The painful ear.

The article presents an examination of the painful ear. Otalgia is very common problem. The most practical way to diagnose it is to subdivide it into site of origin, pinna, external auditory meatus, middle ear or referred pain. The most common cause of otalgia is otitis externa. It is frequently caused by trauma from poking things into the ear. The best management of this condition is to take a swab and treat with a short course of topical antibiotics with steroid. Acute suppurative otitis media is often bacterial, and usually streptococcal. It travels into the middle ear via the eustachian tube, a tympanic perforation or the bloodstream. Patients often complain of a severe ear ache and deafness.