If you love to swim, you’ve probably encountered Swimmer’s Ear at least once in your life. I had it once when I was younger and I hope I never ever have it again! My ear hurt all the way down into my jaw and I was miserable until it cleared up.
So what is Swimmer’s Ear? It is an infection of the ear and ear canal, usually caused by a germ by the name of “pseudomonas aeurginosa”. It is a pretty common germ found in soil and water. If you have Swimmer’s Ear, you may feel itching or pain (or both). The ear and ear canal may become red and inflamed, and you may have pus draining from the ear. The infection is usually treated with antibiotic ear drops from your family doctor.
Just about anybody can get Swimmer’s Ear, but it is most often seen in children and young adults. You may be wondering about the difference between Swimmer’s Ear and a middle ear infection — if the outer ear can be moved without pain or discomfort, it is probably a middle ear infection. If moving the outer ear causes distress, there’s a good chance you’ve got a case of Swimmer’s Ear on your hands.
It isn’t too hard to protect yourself and your family against Swimmer’s Ear. The first thing you can do is make sure that the chlorine and pH levels in the pool are appropriate. If you own your own pool, this means daily water testing and proper use of the chemicals. If you visit a community pool, ask the staff about testing and chlorine and pH levels. The better the levels are, the less likely you are to have problems with Swimmer’s Ear.
Make sure your ears are completely dry after swimming. If you have water stuck in your ear, you can try tilting your head and hopping up and down to try to shake the water loose. If that doesn’t work, an alcohol-based ear product can help break up the bubble of trapped water. Ask your pharmacist about this kind of product. Don’t stick things in your ears — fingers, cotton balls, cotton swabs, etc — because they may scratch the ear canal and provide a site for infection to take hold.