Swimmer’s Ear Treatment Offered to Walk-In Patients in the Wildwood, NJ, Area

It’s not at all unusual for an illness or injury to disrupt an otherwise blissful sojourn at the beach. But if you’re in the Wildwood, New Jersey, area, Cape Regional Urgent Care can help get you back to having fun in the sun as quickly as possible. Our Wildwood walk-in clinic is open during extended hours daily, including weekends, and we treat patients of all ages for a vast array of non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, including swimmer’s ear and other ear infections.

Swimmer’s Ear vs. Middle Ear Infection

Both swimmer’s ear and middle ear infections are extremely common among children, but adults can get them, too. An accurate diagnosis is important because effective swimmer’s ear treatment differs from inner ear infection treatment. Here are only a few details about these types of ear infections:

Causes

Swimmer’s ear is an outer ear infection that’s typically caused by a waterlogged ear. When a person spends too much time underwater, the ear’s natural wax barrier can wear away, increasing the ear canal’s vulnerability to bacterial or fungal growth. This is different from the more common middle ear ailment, which is caused by a viral or bacterial infection that develops because of flu- or allergy-related congestion interfering with proper ear drainage.

Symptoms

Swimmer’s ear symptoms can be similar to those of a middle ear infection—for example, ear pain and temporary hearing loss—but there are some distinguishing differences. If you notice that your child is tugging on her or his earlobe, that’s a common sign of swimmer’s ear.

Seasonality

Swimmer’s ear treatment is most often needed during the warm summer months, when people spend more time swimming in pools and the ocean. Middle ear infections can occur at any time of year, but they’re more common in the winter because of the prevalence of colds and flu.

If you’re in the Wildwood area when you or your child develops a worrisome earache, you can turn with confidence to Cape Regional Urgent Care for an accurate diagnosis and treatment, whether the cause is swimmer’s ear or a middle ear infection. Contact us today if you have questions.