Yes?
Let's make sure you are not looking at a ruptured eardrum.

Continue

Was this sharp pain followed by bloody drainage from the ear canal?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or emergency room.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Was this sharp pain followed by thick pus-filled drainage from the ear canal?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or emergency room.

Nearest Clinic Continue

What about a spinning sensation after this sharp pain?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or emergency room.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Was it followed by ringing in your ear?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or emergency room.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Is your face feeling weak after this sharp pain?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or emergency room.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Those were signs and symptoms of a ruptured eardrum.

If any applied to you, seek urgent care. You don't want to take chances of hearing loss either now or down the road.

If none apply to you, then let's continue and see what else we may be looking at.

Urgent Care Continue

Yes?
Let's make sure you are not looking at an ear infection.

Continue

Do you have fluid draining from the ear with this earache?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or call the doctor.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Do you feel nausea and/or vomiting with this earache?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or call the doctor.

Nearest Clinic Continue

What about diarrhea with this earache?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or call the doctor.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Is there fullness or hearing loss in the affected ear with this earache?

Yes No

Seek urgent care or call the doctor.

Nearest Clinic Continue

Those were possible signs and symptoms of an ear infection in adults.

Seek urgent care if any applied to you. If none apply to your situation, let's continue

Urgent Care Continue

Let's make sure you are not looking at a swimmer's ear infection.

Continue

Any foul smelling, yellow or yellow-green, pus-like discharge from the ear?

Yes No

Yes?

Continue

Hold the ear lobe or outer ear and wiggle it.

Does this earache get worse?

Yes No

Yes?
Possible swimmer's ear infection. Would you like to see our entry on swimmer's ear?

Swimmer's ear Continue

Push on the little "bump" in front of your ear.

Does this ear pain you already have get worse?

Yes No

Yes?
Possible swimmer's ear infection. Would you like to see the entry on swimmer's ear?

Swimmer's ear Continue

Is the inside of the ear red?

Yes No

Yes?
This is a sign of a swimmer's ear infection.

Would you like to see our entry for swimmer's ear or Continue?

Swimmer's ear Continue

Those were some of the signs and symptoms of a swimmer's ear infection.

If they apply to you, seek urgent care or call the doctor. You will need antibiotic or steroidal ear drops among other things. None of these are available over-the-counter.

If none apply to you or you don't think this is swimmer's ear infection, let's continue and figure this earache out.

Urgent Care Continue

Let's make sure you are not looking at temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.

Continue

Try opening or closing the mouth.

Does the jaw joint "crack" when doing this?

Yes No

Yes?
Hope we are not looking at TMJ.
Let's Continue.

Continue

Alright
What about jaw pain or tenderness of the jaw...

...With this ear pain?

Yes No

Yes?
Hmmm, hope you are not looking at TMJ

Continue

Does your jaw lock?

Yes No

It locks?
We are thinking TMJ.

Continue

Alright. Are you experiencing a dull, aching pain in the face?

Yes No

Yes?
This can be a symptom of TMJ disorder.

If you are looking at these symptoms, you will have to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Continue

Well.
Those were the signs and symptoms of a TMJ disorder.

If you think you are looking at one, see a dentist or call your doctor for complete evaluation.

If not, let's continue and see what else might be causing this earache you are experiencing before we see what a pharmacist recommend you use over-the-counter.

Dentist Continue

Yes?
Let's rule out earwax blockade.

Continue

Are you hearing noises in the affected ear?

Yes No

Continue

Does the ear feel full to you with a partial hearing loss?

Yes No

Yes?
This is a symptom of earwax blocking the ear canal.

If a feeling of fullness in the ear or partial hearing loss is what you are experiencing with this ear pain, we may probably be looking at earwax blocking the ear canal. Check out the entry for earwax for a more detailed discussion.

If this is not the case, let's continue.

Earwax Continue

Alright
We just went through some of the signs of earwax blocking the ear canal.

If a feeling of fullness in the ear or partial hearing loss is what you are experiencing with this ear pain, we may probably be looking at earwax blocking the ear canal. Check out the entry for earwax for a more detailed discussion.

If this is not the case, let's continue.

Earwax Continue

Yes?
You may have a toothache pain that is radiating to the ear on the same side.

Would you like to see our entry for tootache or Continue if you don't think so?

Toothache Continue

Are you hearing fluid in the ear that yawning or coughing cannot get rid of with this earache?

Yes No

Yes?

Continue

What about feeling pressure in the ear that yawning or coughing does not get rid of?

Yes No

Yes?
More than likely looking at a sinus pressure situation causing the earache.

Pressure in the sinus cavities from a cold or sinus infection can increase the pressure in the middle ear causing it to ache.

Continue

Alright
We tried to look at causes of earache.

Other causes of earache that you may come accross include earache during or after a flight (Barotruama).

For what may be causing your earache that we did not touch, seek urgent care if the pain is serious or call the primary care doctor.

Let's see what a pharmacist recommend until you can do that.

Urgent Care Pharmacist

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