Inner ear pain can be caused by various conditions, and while most cases of inner ear pain are short-lived, other cases can be chronic. Before a treatment plan can be implemented to manage your inner pain, the cause needs to be determined. If you have inner ear pain, here are some interventions you can expect from your urgent care visit. 

History And Physical 

Upon your arrival at the urgent care center, your vital signs will be taken to make sure that you are in stable condition. The healthcare provider will then ask you some questions about your signs and symptoms, which is called a medical history. They may ask you to describe the characteristics of your pain such as dull, sharp, or shooting pain.

The healthcare provider may also want to know if you had a recent upper respiratory infection, if you have any ear drainage or itching, have trouble with excessive ear wax, and if you are experiencing hearing loss or vertigo.

Following the oral medical history, the urgent care healthcare professional will examine your ears with an otoscope. They will assess your ear canal for redness and inflammation, and then they will check your ear for signs of a perforated eardrum, swelling, wax buildup, foreign body, or fluid.

Discuss Treatment Options

After the provider has uncovered the cause of your inner ear pain, they will talk to you about your treatment options. If your symptoms are the result of a bacterial infection, oral antibiotics may be prescribed. If, however, your symptoms are related to a viral infection, antibiotics will not be prescribed because they are ineffective against viruses.

Prescription ear drops may also be recommended to ease your pain and decrease inflammation inside your ear. If you have hearing loss, the anti-inflammatory ear drops may help restore your hearing. The healthcare provider may also recommend things to keep you comfortable such as using a heating pad set on low to soothe ear pain and taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen. Before you are discharged from the urgent care facility, you may be given an instruction sheet that may advise you to schedule a follow-up visit with your primary care physician. 

If you develop inner ear pain, see your doctor or visit an urgent care center. When inner ear pain is diagnosed and treated quickly, complications such as an increase in pain, muffled hearing, and deeply embedded ear wax may be less likely to occur.