What should you know about air in ear pain?

This can occur when the tube that ventilates the middle ear is not equalising pressure well. A cold, sinus congestion or a middle-ear problem may contribute, while wax or irritation in the ear canal can cause a different blocked sensation.

The eustachian tube joins the middle ear to the back of the nose. Swelling around this passage can create fullness, muffled hearing, clicks or pain as pressure shifts. Middle-ear infection commonly presents with ear pain and may also bring fever, reduced hearing or fluid behind the eardrum.

Pain can also be referred from the throat, jaw or nearby structures, so the location you feel does not always identify the source. An ear examination helps distinguish canal blockage, eardrum changes and pain coming from elsewhere.

Swallowing, sipping water or gentle yawning may help a mild pressure sensation. Rest, fluids and an appropriate non-prescription pain reliever may be useful if you can take it safely; follow its label and check with a pharmacist if you have other conditions or medicines.

Keep objects, cotton buds, oils and unprescribed drops out of the ear, particularly if there is discharge or a possible eardrum injury. Antibiotics are not suitable for every earache and should be used only after a clinician identifies a reason for them.

Get urgent help for sudden hearing loss, severe dizziness, facial weakness, swelling or redness behind the ear, a serious head injury, or blood or clear fluid draining from the ear. Breathing difficulty or marked throat swelling also requires urgent assessment.

Book a clinical review when pain is severe, keeps returning, is accompanied by fever or discharge, or does not settle. A young child who appears very unwell, unusually drowsy or difficult to comfort should be assessed promptly.

Describe when the pressure began, whether hearing changed, and whether swallowing, travel, congestion or jaw movement affects it. Ask what the eardrum and ear canal look like, whether the pain may come from the throat or jaw, and which treatment matches the examination.