Ear pain during swimming: causes and care

Outer-ear inflammation can cause pain when the ear is pulled or the tragus is pressed. Earwax Buildup may trap water and make hearing feel muffled. A Middle Ear Infection is deeper behind the eardrum and may cause pressure, fever, or pain that is not limited to touching the outer ear. A cold or Sinusitis can cause ear pressure even when water was not the cause.

Tilt your head to let water drain, then dry the outer ear gently with a towel. A hairdryer on a cool or low setting held at a safe distance may help remove surface moisture. Avoid cotton buds, hairpins, and homemade drops, particularly if you have a hole in the eardrum, ear tubes, or previous ear surgery. Use well-fitting swim ear protection if a clinician says it is appropriate. Do not swim again while pain or discharge continues.

Arrange medical advice for pain that persists, worsening tenderness, itching with swelling, reduced hearing, or fluid from the ear. Seek urgent help for severe pain, fever with marked illness, spreading redness, facial weakness, or severe dizziness. People with diabetes, reduced immunity, or a history of ear surgery should seek advice sooner rather than treating the canal themselves.

Ask whether the canal is inflamed, whether wax is blocking it, and whether the eardrum is intact. Ask when it is safe to swim again and which preventive drops or ear protection, if any, fit your ear history.