Protect yourself against ear injuries in the summer!

With summer just around the corner, I know I will start seeing many more patients with ear discomfort and injury. Why? Many ear conditions and injuries arise from things associated with warm weather and more intense outdoor activity, such as water sports, motorcycles and amusement park rides, 4th of July celebrations, flying insects! All of them can create their special problems for your ears if you are not careful. Let me tell you how.

Water sports and other entertainment

Ear infections and barotrauma (changes in southern atmospheric pressure due to wind force or deep water) injuries are the two most common types of injuries that can occur frequently in the summer. This is how they happen:

swimmer’s ear: Water enters the ear canal and destroys its natural acidity that normally controls bacteria. Infections can start deep in the ear and become very painful. Children often have swimmer’s ear, but I see many adult patients with it as well. In fact, you can get swimmer’s ear if water gets in your ear in the shower!

Symptoms are itching at first, a feeling of blockage, decreased hearing, and then pain. However, swimmer’s ear is easily treated with antibiotic ear drops that should relieve symptoms in about 48 hours.

Helpful tips: If you really like diving and/or swimming underwater, wear earplugs. Be sure to dry the outer ear canal so water doesn’t seep into the inner ear. To prevent infection, restore the acid balance by infusing 3-4 drops of a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol into the ears. The vinegar restores the acid balance and the alcohol dries the water. Don’t wear Q-tips in your ears! Not only can your hand slip and cause a penetration injury to the eardrum, but also small cotton fibers can get stuck in your ear and cause an infection.

Diving, Jet Ski, Kite Surf and Motorcycles: When the pressure from the wind (as in jet skis, motorcycles, or kitesurfing) or deep water (scuba diving) is not equalized, it can damage the eardrum. Symptoms include ringing in the ears, hearing loss, or blood coming out of the ear.

Helpful tips: If you have trouble equalizing pressure while diving, get up in the water as long as you can. Don’t go diving if you already have a cold or sinus infection, as this puts extra pressure on your inner ear. If you go jet skiing, windsurfing, kite surfing, cover your ears with a neoprene hood made for water sports and/or earplugs. To ride a motorcycle, keep your helmet on, with your head facing forward. Turning it to the side allows wind to enter the ear canal at high pressure. Not only can you blow dirt and bugs into your ear, but the pressure alone can damage your hearing.

surfer ear: This is an overgrowth of bone in the external ear canal that is caused by exposure to cold water and wind. The bony lumps grow in the ear canal and can cause infections and a feeling of stuffiness and deafness. It is prevalent among cold water surfers, people who jet ski, windsurf, kite surf or participate in any water sport where high pressure wind affects their ears. Surgery is usually the treatment of choice to remove bony growths.

Amusement park: Riding roller coasters and sudden drop-type amusement park rides can cause a loss of pressure in the ears, in the same way that deep water can damage the eardrum. Researchers studied people riding tall, fast roller coasters and found that if they turned their heads even slightly during the first big drop, the high-pressure air forced into the ear canal was significant enough to cause hearing loss.

Helpful tips: Wear a neoprene hood or swim cap for water or kitesurfing to keep your ears covered. Wear earplugs and keep your head facing forward if you want to brave the extreme height of roller coasters or “sudden drop” type rides.

the noise of summer

With hot weather comes noisy building/road construction, 4th of July celebrations, loud rock concerts, car races, even lawnmowers, all of which can damage your hearing. Let me share with you how loud noise from situations like this can insult your ears.

Firecrackers, concerts, car races: If you’ve ever shot off M-80 firecrackers or cherry bombs on the 4th of July, you know how loud they can be up close. If you attend an outdoor fireworks light show, these rapid-fire, percussive explosions can have the same effect on your ears as being in a war zone with shells exploding. Similarly, have you ever been to an outdoor rock concert or car race and seen people put their hands over their ears? Typically these events are very loud in the 90 to 140 decibel range. Anything above 80 db can permanently damage your hearing. At best, it can leave your hearing muffled for several hours afterwards.

Helpful tips: You go to fireworks shows for the beautiful colors and patterns that burst against the night sky, not for the explosive noise they make. Do yourself a favor and protect your ears, wear earplugs! For concerts and car races, yes, it’s great to be close to the stage or track, but your ears will thank you for seats further back or garden tickets.

Building/road construction, lawnmowers: I don’t know what’s louder, jackhammers or those high-speed, high-pitched saws that cut through steel. If you live or work near this type of very loud decibel construction and find that you have to yell to talk to someone, it is too loud for the safety of your ears and hearing. Likewise, lawn services with those big, noisy lawnmowers on yours or your neighbors’ lawn all summer long can negatively affect your hearing.

Helpful tips: Again, get some ear plugs. Try to muffle the noise by keeping your windows closed and placing heavy sound-deadening curtains over them.

Insects, dirt and other flies

It may sound like something out of an urban legend, but bugs really do get into people’s ears, eyes, and mouths! In fact, it has happened to several of my patients. Most of the time, this occurs while riding a bike and you encounter flying insects at the right angle to your ear. It can also happen when you are swimming because insects floating in the water see a safe haven for swimming.

Likewise, dirt or other flying debris can get into your ears when working outdoors, especially if it’s windy and you’re clearing bushes or gardening, where debris can easily land on your ears. This type of ear intrusion can cause inflammation and irritation for both you and your ear.

Helpful tips: If an insect, dirt, or debris gets into your ear, do not insert your finger or any other object, such as cotton swabs or tweezers, into the ear to try to remove it. This can cause an insect to sting or bite, and/or push whatever is there further into your ear canal. Instead, put some baby oil or olive oil in a dropper and put several drops in your ear. Then lie down with the affected ear facing down. The oil will usually suffocate an insect and float away. Likewise, dirt or other debris should also be able to float away. It might be best to seek medical attention, as a doctor can safely flush your ear to remove any obstructions.

Cuts, Bumps and Bruises

If you cut or scratch your ear in any way, apply pressure if it bleeds a lot. The external ears are very rich in blood vessels and can bleed profusely. Seek immediate medical attention if tissue has been lost from the ear and the bleeding does not stop after 5 minutes of pressure. For smaller scrapes, gently clean with warm soapy water or hydrogen peroxide. Apply a pressure bandage and some ice to prevent swelling and pain. See your doctor if the swelling or pain does not go away.

If you are hit in the ear with a flying object, such as a baseball, Frisbee, or stone, seek medical attention as soon as possible to determine that there is no damage to the inner ear.

Although summer sports and outdoor fun have their own particular ear health and safety concerns, taking a few precautions ahead of time can help ensure you don’t damage your hearing or inner ear. Accidents always happen, especially in the summer, but using a little common sense can minimize any permanent damage to your hearing and allow you to enjoy all the fun summer can bring.