Pain Behind the ear ( on the bone)

Question

I have been experiencing pain behind my ear on the bone. I have been to doctor like 4 to 5 times. Also ENT specialists. I have been diagnosed and x-ray was also taken. They said there was nothing to worry as per the xray and that I might have slight middle ear infection and have been prescribed anti-biotics, but still the pain persists. The pain is sharp and lasts few secs and comes very seldom. I cant really tell how regularly and at what time intervals it comes. I am really concerned about this as i am not able to get rid of it even with specialists. 

YOUR SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

lljh1410 · Answer

I agree with joy1007 and aynotmill - I have had the very same issue: severe pain on the bone behind my ear. I have bruxism (teeth grinding) as well. Any time I have tooth or jaw pain for any reason (like not wearing my night guard), the ear pain gets worse. Pain from the jaw / teeth tracks up to the head, behind the ears. Sinus infections definitely worsen the pain (which can spread to forehead, cheek, nasal area during infections). --- get checked out for bruxism, wear a night guard if you find out you do have bruxism and expect worsened pain with sinus and ear infections (which should go away after infection clears -- unless you are the type to get chronic infections).

aynotmill · Answer

That bone is connected to your Jawbone and means your jaw is not aligned correctly. Have you been to a Chripractor for an alignment? Or do you need braces because because your jaw or teeth or not aligned? Have you ever grinded your teeth in your sleep now or in the past? Has your jaw popped now or in the past? I have the same pain in the bone behind my right ear. I have to sleep flat on my back with no pillow. I cannot sleep on my side. Sinus infections do aggeravate the pain. I also needed braces as a teenager but didnt get them. My Chripractor realigned my jaw and helped alot and I took antbotics for the sinus infection.

jjevenson · Answer

The answer may be what I discovered – stop drinking carbonated beverages of any kind. Had the same type of pain behind my left ear seemed to be the skull bone – but it was on the surface. Very sensitive to cold or even the slightest breeze. Always had Run & coke for cocktail hour. Decided to switch to scotch and water – the next day the pain was gone. The following day I had a can of grape soda (carbonated) and within a few hours, the pain was back. Stopped all carbonated beverages and the pain went away. Still gone a week later and I won’t be drinking carbonated anything. Could have something to do with putting gas into your system (something a I learned about when taking Scuba lessons) – certain gases (carbonated) can find any place in your body where they want to settle and that can be painful. Many of you may have noticed that by keeping the area warm (not hot) it minimizes the discomfort.

divyareddy09 · Answer

No it was there since many years but was small earlier and was not at all troubling me but then it grew in size a little bit and then as I told, was putting pressure on some nerve coz of which i m feeling the pain (as said by the doc)

Nancy T · Answer

Hi divyareddy, thanks for the update. Has this blister been there ever since your symptoms started? It seems a little strange, but who knows.

divyareddy09 · Answer

Hi Nancy,

Just FYI, I have recently been to a famous ENT surgeon near my area and during the visit he asked me if I have any small blisters in and around the area of pain. I actaully do. But earlier I was said that it was a keloid. But the specialist told me it was not a keloid and was formed due to some small infection (can be any infection from hair follicle infection or from dandruff or anything) in the head and the pain is due to the blister which is exactly formed above some particular nerve and is creating pressure on the nerve which is why I feel the pain and is not at all something to be worried unless the blister keeps growing in size and troubles a lot which can then be removed safely. Nothing to worry. 

I thought I could share this with you....

divyareddy09 · Answer

Hmm not really; just the usual pain, sometimes slight dizziness and the clicking sound as already mentioned. But I can tell u the pain is very sharp and lasts few secs and during this very short period I feel that clicking sound in my ear and as though my ear is filled with air. Also sometimes the pain gets aggravated in cold weather like too much of AC or in winter and its already been 2 years approx. that I am getting it.

Nancy T · Answer

Do you have any other unusual symptoms?

divyareddy09 · Answer

Yeah it is something like the clicking noise you mentioned Nancy !

At least now I know that somebody else knows something about this problem because I thought this might be a mysterious kind of problem.

Anyways thanks Nancy for your response and I would surely let you know if I know something about this problem.

Nancy T · Answer

I don't know, but I have something similar. Sudden, sharp, fast-repeating stabs of pain on the bone behind my ear, which happen at the same time as a clicking noise in my ear. I've had this occasionally for 10 years.

I've mentioned it to several specialists (ENT, neurologist) that I visited for dizziness, hearing loss, and other symptoms. They all say they don't know what is causing these "attacks" of clicking with painful stabs behind the ear.

If you ever find out, let us know! But honestly, there are a LOT of things the doctors can never solve. And if it's not keeping you from living a more or less normal life, they are not very interested in trying to figure it out. The mysteries remain.