Our sinus cavities are intricate structures that protect our nasal cavity from dirt, dust, pollutants, and micro-organisms by producing mucus to, in a sense, help flush them out. While these cavities are usually empty, they can get blocked up to the point where the mucus can’t properly drain, causing congestion with fluid that eventually leads to sinus infections, also known as sinusitis.
Gently touching your face near an infected sinus cavity can be a painful, uncomfortable feeling, but there are specific treatments you can use to alleviate sinusitis before it causes further complications.
Today, our local McAllen ENT Dr. Frank R. Glatz, certified physician assistant Jonathan Lerma, and the dedicated team of sinus relief specialists at the Glatz Group are looking into the causes of sinusitis and what you can do to ease your symptoms.
A sinus headache is oftentimes one of the most common symptoms of a sinus infection. When this happens, you can feel both pressure and pain behind your cheekbones and around your eyes. Other telltale symptoms and signs of a sinus infection can be nasal discharge with a yellow or green color, an unpleasant taste in your mouth, and fever.
Sinusitis is often the result of either a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection. Despite it being a common condition, there are certain people that have greater chances of getting it, usually anyone that has:
It is also worth noting that there are two types of sinus infections: chronic and acute sinusitis. These two share similar symptoms, where chronic sinus infections may last for up to 12 weeks and can recur several times a year. Acute sinusitis is normally a temporary infection that most likely came after a cold and can last around 2 to 4 weeks.
Good hygiene, maintaining clear and moist sinuses, and treating symptoms right away with over-the-counter nasal sprays and decongestants can help lessen the severity and time of the infection. At the same time, procedures like a balloon sinuplasty at your McAllen ENT can help open the sinus cavity openings to help your body flush them out more efficiently.
While it may be difficult for you to figure out if your sinusitis was the result of bacteria, virus, or fungus, there are some ways you can relieve some of the symptoms in the comfort of your own home. Some of these methods include:
In the vast majority of cases, sinusitis can go away by itself, but there are definitely instances when you should see your ENT doctor to treat your sinus infection if self-care options don’t do the trick.
It’s best to see a doctor if you’re still facing sinusitis symptoms after a week has passed, if the symptoms worsen, or if they come back to haunt you more than a few occasions within a year. You should also pay a visit to your doctor if your sinus problems are a hindrance to your day-to-day life and the things you enjoy.
However, be on the lookout for fever, an increase or spread of pain, ineffective over-the-counter pain medications, and an increase in nasal discharge, as these are all signs of your sinusitis worsening. Should this happen, visit your sinus relief specialists at Glatz Group as soon as possible. There, we can help guide your sinusitis treatment and explore if balloon sinuplasty can help you overcome this type of infection in the future, especially if you suffer from chronic sinusitis.
Your ears, nose, and throat are all tightly connected, and if something is affecting any particular part of that region, everything suffers. Experiencing a painful episode of sinus congestion is no fun for anyone, and when sinus pressure causes pain, your ears can also be affected, causing dizziness and a sensation that makes your ears feel muffled or clogged.
Fortunately, our McAllen ENT, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, and his team of sinus relief specialists at the Glatz Group know of several tips that you can do at home for relief. Should your ear congestion progress into pain or come with a fever, however, it is best to come and see us for treatment.
When your Eustachian tube is blocked or stops functioning properly, it can trap fluids within the middle ear. When the Eustachian tube gets clogged, you may feel pressure in your ear, muffling your hearing and causing ear pain. Eventually, this could turn into a painful ear infection.
Any condition that affects your sinuses can cause ear congestion, including:
Ear congestion symptoms can also be caused by other issues in your middle ear or the ear canal that affects the eardrum--also referred to as the tympanic membrane. If you have experienced symptoms and need relief, visit our office today.
There are different appropriate remedies depending on what the cause is. When it has to do with sinus-related problems like the common cold, flu, allergies, sinusitis, or irritants (e.g. tobacco smoke), here are a few things you can do to treat it:
With regards to fluid buildup, an afternoon of fun and sun at the pool or a quick shower can get water inside your ear, causing your ear to be congested. Try these methods to release the water from your ear:
From an overall perspective, the ear is quite a fascinating part of our body. Glands within the ear canal produce earwax, called cerumen, that ultimately protects, lubricates, and self-cleans the area. Normally, chewing and other typical jaw motions shift the earwax out of the ear, where it dries and flakes off, but sometimes, when we try to clean out the earwax by sticking a q tip in our ear, it can create a blockage, causing symptoms of ear congestion. Some simple solutions to get rid of wax buildup from your ears would include:
As for when you are traveling, you can avoid or alleviate airplane ear congestion (caused by air pressure) by chewing gum or hard candy, swallowing, or yawning during takeoff and landing.
If you think there may be a foreign object stuck in your ear canal, however, don’t try to take it out by yourself. Either see your ENT doctor in McAllen immediately or go to urgent care somewhere nearby.
Ear congestion is not uncommon and can often be efficiently resolved at home with the help of home remedies or over-the-counter treatments.
Should your ear congestion last more than two weeks or be followed by a fever, fluid drainage, loss of hearing, balance issues, or severe ear pain, come pay a visit to your local McAllen ENT that we can guarantee you’ll be ‘Glatz’ to see--and hear once your problem is resolved.
Seasonal allergens throughout the United States usually taper off during the winter months, but in Texas, the opposite is true. In fact, McAllen was ranked the worst city in the U.S. because of allergens in 2018, causing individuals that live here to suffer from chronic sinusitis.
You may have a hard time breathing through your nose, and the area around your eyes may feel swollen or tender. Before trying to google and self-diagnose you or your loved one’s symptoms, however, let our McAllen ENT, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, and his team of sinus relief specialists at the Glatz Group give you the run-down on what chronic sinusitis is, and how it affects you.
Chronic sinusitis occurs when the spaces inside your nose and head--called your sinuses--swell up and are inflamed for three months or longer. This common inflammatory condition prevents mucus from draining properly, thus making your nasal passages congested. In fact, several different causes can attribute to the development of chronic sinusitis, such as:
Be on the lookout for any the following symptoms if you suspect you are currently suffering from chronic sinusitis:
The aforementioned symptoms are not the only key factors to consider during a diagnosis. Other signs and symptoms to consider include:
Chronic sinusitis is often confused with acute sinusitis, as they have similar signs and symptoms. An easy way to distinguish between the two is to remember that acute sinusitis is a temporary infection of the sinuses usually associated with a cold, while the signs and symptoms of chronic sinusitis last at least 12 weeks.
Though you may face several episodes of acute sinusitis before developing chronic sinusitis, fever isn't a common sign of chronic sinusitis. You may get one with acute sinusitis.
If any of these symptoms hit close to home for you or your loved one, you’re probably wondering what the next step to take is. Before our trusted ENT can recommend treatment for your condition, he needs to run a diagnosis along with a number of tests that examine your nose with a small, nasal endoscope that lets him look for mechanical obstruction, redness, swelling, and sinus drainage.
If you or your loved one have tried using antibiotics and found them to be ineffective, you may need to consider treatment. Steroids can be more helpful when it comes to treating chronic sinusitis, as they reduce the swelling that leads to nasal and sinus blockage. Nevertheless, many patients require a more effective solution that provides longer-lasting relief. That is where we come in.
Balloon sinuplasty technology is used to treat chronic sinusitis, especially for patients whose symptoms were not resolved with medication. Not only is it a minimally-invasive treatment option, but it also can be performed by our very own McAllen ENT, Dr. Glatz, right in our office.
Chronic sinusitis doesn’t just affect your nasal function; it compromises your quality of life. Most patients are able to go back to their daily lives within 24 hours after the treatment, making balloon sinuplasty a popular choice for sinus relief.
If you’ve been suffering from a constant runny nose, nasal congestion, and drainage running down your throat, then you may have a condition known as chronic rhinitis--a condition caused by nerves that are out of balance and sending too many signals to your nose.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 12 million Americans suffer from allergic rhinitis, which is the inflammation of the nasal mucosa that could be causing your unwanted symptoms. The solution, however, is crystal clear. It is ClariFix.
Today, your friendly neighborhood McAllen ENT, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, and his sinus relief team at the Glatz Group are looking forward to exploring what this innovative treatment is with you, including how it works and how it is beneficial to your breathing.
This clinically-proven, minimally invasive cryotherapy treatment--i.e. localized freezing--goes after the source of your symptoms for guaranteed relief through the use of a cooling probe that freezes a small, inflamed region located in the back of your nose.
As the cold temperature reaches the out-of-balance nerves, the nerve signal pathways become temporarily blocked, making them unable to signal the nose to drip, run, or swell excessively. Freezing this tissue will relieve the inflammation and pain as a result.
This is a promising option for those who suffer through year-round allergies and found traditional treatments like allergy medications and allergy shots, or immunotherapy, to be unsuccessful.
Not only is the procedure safe and cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but it can also be performed right in our very own office. The discomfort is kept to a minimum where only topical or local anesthesia is required.
You might sense a slight pressure along with a cooling sensation in your nose and likely around your molars. It may cause some discomfort, but patients haven’t described it as a painful experience.
Its recovery and down time is also fairly minimal, and may give you long-lasting relief as it typically does for 4 out of 5 patients, according to ClariFix’s website. It generally takes between two to six weeks post-treatment to notice the changes.
It is worth noting that ClariFix is mainly for symptom management. Allergies come from your immune system, and the treatment doesn’t change the way your immune system functions. It will not make your allergies, or a simple cold, go away for good.
To find out if the ClariFix is right for you, don’t hesitate to speak with our McAllen sinus relief specialists here at the Glatz Group to see if it can alleviate your symptoms.
The treatment is not recommended for those who have specific health conditions like cryoglobulinemia, paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, cold urticaria, Raynaud’s disease, and any open and/or infected wounds, as well as other skin conditions at or close to the tissue area that the procedure targets.
If you or a loved one also happen to have diabetes, sensitivity to cold temperatures, neuropathic disorders, bleeding disorders, or impaired peripheral circulation in the region that requires treatment, it is well-advised that you proceed with utmost caution.
To see if you are eligible for the cool treatment with ClariFix Cryotherapy, schedule a consultation with Dr. Frank R Glatz today!
As gifts continue to pile up under the Christmas tree, your family’s curiosity grows and grows. In just a few days, joy and dreams will be made as gifts are opened. That is, until you see the empty stockings hanging off of the mantel.
Don’t worry. There’s still some time left, so why not seize the opportunity to fill up those stockings with stocking stuffers that are helpful to your family’s sinuses, especially since we live in a city that is considered the worst place for allergies in 2019.
Our McAllen ENT, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, and his sinus relief team at the Glatz Group have thought of the perfect sinus-saving stocking stuffers you can include into your holiday festivities so you won’t have to search for the right present in a hurry!
Listed below are the perfect items any allergy sufferer would love to find in his or her stocking:
1. Allergy-Free Bedding and Pillowcases - This is a practical gift for just about anyone who could use sinus relief this winter! According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, dust mites could be the leading cause of year-round allergies and asthma. Since we spend a decent amount of our time in bed, why not invest in hypoallergenic bedding to alleviate one of the most common triggers of people’s allergies year-round?
2. Air Purifiers - As many people are affected by indoor allergens, an air purifier can go a long way to help your friends or family members breathe better and get a better quality of sleep just by placing the device in their bedroom at night.
3. Shower Steamers - These little shower tablets pack in a lot of sinus relief for those of us who prefer a shower instead of a bath. Some of them mix in peppermint and eucalyptus with an extra kick of menthol to really open up your sinuses and drain out all the mucus.
4. Honey - Honey--especially raw, unprocessed honey--isn’t just a delicious and nutritious sugar replacement, it’s filled with curative properties and is known to help lessen many allergy symptoms.
5. Green and herbal teas - Green tea is great for its antioxidants that not only improve your health but keep allergy symptoms under control.
There are also fantastic herbal teas that are meant to alleviate nasal inflammation, and your sniffling-and-sneezing friends or family members will appreciate this. Drinking the hot tea will speed their nasal drainage by giving the mucous membranes some moisture.
Try searching for the best herbal teas for sinuses like peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus, wild thyme, and blackberry. Give them a collection to last them longer with different options to select from.
6. Fruit Basket or Edible Arrangements - This is more of an “honorable mention” as it isn’t something that could fit in a Christmas stocking. A basket full of yummy fruits is a wonderful option not for its visually appealing quality, but also for other nutritious purposes.
Edible arrangements are a great gift! Eating apples is said to improve how the lungs function, leaving your friends or family members less at risk to particular allergens. Also, pineapple is made up of the enzyme bromelain that helps lessen sinus infections and irritation.
At the end of the day, the best gift you can give your friend or family member is the gift of health. They’ll appreciate the thought you put into these gifts that may make this allergy season less irritating while they enjoy all the wonder that winter brings.
Help your loved ones end the year the right way with these thoughtful stocking stuffers. But if their sinuses do not improve before the end of the year, our McAllen sinus relief specialists of the Glatz Group are always glad to help. A consultation with Dr. Frank R. Glatz can determine if you are eligible to receive a balloon sinuplasty, a procedure that can help relieve chronic sinusitis.
If your past year has been full of sinus pain, massive headaches, and stuffy noses due to chronic sinus infections, now’s the time to be proactive and avoid another year of discomfort.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, Americans spend roughly more than $1 billion every year on over-the-counter medications to treat their sinus infection (sinusitis). Sinus infections are also accountable for 16 million doctor visits and $150 million spent on prescription medications.
While treatment via allergy medications or nasal surgeries may be viable options, balloon sinuplasty is typically the best, cost-effective method to get the long-term relief you are looking for in the new year. Count on Dr. Frank R. Glatz of the Glatz Group, a dedicated and trustworthy McAllen ENT, to explain the three reasons why December is the ideal time to have this procedure.
Balloon sinuplasty, also commonly referred to as the smart sinus practice, is usually most recommended to those who experience chronic sinusitis, which can be a real pain in the nose. It is a brief and easy process where an ENT dilates or enlarges the natural openings of your sinuses through the employment of a tube-like device that then inflates a tiny balloon inside your sinus passages.
Once the doctor deflates and retrieves the balloon, the sinuses stay open to let fluid drain and allow more air to flow through. The results of this procedure will last much longer than if you were to receive traditional nasal surgery. In addition, there is less bleeding, scarring, and post-operative pain with a balloon sinuplasty when compared with the alternative.
In fact, most people are able to go back to their daily lives within a day or two, just in time for some holiday shopping and festive celebrations.
Winter months in McAllen leave us more prone to getting colds and other viruses as the season starts to get colder and we spend more time indoors than normal--especially with January being the coolest month of the year in Texas.
Getting balloon sinuplasty ahead of the new year would decrease the magnitude of sinus infections throughout the year since it would open up the sinus passageways and allow drainage caused by allergens, bacteria, or viruses to have an easier time passing through.
Other reasons to think about having this simple balloon sinuplasty include:
If you want to evaluate if balloon sinuplasty would be the best option to treat your chronic sinusitis or other nasal conditions, visit our McAllen ENT doctor of the Glatz Group to see if you qualify for balloon sinuplasty. If eligible, balloon sinuplasty can be safely administered by our ENT doctor and staff in our very own office.
For individuals that live with chronic sinusitis, excruciating symptoms that can make a significant impact on their breathing affect their lives daily. In fact, about 30 million individuals are affected by sinusitis on a yearly basis.
When antibiotics and nasal sprays just won’t deliver you adequate results, balloon sinuplasty is the solution that properly drains your sinuses, providing relief to facial pain and pressure and allowing you to breathe freely again.
While just reading the words “procedure” or “surgery” can raise alarms and frighten you, the McAllen sinus doctor at the Glatz Group, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, wants to ease your fears and anxieties about balloon sinuplasty by explaining the basics of the procedure and what to expect as you recover from it.
Balloon sinuplasty is a relatively short, simple yet effective, and safe procedure that can be administered in our McAllen office by our trusted ENT doctor and specialists. When sinusitis causes one’s nasal cavities to become inflamed and/or swollen, they cannot properly drain out mucus as intended.
The goal behind balloon sinuplasty is to slightly alter these inflamed cavities with a small balloon-like device that inflates in order to open up the pathways without the need to perform surgery that extracts tissue or bone.
Before he or she begins, your doctor will administer the right dosage of general or local anesthesia before the procedure to ensure you don’t feel much pain, if any, during the operation.
In comparison to your traditional nasal surgeries, the recovering period from undergoing balloon sinuplasty is a quick process. The procedure only takes about an hour to perform on average, and because there are no tissues or bone removed, patients can resume regular scheduled daily activities as soon as the following day!
Getting behind the wheel after the procedure is done isn’t recommended. Because the procedure employs the use of general, injection, or topical anesthesia administered beforehand, the patient must plan accordingly and make sure a designated driver, such as a relative or friend, is able to drive them back home safely following the procedure.
While specific recovery periods do vary on the patient, it is strongly advised to follow the doctor’s orders when resting, rinsing, and sticking to medication schedules. It is important to take any antibiotics that you were given until the prescription’s completion and to use other medications prescribed to you as directed for their full duration. You may also be prescribed a saline solution designed to lubricate and help heal for three to seven days after the procedure.
Also, avoid blowing your nose within the first 24 hours after the procedure. Your sinuses will still be extremely sensitive as it restores its cavities back to normal function. You may experience swelling, nasal congestion, and potential nosebleeds after you get out and all these symptoms are completely normal and temporary. However, if you feel these symptoms recurring for more than 2 days, please do not hesitate to call us for further guidance.
Straining yourself at work or at home shortly after a balloon sinuplasty can elevate your heart rate, and that isn’t ideal for your healing tissues and underlying structures because elevated blood pressure worsens bleeding.
Since the sinus area is still rather tender after a procedure, any extra pressure that is applied while doing strenuous activities can do significant damage to the tissues and underlying structures that are healing after a balloon sinuplasty.
While the idea of a nasal procedure might sound intimidating at first, don’t worry. This efficient procedure is less painful than other nasal surgeries and procedures by miles, and the recovery period is truly brief--days, not weeks.
At the Glatz Group, we work hard to ensure that balloon sinuplasty will be one of the best decisions you’ve made for your well-being. If you are tired of living with sinusitis or other sinus issues, contact our McAllen sinus doctor at the Glatz Group to see if you are an eligible candidate for balloon sinuplasty.
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The acting world suffered a great tragedy recently when one of its younger actress, Laurel Griggs, passed away due to complications stemming from a massive asthma attack. She had been fighting asthma for two years when an attack sent her to the hospital where she later passed away.
The 13-year-old had committed herself to her craft, wowing audiences with her performances on Broadway, expanding her career to TV and film, and even showcasing her talents on Saturday Night Live. Her bright career was only coming into fruition when her asthma attack happened, now leaving behind devastated family members, friends, and fans of her work.
As parents here at the allergy department of the Glatz Group, our hearts go out to the Griggs family for their loss. Today, we want to take the time to honor Laurel’s memory by using our platform to bring awareness of this disease. Asthma is a prevalent and dangerous disease that sends over 2 million people to emergency rooms across America every year. Your McAllen ENT Doctor, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, and his allergy team have extensive knowledge of how asthma begins, how it can affect you, and how we can help you.
Asthma is a long-term respiratory disease that affects over 25 million Americans every year. Sometimes called a chronic respiratory disease by doctors or “bronchial asthma” by others, this disease causes your airway to become narrow due to a trigger of some sort, impairing a person’s ability to breathe efficiently.
When it occurs, it can cause a bevy of symptoms, include:
However, more severe cases of an asthma attack can cause symptoms such as:
Sometimes severe asthma can also worsen despite using medication. Overall, depending on how bad the symptoms are, asthma is ranked by medical professionals into four degrees of severity:
In any case, immediate emergency medical services are required when enduring severe symptoms; however, you should visit our experienced allergy team over at the Glatz Group right away if you begin feeling any of the mild signs and symptoms first to determine if what is causing your asthma is allergy-related and what can be done to help treat it.
When asthma symptoms worsen, an asthma attack may occur. Many different scenarios exist that can trigger symptoms that ultimately turn into an asthma attack, such as:
When any of the above triggers asthmatic symptoms in individuals susceptible to them, an asthma attack may happen. During an attack, the airways within your throat are inflamed and begin to swell, also known as a bronchospasm. During the bronchospasm, a thick mucus is produced that further inhibits breathing, turning a frightening situation into a dire one.
If you have asthma and are enduring a severe asthma attack, get medical help immediately. If severe asthma attacks are left untreated, they can ultimately lead to respiratory failure, and then death.
In a recent article published by NBC News, it was discovered that McAllen, Texas is actually the worst city for living with springtime allergies. For all of us living in McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley, this article shows us that there is a need to visit a devoted allergy team to help give you sinus and allergy relief.
Since we here at Glatz Group specialize both in allergies and in airways, seeing us if you are concerned about your asthma symptoms is always a good idea. Here, we can help you develop a plan that can guide your efforts at managing your condition.
From there, we can discuss:
At the Glatz Group, we are a robust, dedicated team of medical professionals that want to ensure that your ear, nose, and throat health is at optimal shape. Should you begin to experience problematic asthma symptoms, Dr. Frank R. Glatz can help you find the relief you need.
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About 30 million Americans suffer from what is known as “Sinusitis” on a yearly basis. Sinusitis occurs when your nasal pathways become inflamed and/or swollen due to the exposure to allergens, bacteria, or viruses.
Some of the symptoms of chronic sinusitis include anywhere from not being able to breathe nor smell through your nose, irritation within your throat causing teeth pain, and bad breath, having abnormal mucus spreading around to even experiencing physical pain throughout your entire face.
Today, with a little guidance from our Pharr sinus doctor, Dr. Frank R. Glatz of the Glatz Group, we’re taking a look into what leads to chronic sinusitis and why you should consider the procedure known as balloon sinuplasty instead of other nasal surgeries.
A person’s sinuses are an intricate ecosystem; however, when allergens, foreign bacteria, or viruses are introduced, it can cause the inner linings of the sinuses to become inflamed. The resulting congestion can prevent mucus from flushing it out of the sinus cavities, trapping unwanted bacteria in your sinuses where they can grow and cause severe infections and chronic pain.
In fact, there are many causes that lead to developing chronic sinusitis. Some of the most notable ones include:
Perhaps the most efficient way to treat severe chronic sinusitis cases would be to undergo a procedure known as balloon sinuplasty.
Balloon sinuplasty is a quick, safe procedure that is designed to reshape the blocked sinus passageways via a small balloon in order to open up the sinus cavities without having to remove any bone or tissue.
An ENT doctor utilizes a tube-like device that inflates a small balloon inside the nasal openings of one, a few, or all sinus cavities, slightly altering them in order to open up and ultimately improve drainage function.
While it is not designed to completely fix all of your sinus issues forever, it will provide the most long-term relief in comparison to traditional nasal surgeries.
When it comes to specific sinus problems, there are three other main traditional nasal procedures that can be done in specific cases.
While every procedure includes its fair share of risks, balloon sinuplasty can be the most efficient and safest procedure in comparison to other nasal surgeries listed above. For traditional nasal procedures:
And in the more severe cases:
Balloon sinuplasty, on the other hand, is better in comparison because:
It is worth noting that not everyone might be able to qualify for balloon sinuplasty treatment. Speak with our sinus relief specialists to see if balloon sinuplasty will help you.
In order to determine if balloon sinuplasty would be the best option to treat your chronic sinusitis or other nasal conditions, schedule an appointment with the Pharr sinus doctor of the Glatz Group. Once you arrive at your scheduled appointment, our sinus relief specialists will examine your current symptoms and run the necessary tests.
If eligible, balloon sinuplasty can be safely administered by our ENT doctors and staff right in our office.
Having an abnormal, sharp pain in your ears may be a clear indicator that you are suffering from what is known as an earache.
While earaches are very common in both children and adults and may make you feel uncomfortable, they can easily be treated with over-the-counter medication and subside within a couple of days. If untreated, however, you risk the chance of developing recurring symptoms and turn it into something worse.
Today, our Weslaco otolaryngologist, Dr. Frank R. Glatz of the Glatz Group, explores what may be causing your earaches and recommends what services are effective at curing this painful nuisance.
Aside from some of the more obvious symptoms such as ear pain, both children and adults may suffer from some of the same symptoms that are involved with earaches, including, but not limited to:
In more severe cases, sufferers of earaches may feel:
If you have experienced any of the minor to major earache symptoms, reach out to the Glatz Group today to schedule an appointment.
A bevy of circumstances exist that can cause an earache, but the most common include:
1. Excessive Earwax
Even though earwax is supposed to be your ear canal’s top defender, an excessive amount of it can cause you ear discomfort. If left untreated, the earwax can turn into a blockage, trapping bacteria in your ear that can cause an infection.
Although earwax blockages can be treated easily, an attempt to clean it out can go the wrong way. If you stick a cotton swab too far into the ear canal, it could possibly worsen the current condition and become extremely sensitive.
Looking into over-the-counter ear drops will reduce the severity of an earache caused by an overproduction of earwax and can, in time, help clean out the impacted areas in a natural way.
2. Circumstantial Infections
Several different infections, sometimes even outside of the ears, can also play a role in causing earaches. These types of infections include:
This type of infection usually occurs when a cold, allergy, or a sinus infection blocks the eustachian tube within your middle ear. This can lead to negative pressure, causing pain and swelling.
3. Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Syndrome
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome is known as the discomfort or pain within the hinge of the jawbone next to your ears. This is commonly caused by ongoing teeth grinding or even from an existing arthritis condition.
It is treatable through over-the-counter medication or any other form of treatment that has prescribed by our Weslaco ENT doctor of the Glatz Group.
4. Air Pressure
While it is not as common as the previous causes per se, it may be a factor in certain instances.
During ascension--regardless of whether you are riding an elevator or traveling via airplane--your ears might not be used to the elevation and can begin to pop. This pop can feel unusual and can lead to irritation and slight hearing loss but after a few moments, your ear pressure should ease out and restore to normal.
If your ears don’t pop, however, it could cause fluid to build up within the ear, causing infection and earaches. In this worst-case scenario, that buildup of fluids can lead to a perforation of the eardrum, resulting in hearing loss.
If your earache symptoms last longer than a few days, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with our Weslaco otolaryngologist, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, of the Glatz Group.
Our sinus relief specialists can properly assist you and examine your current symptoms in order to prescribe the right medication and treatments you need to take care of your or your child’s earaches.
