Have you ever heard someone say, “If you don’t turn that down you’re going to burst your eardrums”? Though it was probably an exaggeration when you heard it, loud sounds can actually break or rupture your eardrums, but they’re not the only cause. A perforated or ruptured eardrum, although it is rare, can lead to a permanent loss of hearing. Most ruptured eardrums generally heal within a couple of weeks without needing any treatment, but more severe ruptures may require surgical treatment to heal. However, in any case, eardrum perforations should be evaluated by your audiologist. The Hearing Doctors are qualified to evaluate eardrum perforations and help guide you toward adequate solutions to overcome the condition. 

Some Quick Facts About Your Eardrums The tympanic membrane, or eardrum, is tightly stretched skin that vibrates as sound passing through the ear canal comes into contact with it. These vibrations create movement in a series of small bones in the middle ear, which transfer those vibrations to the inner ear. The sounds are translated into sound signals in the inner ear and then transmitted to the brain, where they take on meaning.  When that tightly stretched skin gets ripped or torn, you won’t hear as well as you should and you may experience discomfort from the torn skin. 

Ruptured Eardrum Symptoms Ruptured eardrum symptoms are not clear cut because different people experience different symptoms. However, there are some symptoms that are common to eardrum ruptures. Primary symptoms of a ruptured eardrum typically include: Pain: It sometimes varies in intensity and may fluctuate over time.Drainage: Pus-filled, bloody, or watery fluids may ooze out of the affected ear(s).Loss of hearing: Sound may become muted or disappear completely in severe cases.There are additional symptoms sometimes present after you have ruptured your eardrum(s), like: Spinning sensation or vertigoVomiting or nausea from vertigoTinnitus—ringing in the earsNot all of these symptoms may be present if you have ruptured your eardrum, but they are all probable signs of damage to the tympanic membrane. 

Causes of Eardrum Rupture The primary cause of a ruptured eardrum is an injury to the ear or the side of your head. Typical injuries are car accidents, falling, hitting your head or your ear while engaging in sports, and getting hit on your ear with a solid object. Damage to your eardrum can also occur in a less violent way due to inserting objects into your ears, like pens or needles, bobby pins, feathers, a cotton swab, and other objects that make us shudder to think about them.  Though somewhat rare, injuries to your eardrum can also occur due to acoustic trauma or loud noise, which includes explosions or their concussion wave, discharging a firearm or exploding a firecracker close to your ear, and close proximity to speakers at a concert or nightclub.  Barotrauma is the term used when a perforated eardrum occurs due to changes in pressure. This condition occurs when there are extreme and sudden pressure changes due to changes in altitude or when scuba diving. Ear infections are the primary cause of eardrum ruptures, as fluids can accumulate behind your eardrum and create pressure from the buildup, leading to a rupture.  

Diagnosing a Ruptured Eardrum Diagnosing an eardrum rupture typically begins with a physical examination of your ear using an otoscope, which is a magnifying glass with a tapered tip and a small light on the end. Many otoscopes now have a tiny camera in the tip, allowing video viewing of the image of your ear canal and eardrum.  Another instrument commonly used to diagnose an eardrum rupture is a tympanometry. This use of this device involves inserting a small probe into your ear to test the response of the eardrum to changes in pressure. If you are experiencing sudden hearing loss or muted hearing due to a ruptured eardrum, you might also undergo an audiology exam to assess your hearing capacity. Additional tests might include taking a sample of the fluid oozing from your ear and tests to identify an ear infection. 

Treatment Options for a Ruptured Eardrum Since most eardrum ruptures heal on their own within a few weeks, primary treatment options generally focus on relieving the pain, preventing infections, or treating the infection that caused the rupture with antibiotics.  Severe cases of eardrum rupture may require a surgical procedure, such as a tympanoplasty, which involves taking a graft of skin from another part of your body to patch the hole in the skin of the tympanic membrane. Similar to a tympanoplasty, an ear patch uses medical paper in place of a skin graft to patch the rupture until it can heal. 

Preventing or Treating Eardrum Rupture Complications A secondary treatment process for eardrum rupture involves the treatment or prevention of complications that can arise out of the condition, which can include infections that enter into the middle ear through the hole in your eardrum, hearing problems, or other complications that could result from your eardrum failing to heal within three to six months. These complications may include cholesteatoma—a middle ear cyst composed of skin cells and other accumulated debris in your middle ear—or chronic infections and drainage. 

Eardrum Rupture Prevention Though not all eardrum ruptures are the result of human error, there are some things you can do to protect your ears and prevent eardrum ruptures, including:  Avoid putting foreign objects in your ears even if they look like they are harmless, especially in an attempt to scratch your ear canal or remove earwax. Instead, opt for professional earwax removal by Hearing Doctors. Stay away from activities where you know loud noise will be inevitable, or wear hearing protection while you participate. Hearing protection is available at Hearing Doctors. Be aware of the conditions of altitude when flying with a cold, congestion, or an active allergy, and use pressure-equalizing ear plugs to equalize the pressure in your ears during takeoff and landing.  Carefully monitor your descension and ascension rates when scuba diving. Treat ear infections as soon as you recognize the symptoms. 

Let Hearing Doctors Evaluate Your EarsIn most cases, a ruptured eardrum is easily treatable, and most people are able to avoid potential damage to their ears by seeking a consultation in the earliest stages of the condition.Hearing Doctors diagnose ear-related problems, including ruptured eardrums, hearing loss, and tinnitus, and we are able to guide you toward the right treatment for an eardrum rupture or refer you to an ear, nose & throat specialist for advanced treatment.  If you are experiencing the symptoms of a ruptured eardrum, don’t hesitate—contact us to schedule a consultation or call us at (703) 822-7328 to get proper treatment as soon as possible.