What happens if you burst an eardrum

Darren's parents called the doctor and got him an appointment right away. The doctor looked in Darren's ear and told him he had a perforated eardrum. A perforated eardrum is a tear or hole in the ear's tympanic membrane the medical name for your eardrum. A perforated eardrum is also sometimes called a ruptured eardrum. A perforated eardrum can really hurt. And if you can't hear as well as usual, it can be pretty scary. The good news is, most people who have a perforated eardrum get all their hearing back eventually.

If you think you have a perforated eardrum, see a doctor. A tear in the eardrum can allow bacteria and other things to get into the middle ear and inner ear. If that happens, an infection could develop that can cause more hearing loss. Most perforated eardrums heal in a few weeks. Sometimes, though, doctors need to do surgery to repair the tear.

The eardrum is a thin piece of skin-like tissue that's stretched tight — like a drum — across the opening between the ear canal and the middle ear.

Placing a warm, dry compress on your ear several times daily can help. Promote healing by not blowing your nose any more than absolutely necessary. Blowing your nose creates pressure in your ears. Trying to clear your ears by holding your breath, blocking your nose, and blowing also creates high pressure in your ears. If your eardrum is ruptured, fluid from these drops can get deep into your ear. This can cause further issues.

Eardrum ruptures can happen much more frequently in children because of their sensitive tissue and narrow ear canals. Any kind of small foreign object, such as a pencil or hairpin, can also damage or rupture their eardrum if inserted too far into their ear canal. Ear infections are the most common cause of eardrum ruptures in children. Teach your child not to stick objects in their ear. In addition, try to avoid flying with your child if they have a cold or a sinus infection.

The pressure changes could damage their eardrums. A ruptured eardrum often heals without any invasive treatment. Most people with ruptured eardrums experience only temporary hearing loss. Even without treatment, your eardrum should heal in a few weeks. Full recovery, especially after treatment or surgical procedures, typically occurs within eight weeks.

Eardrum ruptures can be easily prevented if you protect your hearing and avoid injury or putting objects in your ear. Many infections that cause ruptures can be treated at home with rest and by protecting your ears.

However, see your doctor if you notice discharge from your ear or you experience severe ear pain for more than a few days. There are plenty of successful diagnostic and treatment options for ruptured eardrums. Eardrum repair is a surgical procedure used to fix a hole or tear in the eardrum tympanic membrane.

This injury can occur after exposure to a…. Ear irrigation is a routine procedure used to remove excess earwax, called cerumen, or foreign materials from the ear. Here's what you need to know about the possible causes of ear bleeding.

Possible complications include:. Middle ear cyst cholesteatoma. Although very rare, this cyst, which is composed of skin cells and other debris, can develop in your middle ear as a long-term result of eardrum rupture. Ear canal debris normally travels to your outer ear with the help of ear-protecting earwax. If your eardrum is ruptured, the skin debris can pass into your middle ear and form a cyst. A cyst in your middle ear provides a friendly environment for bacteria and contains proteins that can damage the bones of your middle ear.

Protect your ears during flight. If possible, don't fly if you have a cold or an active allergy that causes nasal or ear congestion.

During takeoffs and landings, keep your ears clear with pressure-equalizing earplugs, yawning or chewing gum. Or use the Valsalva maneuver — gently pushing air into your nose, as if blowing your nose, while pinching your nostrils and keeping your mouth closed. Don't sleep during ascents and descents. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. The outer ear funnels sound waves into the ear canal that hit the eardrum and make it vibrate. The middle ear and inner ear change the vibrations to signals that the brain senses as sounds. A ruptured eardrum can't vibrate as well as it should.

This can cause a hearing problem, which often is temporary. The first sign of a perforated eardrum is usually pain, which may increase for a time before suddenly decreasing. Someone also might notice:. 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.

Usually, a perforated eardrum will heal on its own within a few weeks. While the eardrum is healing, your doctor might suggest:.

If your eardrum doesn't heal on its own, an ear-nose-throat ENT specialist may recommend surgery to place an eardrum patch. The doctor puts a paper patch over the hole after applying a special medicine to make the tear heal. Doctors may need to do this procedure a few times until the eardrum is fully healed. If the eardrum patch doesn't work, the ENT specialist might do a surgery known as a tympanoplasty. The surgeon will attach a small patch of your own tissue or use man-made material to cover the hole in your eardrum.

Sometimes a perforated eardrum is caused by an infection and isn't preventable.