Extreme outer ear pain: What can it be?

I can totally relate to almost everything I am reading. I have this too, but not only when I sleep. My pain has been on and off for over 20 years and can triggered at anytime. I am 48 today, and it has been more frequent and painful then ever.

Last week I resorted to an ENT after seeing a dermatologist. (My primary Dr. thought the symptoms I described could be skin related).

The ENT Dr. said my ears are perfect and he can’t see anything wrong. He had no answers. And dermatologist said the same.

In the beginning, I use to think my sunglasses were pinching a nerve. 20 years later, it can happen anytime to either ear. Sometimes it will swell and become red.

I try to keep track of what is happening before attack’s happen. After all these years, the only similarity I can relate to episodes is that; I am breathing! I doesn’t matter what time of day, mood, health food, climate etc. Most times I can feel when an episode is about to happen to prepare myself. They are intense and sometimes debilitating.

I’ve read most of the posts and I still can’t find an answer/solution as my symptoms worsen.

This is definitely a medical mystery I hope we can find relief for.

I have been having same issue for last 18 months. Lidocaine helps dull pain but two doctors have no clue. This one suggested Accpuncture has anyone had Accpuncture and if so any positive results.

This may Sound Strange,
My pain is like yours but different. When I sleep on my side and the ear that is up is the one I wake up with in pain. One thing I have noticed with a lot of replies are that most of you suffer or are easily susceptible to acid reflux. I have a possible hypothesis. Question? Could acidic stomach fumes seep though the throat to the ear and cause an inflamed soar ear? Just a thought. I will try the vitamin treatment I see below but maybe it could be the acid. Anyway thank you all for the continued help.

Yes it can still be the mild acid reflux. Look it it up. I will continue to try to manage my acid reflux without too much medication.

Kevin1234: MY PAIN IS GONE!!!! so Kevin. let me tell you my experience. have had terrible pain both ears for 20+ yrs when I sleep on them, especially the right ear. dr sent me for xrays, to Ent, to another Ent. no one had answer all looked at me funny as if I was nuts. also have acid reflux and very bad allergies for which I take generic Zyrtec. in meantime allergist retired and new one said we have a pocket of cartilage behind each ear which probably had become inflamed for all those yrs. that's why when I would massage behind ear gently at first then aggressively I would hear crackling. new doc said that was the cartilage breaking up. about 2 yrs ago I told my old allergist about getting very sick after plane ride. he suggested doubling up my allergy pills. BTW this allergist also had no answer about ears. because the next allergy season was so bad I kept taking double dozes of pills. I first noticed (about august of 2019) that my left ear was no longer painful to lay on. still did not make connection. then about 2 months later (late september 2019) the right ear was no longer painful. UNBELIEVABLE.....after 20+ years!!! but, during October, I had a very bad allergy day and my right ear (which had been the bad, bad one) started to hurt when I laid on it. so I decided to experiment. stopped taking allergy pills (in past only took allergy pills in summer). it took approx. 3 weeks (just a week ago) that my pain came back not as bad as before but bad enough to notice and only in right side. I got so scared it was coming back that I got up from bed and immediately took allergy pills. next day it was gone again. so....what does that tell you? I think everyone has this pain for different reason, but perhaps someone might have for same reason as mine and could benefit from my experience. BTW, your reference to acid reflux is very interesting and could very well be an answer for others.

I tried this and it worked for me also. I stopped taking it and the ear pain came back so I am going to restart. The pain is excruciating. Thanks so much for this advice.

This outer ear pain has been with me for years. I never know when I will wake up with it. Sometimes all it takes is just rubbing my ear and it starts up. I'm experiencing this right now and I cannot find any relief. I've been to my GP and he calls it an ear infection but the next day I could be fine. Today I woke up with it and it's so painful I cannot turn my head, it hurts to swallow and it's radiating down my neck. Before I have tried to lay on a hot water bottle and it had subsided, but not this time. There has got to be a name and a solution to this. My pain level between 1-10 is a 10 for sure.

@karenp253 Hi Karen have you seen a ear Dr? I think if you havent gotten rid of it you should make an appointment to see one. There is an infection not only of the outer ear but inner ear also and a ENT is the one who can tell you . Good luck

This makes sense! I had 2 bulging neck discs last summer and went through PT. So, I have pinched nerve pain. I started having this weird ear pain when sleeping on my side. It feels like when your arm or legs fall asleep and then you have that bad pain, except it's in your ears! It started on one side for me, now it happens on both! I am going to try my Mackenzie pillow. I know it isn't an infection. Vascular pooling makes more sense. Thanks for your response😁

Hello @karenp253 and @clt54, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!
@karenp253, how's the ear pain? Has it subsided or still the same? Have you tried any other solutions to help with the pain?
@clt54, I'm glad you've found the tips from @upartist and other members to be helpful. I look forward to hearing if the McKenzie Lumbar Roll works for you. Do you have such a round pillow already?