What are the types of ear injuries?
What are the types of ear injuries?
Injuries can happen to the outer ear or any part of the middle and inner ear. Severe trauma can cause injuries to all parts of the ear. The most common types of injuries to the outer ear include:
- Avulsion: During an accident or trauma, part of the ear can tear off. The ear can pull away from the head, either partially or completely. Some avulsion injuries require cosmetic surgery to repair the ear.
- Cuts and scratches: These injuries are usually minor. They can happen if you insert your fingernail too far or too forcefully into your ear. They can also result from an accident. Deeper cuts may need stitches or they could get infected.
- Subperichondrial hematoma (cauliflower ear): This injury results from trauma to the exterior ear, often from contact sports such as rugby and wrestling. Blood pools under the skin in the outer ear and cuts off the blood supply to the cartilage, which causes the cartilage to die. The pooling blood is a type of bruise called a hematoma. If the blood does not get drained, over time, the ear cartilage will look rippled, lumpy and swollen (kind of like a cauliflower).
Injuries to the middle ear and inner ear can cause severe damage and can affect hearing. The most common injuries to the inside of the ear include:
- Fractures: In a serious accident, bones in the middle ear can fracture (break) or become dislocated. This injury usually happens along with fractures in the jaw and face. Providers call these bones ossicles or “hearing bones.” This injury may need surgical repair.
- Injuries from foreign objects: More common in children, these injuries happen when someone inserts a pencil, toy, cotton swab or another object too far into the ear. These injuries can break small bones in the ear or split or tear (rupture) the eardrum.
- Ruptured eardrum (perforated eardrum): Trauma, loud noises, severe ear infections and foreign objects can cause a ruptured eardrum. A sudden change in air pressure (barotrauma) when flying on an airplane or pressure changes from scuba diving can cause an eardrum to tear. If clear fluid leaks from your ear and you are dizzy, you should seek medical care immediately.