When you need urgent care, we offer same-day and walk-in appointments. If you have the following symptoms, come in right away: If your ear still hurts after your cold clears up or your allergies have calmed down, make an appointment at Woodstock Family Practice & Urgent Care. Often, they get better when the underlying cause goes away. Some ear infections resolve on their own. Will ear infections get better on their own? Smoking, even being around second-hand smoke, can also increase your risk for ear infections, because it damages the tissues in your throat and nose and compromises your immune system. If you get frequent colds or have seasonal allergies, you may be more susceptible to ear infections. The most common cause of this blockage comes from upper respiratory infections, colds, flu, and allergies. When eustachian tubes get clogged or blocked, however, pressure builds up inside your ear, causing pain and diminished hearing. Then, they open up to regulate changes of pressure and allow fluid to drain out though your throat. Under normal circumstances, these tubes rest in a closed position until you chew, swallow, or yawn. Like children, adults get middle ear infections when fluid remains in the eustachian tubes. As your eardrum swells, you may feel pain, as well as a sense that your ear is filled or plugged, which hinders your hearing. This condition, also called otitis media, happens when fluid gets trapped behind your eardrum. Middle ear infections are the most common type.

If your inner ear is inflamed or infected, you may feel nauseated and dizzy. An outer ear infection affects the part of your ear you see and touch, and it’s typically caused by some kind of injury, like a cut or abrasion.Īn inner ear infection is rare and may indicate a serious health condition, such as meningitis. There are three main types of ear infections that can affect you at any age, each named for the part of the ear they infect: inner ear, middle ear, and outer ear. Here’s what you need to know about adult ear infections. James Lee at Woodstock Family Practice & Urgent Care in Woodstock, Georgia, helps children and adults deal with ear infections and their underlying causes. When mucus builds up because of colds or allergies, bacteria set up shop and infect the tissues.Īdults don’t get ear infections as frequently as kids do, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to them. During the early stages of development, their eustachian tubes - the passageway between the nose, throat, and ears - are small, short, and parallel to the ground, so they don’t drain efficiently. Ear infections and childhood go hand in hand because kids get them so easily.

Ear practice