus (the hole leading into your head) and/or discharge that smells like rotten eggs.

Swimmer's ear can also occur after scuba diving or diving in water so cold you get a "face-bite" (that feeling when you get too cold and your face turns numb and turns white). These symptoms can be confused with:

What Is The Difference Between A Swimmer's Ear And Otitis Externa?

Otitis externa can be caused by bacteria that survive swimming in the ears. It is often treated with antibiotics, but many people do not experience any symptoms. In contrast, a swimmer's ear is caused by an infection from swimming in warm or hot water. This condition is most commonly caused by yeast, but may also be caused by bacteria. The infection leads to inflammation in the ear canal.

How Do You Get A Swimmer's Ear?

Swimmer's ear is more prevalent when the water temperature is cool or cold, but it may also occur when swimming in water that is warm. Bacteria grow in the warm or hot environment that exists in the inner ear canal when you are swimming.

This causes an infection that leads to inflammation, resulting in pain and hearing loss. Common bacterial infections include pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus. Swimmer's ear can also be caused by yeast infections (fungal).

A swimmer's ear can occur after swimming in water that is contaminated. It can also develop after swimming in lakes and rivers, especially if you bend your head forward and allow water to run into the ear canal (known as "the cupped-hand technique").

This technique is often used by triathletes, marathon swimmers, and military personnel. After swimming in open water, an infection occurs when water is trapped behind the eardrum due to a perforated eardrum or a large amount of wax (cerumen) blocking the eardrum.

The perforated or swollen eardrum may cause pain. When this happens, your body reacts by sending white blood cells to fight off the infection.

Frequently Asked Questions On Swimmer’s Ear

What Is The Treatment For A Swimmer's Ear?

If you think you have a swimmer's ear, medication is not needed in most cases and the infection and inflammation in your ear can resolve on their own.

You can clean your ears with a warm washcloth every night and gently apply antibiotic ointment three to four times a day. A steroid nasal spray (see below) may also help. If the infection does not improve or if ear pain becomes severe, you will need to see an ENT specialist remove the wax blocking your eardrum.

This is most likely to be done with a special tool called an otoscope. This is the only treatment that you will need.

What Causes The Swimmer's Ear?

The exact cause of the swimmer's ear is unknown, but warm and cold water environments and airborne bacteria seem to play a role. How do you get a swimmer's ear?

Your ears can become infected if any type of bacteria (such as pseudomonas aeruginosa) leaks from your nose or mouth as a result of swimming in hot or cold water. If the bacteria make it into your ears, they can cause inflammation, which leads to infection.

The outer ear (pinna) is covered with a coating of waterproof wax (cerumen), which may cause an increase in infection risk, especially if water or another irritant gets into the ear canal. Bacteria may also get into your ears if you use warm devices like scuba tanks and heated goggles underwater (sometimes referred to as "the face-bite").

What Are Some Other Possible Causes Of Pain In The Ear?

Infection in your ear canal is among the most common causes of ear pain. Other causes of ear pain include:

What Is The Treatment For A Swimmer's Ear?

Swimmer's ear can be treated with antibiotics. However, if the infection does not improve or if you have severe symptoms, you will need to see your family physician or an ENT specialist. Before going to a specialist, make sure you have a full discussion of all possible causes of your symptoms.

If you think you have a swimmer's ear, contact your family physician for further help. Ask about the risks and benefits of antibiotics versus other treatments such as surgery. Also, ask about what is safe during pregnancy and what might happen if you take antibiotics regularly while pregnant.