Ear pain without infection can be caused by TMJ jaw problems, dental issues, throat problems, eustachian tube issues, pressure changes, sinusitis, earwax blockage, barotrauma, trauma to the ear and foreign body in the ear canal.
An object that is stuck in your ear canal can irritate your eardrum and cause ear pain.
Injury to your ear or ear canal can also cause ear pain.
Barotrauma which can cause ear pain occurs when your eardrum becomes stretched and tense as a result of unequal pressures and occurs often during scuba diving or airplane descents.
Sinusitis which is inflammation of your sinuses can cause ear pain and other pain.
Blockage from earwax can cause ear pain and discomfort.
Congestion from colds and allergies can block your eustachian tube and lead to fluid buildup and ear pain.
Your eustachian tube connects your middle ear to the back of your throat and helps equalize pressure but if the tube gets blocked or does not function as it should it can cause a feeling of fullness and cause ear pain.
Having a sore throat or tonsillitis or even problems with your esophagus such as reflux can also lead to referred pain in your ear.
Even toothaches or dental abscesses or teething in children can lead to ear pain as the pain radiates down to the ear.
Or problems with the temporomandibular joint which is located near the ears and problems such as TMJ disorders or arthritis can cause pain which can be felt in your ears.
The symptoms of an inner ear infection in adults are vertigo, dizziness, tinnitus, hearing loss, ear fullness and nausea and vomiting that can occur especially with vertigo.
Inner ear infections in adults can lead to a feeling of spinning or whirling which is also known as vertigo as well as lightheadedness or unsteadiness, ringing or buzzing in your ears, hearing loss which may be gradual or sudden, a feeling of pressure or blockage in your ear and nausea and vomiting.
With an inner ear infection you may also have balance problems and difficulty walking or standing steadily and ear pain which can be mild or severe and a headache which is often accompanied by vertigo and in some cases fever.
Other possible symptoms that can occur with an inner ear infection are water or thick ear discharge, itching in the ear, especially if the inner ear infection is caused by a fungus, fatigue due to the overall feeling of unwellness and sore throat if the inner ear infection is related to the flu or common cold.
If you have any of these symptoms it's best to see a doctor who can help to diagnose and treat the inner ear infection.
Other conditions that can be mistaken for an ear infection include referred pain from the jaw or throat, eustachian tube dysfunction, sinusitis, dental issues and TMJ disorders.
Most ear infections including inner ear infections will go away on their own and most particularly those inner ear infections and ear infections that are caused by viruses will often clear up on their own within a couple of weeks although some ear infections may last a bit longer.
Inner ear infections can be caused by bacteria or viruses.
And viral infections such as Labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis often go away without any treatment, although bacterial ear infections may require antibiotics.
Doctors sometimes will recommend a wait and see approach for mild cases of ear infections and then will begin treatment or if it's a bacterial ear infection they will prescribe antibiotics.
Antivirals may also be prescribed if the ear infection is caused by a virus.