Signs & Symptoms of a Ruptured Ear Drum

The eardrum is a membrane that protects the middle and inner ear from infection and environmental factors. When a hole tears in the membrane, a rupture in the eardrum occurs. An eardrum rupture can be caused by an inner-ear infection, changes in air pressure, such as on an airplane, or a blow to the side of the head.

Pain

• The pain of a ruptured eardrum is sharp when it first occurs, but it usually diminishes quickly. Environmental factors, such as cold or wind, can cause pain after the initial rupture, and an infection also causes pain. If an infection is present, the pain diminishes when the eardrum drains. Ruptures that occur because of a blow to the head may cause pain from the injury to the head and outer part of the ear.

Infection

• Infection can result if there is no protection for the eardrum before it heals. Pus or blood drains from the ear when an infection is present. If the eardrum does not heal, patients may experience chronic ear infection, which may lead to a hearing loss. A patch is sometimes used to protect the inner and middle ear while a rupture heals.

Hearing Loss

• A ruptured eardrum can cause hearing loss in some cases. The hearing loss may not be extensive, but damage may occur to the delicate bones in the ear when the protective membrane is torn. This type of hearing loss is usually temporary, and hearing returns when the rupture heals.

Ringing in the Ears

• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, occurs with a ruptured eardrum. This can sound like a buzzing sound when no other sound is present externally. Ringing, buzzing, whining, ticking or humming is how patients perceive tinnitus.

Vertigo

• Vertigo is sometimes likened to dizziness, but the condition is actually a specific sensation of movement when standing still. Patients feel as though they are spinning while they are still. This symptom of a ruptured eardrum may affect their ability to stand up or walk without assistance.

Nausea

• Vertigo from a ruptured eardrum can lead to vertigo in some cases. The sensation of spinning can become so strong that the patient feels nauseous and may even vomit as a result. This symptom clears up when the eardrum heals.