Despite its name, swimmer’s ear is not a condition exclusive to swimmers. In fact, in order to contract swimmer’s ear, you could be doing as little activity as taking a shower. However, depending on the severity of the condition and whether it is left untreated, the symptoms of swimmer’s ear can become more and more serious.
Here, Audiologist Claire Marshall explains the correlation between swimmer’s ear and hearing loss.
What is swimmer’s ear and where does it come from?
Swimmer’s ear is effectively an infection, where bacteria or fungi has entered the ear canal and causes the delicate skin surrounding the area, to become infected.
Moisture is often the key culprit when it comes to swimmer’s ear. Water that contains bacteria or organisms will put you at the most risk of contracting swimmer’s ear – whether the water is from an outside source such as a stagnant body of water (the type often used in obstacle course races or mud runs) a swimming pool, a hot tub or just your own shower.
Unless your ear is cleaned and thoroughly dried after coming into contact with water, any moisture left behind can become trapped in the ear canal, which then becomes the ideal breeding ground for bacteria to thrive.
The warning signs of swimmer’s ear
In order to protect yourself against the consequences of swimmer’s ear, it’s beneficial to be aware of the warning signs at the outset of the infection. This is because, the sooner that swimmer’s ear can be treated, the better.
Warning signs include:
- Itchy ear canal
- Inflamed ear canal
- The inside of your ear becoming slightly red
- Clear fluid leaking from your ear
- Slight pain and discomfort in your ear
In most cases, if your swimmer’s ear is treated at this stage, then it should go away completely in as little as 24-48 hours.
At this stage, you shouldn’t be experiencing any adverse effects on your ability to hear.
Symptoms of untreated swimmer’s ear
If the initial warning signs of swimmer’s ear have gone untreated – either because you’ve ignored them or because you’ve not considered that one or more symptoms may relate to an infection like swimmer’s ear, then your swimmer’s ear is likely to become progressively worse.
You can tell that your swimmer’s ear is becoming more advanced if you experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Increased pain and discomfort in your ear
- More intense itchiness
- The inside of your ear becoming bright red
- Greater amounts of fluid leaking from your ear
- Some pus leaking from your ear
At this point, you may be experiencing some difficulty in hearing as well as you usually can. It may feel as though your ear canal is becoming blocked, making some sounds slightly muffled.
Symptoms of advanced swimmer’s ear
If you still do not receive treatment for swimmer’s ear, or if the treatment that you have received is not working (for example, if you have bought an over-the-counter remedy that is not sufficient for your specific case), then symptoms of swimmer’s ear can worsen still.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, it is important to seek professional help from an audiologist, GP or even from A&E, as soon as you can:
- Severe pain in your ear
- Pain that has begun to radiate into your face and neck
- The feeling of pressure in your ear
- Your ear canal becoming blocked
- Swelling inside and outside your ear
- Swelling in your lymph nodes
- A fever
If your swimmer’s ear reaches this stage, then you may find that you struggle to hear at all. Your ear canal may have become blocked, which will prevent you from being able to hear well, if at all, out of the infected ear.
Any hearing loss caused by swimmer’s ear will usually completely go away following specialist treatment, but in severe cases where an advanced case of swimmer’s ear is difficult to treat, hearing loss may come and go on a recurring basis.
Speak to an audiologist specialising in swimmer’s ear
For advice about whether or not you have swimmer’s ear, at whatever stage of the infection, you are welcome to contact our swimmer’s ear specialists. We will be happy to help you as soon as possible, to prevent the pain and potential hearing loss that swimmer’s ear can cause.
Call us to arrange an appointment at our Leicester clinic on 0116 254 3909 or email us at info@hearcentre.com
