Could Poking Your Eardrum with a Q-Tip Cause Any Damage to the Inner Ear?

[Christian82]

Hey everyone,

I hope you had a good Christmas!

I was just wondering if you kind of poke against you eardrum with a q-tip, could this cause damage to the inner ear.

I know it is a bad idea but things happen and I poked against the eardrum

I can't figure out the mechanism, I know sound travels via the eardrum and the small bones to the inner ear. So if you poke against the eardrum could this cause a shockwave in the inner ear? Or does it not work like this?

The only information I could find is that you could damage the eardrum but nothing about the inner ear.

I did not have any pain nor do I think it damaged the eardrum but of course I have a huge spike in tinnitus.

Would love to get some input from you guys.

Cheers Chris

 

[Gman]

Do not stick q-tips in your ear.

 

[Christian82]

I know but well it happened. I just want to know if I caused damage to the inner ear

 

[Alue]

I doubt it, at least not anything permanent. The eardrum is actually very good at repairing itself. Did you get a sharp pain when you did it?

 

[Red]

I know but well it happened. I just want to know if I caused damage to the inner ear

Signs of eardrum perforation:

Sudden ear pain that quickly subsides
Feeling of liquid in ear
Though sometimes asymptomatic.
You could go to the doctor for an actual answer and in the meanwhile use cotton balls in your ear while you shower.

 

[Gman]

I know but well it happened. I just want to know if I caused damage to the inner ear

No one would really be able to say with certainty. Depends on how hard you hit it. Sound waves hitting the ear drum transfer vibrations through to the inner ear via the middle ear bones, so same deal with something physical hitting it.

Only way you could tell is if you had a recent hearing test and could compare it to a new one since the incident.
If you hit it hard enough I would say it could cause damage. Was it really hard?

I had impacted ear wax and got T. Did the ear wax push up against the drum, was it anxiety from putting in ear wax solution, was it from tipping my head to the side too vigorously to drain the solution when it felt like it blocked my ear? Who knows? No one can say.

 

[Christian82]

No there was no pain or amything and i would say it was not hard just a little push. But after a few minutes my T spiked and it got really high piched. Matbe the anxiety? I dont know but i cant seem to mask it anymore i am so scared that it will stay this way. I hope it will get back to a normal level.

 

[GregCA]

Hey everyone,

I hope you had a good Christmas!

I was just wondering if you kind of poke against you eardrum with a q-tip, could this cause damage to the inner ear.

Possibly.

I can't figure out the mechanism, I know sound travels via the eardrum and the small bones to the inner ear. So if you poke against the eardrum could this cause a shockwave in the inner ear? Or does it not work like this?

It does work like that, so it does seem you understand the mechanism well. Sound waves make the ear drum move very little. A physical poke is a much much larger impulse that gets transmitted via the malleus/incus/stapes to the cochlea, by virtue of conservation of momentum: "some amount of energy" is transmitted to the inner ear. Whether it causes damage is anyone's guess and probably depends on how much energy, frequency band distribution, etc... so not something that anyone could say with certainty.

I hope you'll refrain from sticking anything in your ear canals in the future.

Good luck!

 

[lymebite]

For about $40 you can buy a Wi-Fi high definition otoscope on Amazon and check your eardrum directly for perforations, signs of infection, etc.

There are several models, here is one of them:

http://a.co/d/97etcrf

Features of this model:

• Support iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone and tablet
• Newest 720P HD ear camera: You can view live image from 1-5 devices at the same time, also can save pictures and videos and send them to your doctor for guidance
• Safety design: The speculum protects the ear canal from the camera entering too deeply, and it can also be effectively insulated from overheating.
• Waterproof Camera: You can clean it with water or wipe with alcohol, this would be much more clean and sanitary
• For Teslong, every product has a 12 month warranty and unconditionally return or replacement.

 

[Christian82]

Thank you all for your advice i wont do that again. Now i just need to wait and see if the poking or Anxiety Spike will settle down.

 

[dpdx]

No
but do not use Q tips at all.

 

[Kelvin]

Yeah...don't stick anything smaller than your fist in your ear canal.
Im sure you fine...and anxiety is playing more a part than Mr Q Tip.
Peace
X

 

[Julien87]

No
but do not use Q tips at all.

I use them everyday. What safer way is there? What do you suggest? Spray?

 

[dpdx]

I use them everyday. What safer way is there? What do you suggest? Spray?

My doctor told me not to use them as they can cause wax to get impacted.

 

[GregCA]

I use them everyday. What safer way is there? What do you suggest? Spray?

You're not supposed to use anything. What do you use them for? Most people use them to "take out the wax", but what they fail to realize is that ears are self cleaning and wax is a key element in that process.

In a healthy ear, wax is generated and is slowly pushed out of the ear canal naturally, catching a bunch of debris along the way.

Unless your ear is not healthy (and you do know for a fact that it doesn't generate wax, or generates too much, or accumulates the wax, etc...), then it requires no maintenance.

QTips not only carry a risk of injury to the ear drum, they also generally make things worse by compacting wax closer to the ear drum, like a piston.

 

[Alue]

Possibly.



It does work like that, so it does seem you understand the mechanism well. Sound waves make the ear drum move very little. A physical poke is a much much larger impulse that gets transmitted via the malleus/incus/stapes to the cochlea, by virtue of conservation of momentum: "some amount of energy" is transmitted to the inner ear. Whether it causes damage is anyone's guess and probably depends on how much energy, frequency band distribution, etc... so not something that anyone could say with certainty.

I hope you'll refrain from sticking anything in your ear canals in the future.

Good luck!

I had numerous injections into my middle ear through clinical trials. They numb the eardrum with a dab of phenol then puncture a little hole in it. While it's a little loud and strange sounding, I never found it to be uncomfortably loud. Suctioning on the other hand is bad news.

 

[GregCA]

I had numerous injections into my middle ear through clinical trials. They numb the eardrum with a dab of phenol then puncture a little hole in it. While it's a little loud and strange sounding, I never found it to be uncomfortably loud. Suctioning on the other hand is bad news.

I've had an injection through the ear drum too, but I don't think it's equivalent to a "blunt poking". For one, an injection involves a needle with a sharp edge specifically designed to poke through rather than apply blunt force. Second, the doctors injecting are very specific about where they poke the drum: they don't do it near the malleus, which transmits the mechanical energy through the middle ear bones.

I do agree with you that the sound of the injection through the drum isn't perceived as particularly loud. Other things do make it uncomfortable , but I didn't find the sound to be one of them.

 

[Julien87]

Thank you Greg. I always try not pushing any wax further in when I use q tips. Not sure if it's really safer though.

QTips not only carry a risk of injury to the ear drum, they also generally make things worse by compacting wax closer to the ear drum, like a piston.

By the way, don't earplugs do the same thing?

 

[Christian82]

No one would really be able to say with certainty. Depends on how hard you hit it. Sound waves hitting the ear drum transfer vibrations through to the inner ear via the middle ear bones, so same deal with something physical hitting it.

Only way you could tell is if you had a recent hearing test and could compare it to a new one since the incident.
If you hit it hard enough I would say it could cause damage. Was it really hard?

I had impacted ear wax and got T. Did the ear wax push up against the drum, was it anxiety from putting in ear wax solution, was it from tipping my head to the side too vigorously to drain the solution when it felt like it blocked my ear? Who knows? No one can say.

Did you get a spike or full on T ? Did it ever settle ? I hears when they remove the obstruction T should go away.

 

[GregCA]

Thank you Greg. I always try not pushing any wax further in when I use q tips. Not sure if it's really safer though.

By the way, don't earplugs do the same thing?

They do. So do RIC (receiver in canal) hearing aids. That's one of their drawbacks compared to BTE (behind the ear) type of hearing aids, in addition to the occlusion effect and the feeling of being plugged.

Not to mention the irritation due to the friction against the walls of the ear canal. It's quite sensitive and can get irritated quickly. Then there are outer ear infections too... ah... so many fun things!

 

[Alue]

I've had an injection through the ear drum too, but I don't think it's equivalent to a "blunt poking". For one, an injection involves a needle with a sharp edge specifically designed to poke through rather than apply blunt force. Second, the doctors injecting are very specific about where they poke the drum: they don't do it near the malleus, which transmits the mechanical energy through the middle ear bones.

I do agree with you that the sound of the injection through the drum isn't perceived as particularly loud. Other things do make it uncomfortable , but I didn't find the sound to be one of them.

True, but they do dab it with a q-tip sort of thing with phenol on it. Had 18 injections with the AM101 trials, the only bad experience was the one time they tried to suction.

Not to mention the irritation due to the friction against the walls of the ear canal. It's quite sensitive and can get irritated quickly. Then there are outer ear infections too... ah... so many fun things!

I get this irritation all the time with earplugs. I have a digital otoscope and can visibly see the irritation, plus it sometimes starts hurting. I'm not sure what to do about it when I really have to wear earplugs often. I'm pretty sure it's never gotten infected, it just gets very irritated.

 

[coffee_girl]

I've used Qtips all my life, never had problems. I don't recommend people start using them though, because if youre not careful you can cause physical damage.

I always use them after a hot shower because the steam melts the wax into liquid and i can remove them with the qtips. I get my ears checked once a year and I never have had wax problems.

Again, just my opinion...don't use em if you are uncomfortable with them.

 

[Gman]

Did you get a spike or full on T ? Did it ever settle ? I hears when they remove the obstruction T should go away.

I'm here aren't I? It triggered my T and never went away. Only worsened in so many unexpected ways.

 

[Julien87]

Actually, the way I see things, Q tips help me get rid of the wax that I don't want to push in when I put earplugs.
If anyone has a safer alternative I'll be glad to hear it though. I never tried spray, is it loud?

 

[Agrajag364]

Hey everyone,

I hope you had a good Christmas!

I was just wondering if you kind of poke against you eardrum with a q-tip, could this cause damage to the inner ear.

I know it is a bad idea but things happen and I poked against the eardrum

I can't figure out the mechanism, I know sound travels via the eardrum and the small bones to the inner ear. So if you poke against the eardrum could this cause a shockwave in the inner ear? Or does it not work like this?

The only information I could find is that you could damage the eardrum but nothing about the inner ear.

I did not have any pain nor do I think it damaged the eardrum but of course I have a huge spike in tinnitus.

Would love to get some input from you guys.

Cheers Chris

I wouldn't recommend using these things, my tinnitus began with a cotton bud q tip as it caused an ear wax impaction. Having said that a few times over 20 years of use I did bang my eardrum with one and never noticed any side-effects. Hopefully if you stay calm your spike will go away over time

 

[Agrajag364]

As others have said the reasons ENTs tell people not to use them are twofold – you can damage the ear with them and you will push the wax further in risking an impaction. Wax is only produced in the outer third of the ear and a cotton bud will push it further in

 

[BobDigi]

Yes very bad things can happen while shoving anything in your ear.

 

[Agrajag364]

Yes very bad things can happen while shoving anything in your ear.

Yes and I think people think the reason it's fine is often it is fine.....doesn't mean that one day you won't damage your ears. I must have used cotton buds daily for two decades...........no problems........then one day ear wax impaction.....and eventually tinnitus in that ear that didn't go once the impaction was removed. It's not worth it! people find the habit hard to break as ears can get itchy!

 

[Hariz Nonis]

You're not supposed to use anything. What do you use them for? Most people use them to "take out the wax", but what they fail to realize is that ears are self cleaning and wax is a key element in that process.

In a healthy ear, wax is generated and is slowly pushed out of the ear canal naturally, catching a bunch of debris along the way.

Unless your ear is not healthy (and you do know for a fact that it doesn't generate wax, or generates too much, or accumulates the wax, etc...), then it requires no maintenance.

QTips not only carry a risk of injury to the ear drum, they also generally make things worse by compacting wax closer to the ear drum, like a piston.

What about ear curettes? Are those safe for removing wax?

 

[GregCA]

What about ear curettes? Are those safe for removing wax?

That's what I ask the doctors to use to take care of my wax. You're not going to use that on yourself though (I imagine that's not what you meant, even though it's the spirit of the thread).