What should you know about ear pain due to water inside?

Water can remain in the outer canal after bathing or swimming and make the skin feel tight, itchy or sore. Swelling from irritation can create a blocked sensation even after the water has drained. Earwax Buildup can trap moisture and reduce hearing, making the ear feel full. Pressure behind the eardrum from a cold, Sinusitis or a Middle Ear Infection may feel like fluid even when no water is present in the canal. Pain when the outer ear is pulled suggests canal irritation; deep pressure, fever or illness may suggest a different source.

Let the affected ear face downward and gently move the earlobe to encourage drainage. Dry the outer ear with a towel and keep it dry for now. Avoid cotton buds, fingers, hairdryers on hot settings, ear candles and unapproved drops. Do not try to flush the ear, especially if you have ear tubes, a perforated eardrum, previous ear surgery or discharge. If the blocked feeling continues, arrange an examination rather than repeatedly trying to remove it yourself.

Contact a clinician if pain remains after the ear is dry, hearing is reduced, or the ear becomes itchy, swollen or tender. Seek prompt help for pus, blood, fever, severe dizziness, vomiting, facial weakness or pain behind the ear. A clinician can inspect the canal and eardrum and decide whether cleaning, drops or another treatment is appropriate. Antibiotic Treatment should not be started without a diagnosis.

Ask whether the sensation is caused by moisture, wax, canal inflammation or middle-ear pressure, and whether the eardrum is intact. Tell the clinician about recent swimming, attempts to clean the ear, hearing changes, discharge, fever, ear tubes or past surgery.