Ear Infections

A trip to Wellington Physicians Urgent Care can provide you relief from your pain and discomfort with ear infection treatment.

What is an Ear Infection?

An ear infection happens when viruses or bacteria enter the ear canal. Ear infections can cause pain and fever in both children and adults and are actually quite common in children.

While painful for your child, ear infections in children should not be a reason to panic. Take your child to an urgent care center to get the viral infection or bacterial infection diagnosed and treated. Your child will start feeling better sooner rather than later.

Causes of Ear Infection

A middle ear infection can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae (nontypeable)—the two most common bacterial causes. A virus such as the cold or flu can also cause an ear infection.

Types of Ear Infections

Diagnosis and treatment for an ear infection is key to recovery. A few types of ear infections include:

Swimmer’s Ear

They can be external (otitis externa) swimmer’s ear, or internal (otitis media). Otitis externa, commonly referred to as Swimmer’s ear, is an ear infection occurring in the ear and/or outer ear canal.

This can cause itching and the ear may become so red and swollen that touch or pressure on the ear is very painful. Pus may drain from the ear, so beware fluid in the ear. Usually, antibiotics are needed for the treatment of otitis externa.

Acute Otitis Media (AOM)

This type of ear infection that is typically painful and might improve with the treatment of antibiotics is called acute otitis media (AOM). AOM symptoms include pain, pus in the ear, redness of the eardrum, and fever. Infants or toddlers may be irritable, and children may tug on the affected ear. Antibiotic treatment is often prescribed to children with AOM, but is not always necessary.

Acute Otitis Media with Effusion (AOME)

Acute otitis media with effusion (AOME) occurs when part of the ear called the eustachian tube gets blocked by fluid. This is the tube that connects the inside of the ear to the back of the throat. Fluid can build up in the middle ear for several reasons, including a cold.

With a cold, the middle ear can get filled with fluid just as the nose does — it just doesn’t run out as easily from the middle ear as it does from the nose. Sometimes the fluid can become infected, which leads to AOM. After AOM has been treated with antibiotics or has resolved itself, fluid could remain in the middle ear for a month or longer before it goes away.

Urgent Care for Ear Infections

Urgent care for ear aches and ear infections can be a great place to accurately diagnose and learn about the best way to treat your medical condition. If the ear infection is minor, then you may have concrete instructions on how to start feeling better, sooner.

If the problem is worse, a trip to an urgent care center can help with the pain. One of our urgent care medical professionals will check the ear by using a small scope with a light to see the severity of the infection. Getting the ear in front of the right specialist can help prevent long-term ear issues. Ear infections not properly treated can cause long-term ear issues, such as hearing loss. Visiting an urgent care facility for an ear infection can reduce this risk.

Contact Us Today

Wellington Physicians Urgent Care, located in Wellington, Florida, is open seven days a week with convenient daytime and evening hours for patients needing urgent care treatment. Wellington Physicians Urgent Care’s team of medical professionals are here to help with your ear infection and relieve the pain.

Walk-in or make a reservation online.  →