Pain behind the ear
General
There are many different causes of behind the ear pain. The type of pain can also differ. For some people it is a dull, unspecific pain, for others the jaw hurts as well and other complaints are possible. The following article deals with the common causes of pain behind the ears, the accompanying symptoms and rough therapeutic approaches for a selection of diseases.
Pain behind the ear
- Upper jaw -
Maxilla - Molar and wisdom tooth -
Dens molaris - Lower jaw -
Mandible - Thyroid -
Glandula thyroidea - Head turner -
Sternocleidomastoid muscle - Belt muscle -
Splenius muscle - Masseter (jaw muscle) -
Masseter muscle - Facial nerve (7th cranial nerve) -
Facial nerve - Mastoid lymph nodes -
Nodi lymphoidei mastoidei
Possible causes:
A - facial palsy
(Paralysis of the facial nerve) -
Facial paralysis and loss
of facial expressions
B - lymph node swelling -
Glandular Pfeiffer fever
(Kiss sickness),
Rubella infection, toxoplasmosis
C. - Toothache - especially
Inflammation of the molars
(Molars)
and wisdom teeth
D. - De Quervain Thyroiditis -
rare inflammatory disease
the thyroid gland
E - Muscular Causes -
muscular tension in the
Area of the neck and
Neck muscles (no picture)
You can find an overview of all Dr-Gumpert images at: medical illustrations
Swelling of the lymph nodes
There are lymph nodes behind the ears. Their position is therefore called retroauricular. Like the rest of the lymph nodes, these lymph nodes fulfill tasks of the immune system. In the context of immunological reactions, as e.g. at Inflammation and Infectious diseases occur, lymph nodes can swell. An example of this is Pfeiffer's glandular fever, which is caused by the Ebstein Barr virus. Young people in particular suffer from this disease. A painful swelling of the lymph nodes is quite normal here, so that pain behind the ears can also occur. But also Respiratory infections, Tonsillitis and Tooth infections very often lead to painful swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck and head. The lymph nodes behind the ear are then swollen, tend to be tender and can be pushed against the ground. Such a retroauricular swelling is harmless and usually disappears on its own within two weeks. Any swelling that persists for more than three weeks should be checked by a doctor, primarily to rule out a malignant cause. In the context of protracted illnesses such as glandular fever and inflammation, such painful swelling of the lymph nodes behind the ear can persist for more than three weeks. However, these lymph node swellings do not require special therapy. The underlying infection or inflammation is treated individually. When the cause goes away, the pain behind the ears goes away too.
Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen relieve the discomfort and pain and can be taken if necessary. However, it is important to clarify what the cause of the swelling is. Bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, allergic reactions or diseases of the immune system are possible. In addition, metabolic diseases, diseases of the lymphatic system and also malignant diseases (cancer) be the cause. Malignant lymph node swelling is usually very firm and cannot be moved. Often times it doesn't hurt either. Pressure on surrounding structures can still cause pain behind the ear, so this should be kept in mind. Therapy here usually consists of the surgical removal of the primary tumors as well as chemotherapy and / or radiation.
Facial palsy
Facial palsy is a paralysis of the facial nerve. This cranial nerve primarily supplies the muscles of the face, which leads to paralysis of the face and loss of facial expressions. Such a facial paralysis can have various causes. It can be congenital, acquired, infectious or caused by inflammation. A sudden occurrence without an organic cause is also possible. Facial paralysis can become noticeable a few days in advance as a sudden sharp pain behind the ear. The pain usually occurs behind one of the two ears one to three days before the paresis. Pain in the jaw and neck are also typical. Gradually there are symptoms of paralysis such as drooping corners of the mouth. Such paresis must be treated differently depending on the cause. If the paresis is without organic findings, it usually goes away on its own after a while. The pain usually only appears at the beginning as a harbinger. Pain medication and cortisone preparations can also alleviate the symptoms. In the case of organic causes such as an existing infection or an underlying malignant disease, causal therapy (e.g. with antibiotics or cytostatics) eliminates the symptoms.
Read more on this topic at: Facial palsy
Muscular causes
A fairly common cause of pain behind the ears is muscular tension in the neck and throat muscles. Such tension can sometimes be felt as hardening. Tilting or turning the head can cause additional pain. Also one Tension the jaw muscles can cause pain behind the ear. The spatial proximity of the jaw to the ears explains why the pain can also be felt there. It can help massage muscles and do stretching exercises. If the pain is very severe, a physical therapy be necessary. Pain-relieving drugs such as ibuprofen or diclofenac can also effectively alleviate the symptoms. For very stubborn tension, there are also active ingredients that relax the muscles. Such drugs are called muscle relaxants. However, it is important to strengthen your muscles through exercises so that the symptoms do not recur.
Toothache
Inflammation of the teeth, especially the wisdom teeth, can sometimes spread to behind the ears. So if you have wisdom teeth, it is advisable to consult a dentist. But the molars can also be affected by inflammation and so painful.Here, too, pain behind the ears occasionally occurs.
Jaw pain
Pain in the bony or muscular structures of the jaw can also show up behind the ear.
Please also read our article on this Pain in jaw and ear.
De Quervain thyroiditis
Pain behind the ear can also be an indication of a rare inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland be. The reason for this is not yet entirely clear, but there seems to be a certain genetic predisposition and a connection with respiratory infections. When pressure is on the thyroid gland, it typically hurts behind the ears. Join in Symptoms like fever, Exhaustion, Headache and Thyroid pain. This rare form of the Inflammation of the thyroid gland usually heals spontaneously on its own. However, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen) or high dose Glucocorticoids like Prednisolone are given. Since the pain behind the ear usually leads the patient to the ENT or dentist, the diagnosis of such an inflammation of the thyroid gland is often only confirmed after consulting several doctors.
Nerve pain
Many small and larger nerve branches run behind the ears. At a neuralgiasuch as, for example, after a herpes zoster infection (Shingles) can occur (Post-zoster neuralgia), nerve pain can also occur behind the ear. For example, neuralgia develops after infections but also from pressure and stretching of nerves, in the course of metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and others. It is pain in the supply area of peripheral nerves. Here, too, the therapy is the cause. Painkillers and are used to relieve the symptoms Anti-inflammatories.
Craniomandibular Dysfunction
A craniomandibular dysfunction is understood to mean a wide variety of things Dysregulations of the Muscle and / or joint functions of the temporomandibular joints. These can have different causes. Clinical symptoms are, of course, in the first place Discomfort when chewing but also radiating pain on the face, head, neck and also behind the ears. A tinnitus, earache, dizziness and other symptoms can also occur. The therapy is extensive and includes drug, psychotherapeutic, physiotherapeutic and other therapeutic approaches such as. the nerve stimulation. It is important to counteract the chronicity of the pain, as therapy is then very difficult. Above all, it is important to inform the patient comprehensively about the various therapeutic approaches in order to achieve good cooperation.
Summary
Pain behind the ears can have many different causes. You can nervous or of muscular origin but also in the course of a simple cold occur. It is often the lymph node swelling that is causing the pain. Also Diseases of Jaws, of the teeth and the thyroid can cause the pain. So you can see that pain behind the ears can be an expression of a wide variety of clinical pictures. But mostly they are only of a temporary and harmless nature.
