Swimmer's ear (outer ear canal infection)
Also known as otitis externa, this is an infection of the outer ear canal.
Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge reviewed this
39 year experience in Internal Medicine
Is a type of:
How long it usually lasts:
How common it is:
Baby 0-2 | Very common | ||||
Preteen 6-13 | Very common | ||||
Teenager 14-18 | Very common | ||||
Young adult 19-40 | Very common | ||||
Middle-aged adult 41-60 | Very common |
Body locations
Symptoms
Medications
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Surgery
Other treatments
Related questions
A 22-year old female asked:
Can you get a fever from a swimmer's ear infection.?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 22-year old female asked:
What's the signs of an ear infection and will you get a fever from swimmer's ear?
1 doctor answer • 10 doctors weighed in
A 24-year old female asked:
What are the signs of swimmers ear infection or Ottis media and does the ear infection make you feel tired ?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 29-year old male asked:
My ears get blocked as soon as any water enters the canal whenever I shower and that tends to block my hearing. It causes infection as the fluid does not drain, what would I need to do in this instance?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 35-year old asked:
Do I have a ear infection if I have swimmers' ear?
1 doctor answer • 8 doctors weighed in
A 35-year old asked:
I have external ear infections/swimmers ear?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 50-year old male asked:
Can ear canals swell due to infection or a fungal ear?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in
A 24-year old female asked:
Can a swimmers ear infection cause you to feel tired?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 34-year old asked:
How do I know if I have an ear infection or swimmers ear?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 39-year old asked:
How should I treat an ear canal infection (otitis externa)?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 48-year old asked:
I have ear canal infection and swelling, what to do for treatment?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 47-year old asked:
I'm concerned because I have swollen submental gland (under chin gland) and right ear inner canal infection?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 44-year old asked:
How to know if I have external ear infections/swimmers ear?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
A 21-year old female asked:
Can swimmer's ear infection go away on its own.? And how long will it take for it to go away on its own.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 46-year old asked:
Ear canal swelling due to sinus infection. How do I get it to go down?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 22-year old female asked:
Can you have swimmer's ear infection without ear pain and without a fever.?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 22-year old asked:
What is the best over-the-counter medication for an ear infection/swimmers ear?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 42-year old asked:
Can I use an ofloxacin opthalmic drops instead of ofloxacin otic drops for my swimmer's ear infection?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in
A female asked:
I was given ofloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% for swimmer's ear, should I be worried that they gave me this to treat a ear infection?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
A 22-year old female asked:
How do you get water out of your ear if you accidentally got water in it. To prevent from getting swimmer's ear infection I was curious?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 24-year old female asked:
Does brown ear drainage mean I have swimmers ear infection my ear has been hurting since Friday and I been having drainage since Friday night?
1 doctor answer • 8 doctors weighed in
A 39-year old female asked:
For the past few months the inside of my ear canal smells sour. I noticed it when taking out earphones. Dr said he didn't see infection. It's nasty?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 30-year old female asked:
I have a bad sinus infection that has cut off air flow to my ear canals totally. I bent over today got a huge pop sound fallowed by pain and no sound?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 20-year old female asked:
Can a ear tube cause swimmer's ear infection if you accidentally get water in your ear.?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
A 27-year old female asked:
My ear feels very sore and canal feels swollen. I am hard of hearing. Could this be a start of an infection?!
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 22-year old female asked:
Can you get the flu shot if you have swimmer's ear infection and what's the side effects of the flu shot in 2017-2018?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 24-year old female asked:
Is it possible to have swimmers ear infection with no drainage I have a severe ear ache but no drainage my temperature is 99.0 ?
1 doctor answer • 7 doctors weighed in
A female asked:
My 3yr old has a canal ear infection. She got kicked in the ear on sat by another child. Today she has had 3 nosebleeds. Never had them before. ?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 24-year old female asked:
Painless Pimple/cyst in ear canal, busted. How should I proceed with cleaning out pus-afraid to clean with qtip due to pushing the infection deeper?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A 31-year old female asked:
My 3 year old is on her 2nd set of pe tubes (t&a removed).Left tube is in the ear canal & is infectioned.Is it recommended/safe to replace this tube?
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
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