So if you tap on the eardrum, you're sending shock waves into the inner ear and you can cause problems with your hearing and balance.
Inserting an object into the ear.
This includes fingers, cotton swabs, safety pins and pencils. Any of these can easily rupture the eardrum.
There are a number of signs and symptoms that can indicate a ruptured eardrum. They include some of the following: a sudden increase or decrease in pain, bloody discharge from the ear with pus, hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo or a spinning sensation, and nausea and vomiting from the vertigo.
Although they may seem soft to the touch of your fingers, in a sensitive space such as the ear they have a lot of potential for damage. If you push one into your ear too hard then you could instantly perforate the eardrum, for example, which is incredibly painful.
Puncturing or tearing your eardrum
It's possible, but very unlikely, that you'll poke a hole in your eardrum, also known as the tympanic membrane, while cleaning your ears with Q-tips. Your ears have a lot of nerve endings that send powerful feedback to your brain telling you that what you're doing is painful.
Talk to a parent or call a doctor right away if you have any symptoms of a perforated eardrum. You should also see a doctor if you continue to have symptoms after being treated for a perforated eardrum. Even though most perforations heal on their own, you want to make sure any hearing loss you is temporary.
Trauma from exposure of the ear to a loud blast, or a slap to the ear with a cupped hand, and rapid changes in pressure can result in a hole in the eardrum. If a sharp object, like a Q-tip, is put too far into the ear canal it can cause a rupture.
The thin semitransparent tympanic membrane, or eardrum, which forms the boundary between the outer ear and the middle ear, is stretched obliquely across the end of the external canal. Its diameter is about 8–10 mm (about 0.3–0.4 inch), its shape that of a flattened cone with its apex directed inward.
The eardrum membrane is extremely delicate and can be vulnerable to damage. Ruptured eardrums are a common response to overpressure that can lead to hearing loss, including any situation with loud noises or extreme changes of pressure.
Sudden sharp ear pain or a sudden decrease in ear pain. Drainage from the ear that may be bloody, clear, or resemble pus. Ear noise or buzzing. Hearing loss that may be partial or complete in the affected ear.
A retracted eardrum can cause ear pain, temporary hearing loss, and drainage of fluid from the ear. Causes include infections of the middle ear or sinuses, allergies, enlarged adenoids or tonsils, or a prior ruptured eardrum. Treatment for the underlying cause isn't always necessary.
The opening in the eardrum most often heals by itself within 2 months if it is a small hole. Hearing loss will be short-term if the rupture heals completely. Rarely, other problems may occur, such as: Long-term hearing loss.
Muffled hearing can occur in one or both ears. When the condition occurs in one ear, it's likely a sign of a single-sided ear infection, a clogged ear or earwax buildup. Muffled hearing due to sinus infections or changes in pressure while flying or changing altitudes typically occurs in both ears.
Never putting anything in the ear canal (cotton swabs, paper clips, liquids or sprays, or even your finger). This can damage or irritate the skin. If your ears itch a lot, see your doctor. Leaving ear wax in the canal.
If your ear hurts to touch, you may have an outer ear infection (otitis externa). This infection of the outer ear and the ear canal is caused by bacteria or fungi that thrive in the moist, dark environment of the ear.
A loud sound or blast, as from an explosion or gunshot — essentially an overpowering sound wave — can rarely cause a tear in the eardrum. Foreign objects in your ear. Small objects, such as a cotton swab or hairpin, can puncture or tear the eardrum.
In humans, the tympanic membrane can withstand only limited pressure differentials and may rupture when this pressure exceeds 35 kPa (5 psi) [6]. While this pressure threshold is different for individual patients, at 100 kPa (14 psi) almost all eardrums will be ruptured [7].
The miracle of hearing
The cochlea is a coiled part of the inner ear, a pea-sized structure which contains around 25,000 tiny sensory hairs suspended in fluid. These sensory hairs convert sound vibrations into bioelectric signals in the cochlea.
Earwax forms in the outer third or some of the ear canal, not near the eardrum. So, when there's a buildup right up against the eardrum, it's often the result of failed removal attempts.
The eardrum is pearly white or light gray, and you can see through it. You can see the tiny bones of the middle ear pushing on the eardrum.
Allergies, head colds, pregnancy, and air pressure are some common reasons it may feel like your ears are full. Typically, plugged ears settle after a few days. Decongestants and nasal sprays are the best treatment for plugged ears that allergies and head colds cause.
Ears are filled with nerve endings and stimulating these via cotton bud use can “trigger all sorts of visceral pleasure” as well as what dermatologists refer to as the “itch-scratch” cycle; once you start, it is difficult to stop!
Your ears feel wet because they are making more wax. It really is that simple. Ear wax (properly referred to as cerumen) is a sticky substance that serves as a skin conditioner, dust catcher, insect repellent, and has pretty impressive anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.
Tinnitus is the medical term for "hearing" noises in your ears. It occurs when there is no outside source of the sounds. Tinnitus is often called "ringing in the ears." It may also sound like blowing, roaring, buzzing, hissing, humming, whistling, or sizzling.