Pain in the head and blocked ears: causes, diagnosis and treatment

Causes of headaches and ear congestion

Constant pain in the head, which causes blocking of the ears, is an alarming symptom for which you should seek medical help. It may indicate physiological changes that do not require therapy, including water entering the ear canals or fatigue. However, in some cases, this sign will help identify dangerous diseases in the early stages and begin treatment on time.

High blood pressure

Chronic hypertension is a disorder in which the pressure in the arteries exceeds normal levels. In a healthy person at rest it is 120/80 mmHg, but it is important to take into account individual characteristics. Blood pressure is considered high if it is 140/90 mmHg. and more. The condition can be caused either by an increase in circulating blood volume or by vascular spasms.

Blood pressure is easy to measure yourself using a tonometer. If the readings are too high, you should seek medical help. Without timely treatment, hypertension poses a danger to the patient and can cause the following complications:

angina pectoris - acute pain in the chest;
myocardial infarction - a sharp disruption in the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle;
chronic heart failure – deterioration of the heart valve apparatus caused by increased load on it;
arrhythmia is a disturbance in the heart rhythm that can cause a heart attack.

When blood pressure rises, the patient has a headache and pressure on the ears. Symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, hearing loss and poor coordination of movements also occur. With a sudden attack, fainting is possible. Hypertension can be triggered by an increase in atmospheric pressure, physical activity, stress, disruption of the daily routine and other factors. For chronic hypertension, it is necessary to take medications in a course, including to remove excess fluid.

Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses. With this disease, the nose and ears are blocked, the head hurts, and the overall body temperature rises. The process can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection, and cold weather is often the trigger. Sinusitis occurs in acute or chronic forms and may recur after some time. In addition, the disease can manifest itself as a complication of seasonal colds.

The paranasal sinuses are cavities formed by the bones of the skull. In a healthy person, they are not filled with anything, and their walls are lined with mucous membrane. During the inflammatory process, pathological contents appear in them, which causes headaches. Sinusitis can be serous (with clear liquid contents), catarrhal (cavities filled with mucus), purulent and mixed. Depending on the location of the process, there are several types of this disease:

sinusitis - inflammation of the maxillary sinus, often occurs as a complication of a cold;
frontal sinusitis - the process affects the frontal paranasal sinus;
ethmoiditis - inflammation of the mucous membrane located in the ethmoid labyrinth;
sphenoiditis - damage to the mucous membrane of the sphenoid sinus.

At home, you can conduct an initial diagnosis of sinusitis. If you sharply tilt your head forward and down, a sharp pain occurs in the forehead. This indicates fluid accumulation in the sinuses. Also, with inflammation of the maxillary sinuses, headaches intensify at low temperatures and decrease in a warm room.

Diseases of the hearing organ

If your ears are blocked due to pain in your head, you should undergo an examination by an otolaryngologist. Chronic diseases of the organ of hearing cause a sharp deterioration in health, increased body temperature, impaired balance and coordination of movements, as well as other symptoms and complications.

Otitis is an inflammation of the ear in any of its parts. Depending on the location, they distinguish between external, middle and internal, and according to the nature of the course - acute and chronic otitis. The process can be caused by hypothermia or herbs, as well as viral and bacterial infections. Internal purulent otitis is the most dangerous because it can spread to the membranes of the brain and cause meningitis.
Acoustic neuroma is a benign neoplasm. Its first symptoms include constant headaches and dizziness, as well as hearing loss. Over time, nausea, loss of coordination of movements, and atrophy of the masticatory muscles appear. Neuroma does not disappear on its own and may increase in size. To treat it, surgical techniques, radiation therapy, or combined methods are prescribed.
Mechanical damage or blockage of the ear canals is another reason why headaches and blocked ears occur. You can get injured even at home, if you do not properly clean your ears or if sharp objects get into your ear canals. The cause of the blockage is often cerumen plug - after its surgical removal, headaches disappear and hearing is restored.

If you suspect a disease of the hearing organ, you must undergo an examination by an otolaryngologist. It uses a special device - an otoscope, which allows you to detect various disorders in the auditory canals. The inner ear is difficult to access for diagnosis and has a complex structure, so it is important to prevent the spread of infection from the external parts.

Other reasons

Headache and ear congestion are common symptoms for a large number of diseases and conditions. They are not necessarily related to hearing health, so it is important to pay attention to associated signs. A more detailed examination reveals the following pathologies:

cervical osteochondrosis is a chronic disease of the spine in which blood circulation and innervation of the tissues of the head are disrupted;
viral diseases - influenza, ARVI also manifest themselves as headaches and hearing impairment;
consequences of traumatic brain injuries , which can manifest themselves many years later.

These symptoms can also occur in a healthy person. So, they often bother you during a flight or in other cases of changes in atmospheric pressure, when water gets into the ear canals, during fatigue or prolonged work at the monitor. However, if they occur regularly, doctors at the Clinical Brain Institute recommend undergoing an examination and determining the exact cause.

Causes

Pressure in the ears occurs due to a number of factors and ailments. These may include serious illnesses and completely harmless ones, for example, prolonged listening to music at high volumes in headphones. The most common causes of pressure in the ears are:

otosclerosis (bone growth) and inflammation in the middle ear;
pathologies of a neurological nature (cervical osteochondrosis, pinched vertebrae)
atherosclerosis of blood vessels in the brain;
high/low blood pressure of various etiologies (obesity, alcohol and tobacco abuse, depression, stress, heart problems, physical exercise, vascular disorders, etc.);
injuries of the skull, head;
tumor (acoustic neuroma) of the auditory nerve;
otitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, earwax, aerootitis;
everyday (natural) reasons - long telephone conversations, sleep disturbances, prolonged listening to music, overwork, sudden changes in atmospheric pressure, water getting into the ears, flying on an airplane, diving, etc.

Diagnostic methods

If the patient often suffers from headaches and stuffy ears, it is necessary to contact us for a full examination. A simple examination will only indicate visible deviations from the norm, therefore, to understand a more accurate picture, additional techniques are prescribed:

tonometry – blood pressure measurement;
MRI of the head and cervical spine is one of the most informative diagnostic methods, which will indicate hidden disorders and neoplasms;
blood tests - prescribed to determine the causative agent of bacterial diseases, as well as to assess hormonal balance;
additional methods for diagnosing diseases of the hearing organ, including audoscopy, smear tests, and ultrasound examination.

The Clinical Brain Institute has modern equipment for diagnosing diseases that are accompanied by headaches and ear congestion. Here you can quickly and accurately determine the underlying disease that causes deterioration in well-being.

Causes of tinnitus

Tinnitus can be caused by a wide range of causes, including some serious medical conditions. First of all, tinnitus is caused by pathologies of the hearing aid. They can be classified by area of localization.

Pathologies of the inner ear:

presbycusis – atrophic and dystrophic changes in the inner ear of an age-related nature. In this case, tinnitus usually accompanies the development of hearing loss;
noise damage to the inner ear. The reason may be, for example, listening to loud music on headphones for a long time;
long-term use of certain medications that are characterized by ototoxicity (adverse effects on the hearing organs);
otosclerosis (pathological growth of bone tissue of the inner ear). With otosclerosis, noise and hearing loss are observed first in one ear, and a few months later the pathology may develop in the second ear;
Meniere's disease (fluid accumulation in the inner ear cavity). The main symptom of the disease is dizziness;
labyrinthitis (inflammation of the inner ear). It also manifests itself primarily as dizziness. Tinnitus is a minor symptom.

Middle ear pathologies:

Otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear). The main symptoms are ear pain, fever, and possible purulent discharge from the ear. Ear congestion and noise are caused by the presence of fluid (such as pus) in the tympanic cavity;
exudative otitis (accumulation of fluid in the middle ear cavity). This type of otitis media is worth highlighting separately, since, as a rule, there are no other symptoms with it, except for hearing loss and tinnitus;
damage to the eardrum (for example, as a result of sound trauma).

Pathologies of the external ear:

sulfur plug;
an insect or foreign body entering the ear canal.

Other possible causes of tinnitus

Tinnitus can also be caused by:

pathologies of the cardiovascular system
. In particular, with atherosclerosis, plaques on the walls of the arteries lead to disruption of blood flow, and turbulence (turbulence) occurs. This uneven movement of blood causes vibration, which is perceived by the hearing aid and is felt as tinnitus. The sensation of tinnitus intensifies with an increase in blood pressure, which can be persistent (hypertension), or can be caused by situational factors such as stress, alcohol or caffeine consumption;
pathologies of the nervous system
. Noise in one ear, accompanied by hearing loss, dizziness and a sensation of “goosebumps” crawling across the face, is observed with a neuroma (tumor of the auditory nerve). Tinnitus can also be a symptom of multiple sclerosis or migraine.

Treatment of headaches and ear congestion

Treatment tactics are selected individually, depending on the cause of the headache and ear congestion, as well as the patient’s age, concomitant diseases and other factors. To eliminate both the root cause and symptoms of diseases, the following methods can be proposed:

antibiotic therapy is the main stage in the treatment of bacterial inflammatory processes, as well as the prevention of purulent complications;
symptomatic treatment , which includes anti-inflammatory, painkillers, ear drops;
surgical methods - necessary to remove sulfur plugs, neoplasms, as well as to extract the contents of the paranasal sinuses for sinusitis;
physiotherapy – prescribed for chronic ENT diseases.

Doctors at the Clinical Institute of the Brain prescribe a minimum of therapeutic techniques that will bring maximum results. Here are specialists of a wide and narrow profile with many years of experience in treating various diseases that manifest themselves as headaches and hearing impairment.

Prevention methods

At home, you should follow simple recommendations from doctors. They will help prevent the development of diseases that cause headaches, ear congestion and general deterioration in well-being. The set of preventive measures includes:

protection of the head and ears from hypothermia;
proper nutrition with enough vitamins at any time of the year;
timely treatment of colds.

The Clinical Brain Institute offers all the conditions for high-quality and comfortable treatment of disorders that cause headaches and ear congestion. There is also timely equipment located here, thanks to which you can quickly and accurately determine the cause of poor health and make an accurate diagnosis.

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Presses and bursts in the ears

Marina

December 18, 2020

Hello! Please help me figure it out. 3.12 I had a pain in my neck/back of my head (the pain was not acute, but it felt like I was sleeping uncomfortably) There were no problems with my neck before. On December 5, a sore throat was added, the tonsils were enlarged, and the temperature was 37.2. I immediately started treating with Hexoral, Faringosept, Tonsilgon, and salt/soda rinses. There was no runny nose, but after sleep there was congestion in one or the other nostril. On the trail. day there was a feeling of tightness in the throat/neck, stuffy ears. 7.12 I went to see a therapist. Swallowing was no longer painful, but my throat was still bad. The doctor added the antibiotic Flemoxin for 5 days and injections of Neuromultivit and Xefocam, and said that if the sensations in the neck and ears do not go away, then start Mexidol 3 times a month. 9.12 I turned to Laura: my ears are clean, I have a sore throat. I sent him to donate blood and a throat swab. I took the antibiotic on the 4th day. The blood is good. The smear is clean, only Candida 10b3. After the injections, my neck stopped hurting and the tightness in my neck/throat went away, but my ears and head felt full. I started Mexidol 11.12. On the 3rd day of taking it, dry mouth appeared, I lost my appetite and began to feel sick and have a headache. Canceled it. 15.12 I felt worse, severe weakness, temperature every day was 37.2 for all 2 weeks, my head ached as if it were clamped in a vice, my ears were not stuffed up, but seemed to be bursting and pressing from the inside (like hot flashes, it starts to press and then goes away, especially if you close your ears and open them ) there is also pressure in the head and face (temples, ear area, between the eyebrows, in the nose and on both sides of the nose). 16.12 Lora is back again, her throat is better, but still swollen, her ears are fine and this time she looked in her nose. Swelling in the nose. She sent me for an x-ray of the sinuses and at the same time the cervical calving. Results: osteochondrosis was ruled out, the neck was fine. And in the nose there is a parietal thickening of the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinuses. The doctor again ordered me to drink a/b for another 5 days + Isofra + nasal prom-e Aquamaris + Imudon. All this time I thought that I had a sore throat + SCH and something with the blood vessels. The neurologist said that everything was fine in her area and further examination. did not appoint. For today. The day became easier, there was no fever, after rinsing the nose, the pressure on the forehead and nose stopped, and the ears were bursting. It turns out there is no osteochondrosis? Please comment on my condition and how adequate is the treatment? What else can I do to get better? I'm very worried about my ears, I'm already starting to panic

The question is closed

angina

neurologist

cervical osteochondrosis

stuffy ears

feeling of tightness