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A foreign body in the ear canal is any foreign object, living organism, or substance that accidentally or intentionally enters the external auditory canal. Such cases occur across all age groups: from children exploring their own bodies to adolescents and adults working in fields or forests, or even during sleep when an insect may enter. Plant seeds are particularly dangerous as they swell rapidly and can cause additional trauma to the ear canal during removal. Occasionally, local or even general anesthesia is required to extract a foreign body. The range of potential foreign bodies is much broader than listed above, but these are the most common examples from clinical practice. Clinical Case: A 12-year-old boy presented after helping clean a workshop. He found metal bearing balls and decided to insert one into his ear. He was unable to retrieve it on his own. Over time, pain, swelling, tinnitus, and hearing impairment developed. The ball became tightly impacted in the ear canal, creating a vacuum effect, cerumen secretion increased, and any attempt to manipulate it pushed it deeper, causing severe pain. The following day, his parents brought him for a consultation, and the ball was successfully removed using a magnet. Potential Complications A foreign body can traumatize the tympanic membrane, cause its rupture (perforation), and spread infection to the middle ear. The warm and moist environment there creates favorable conditions for infection to develop, potentially leading to further hearing impairment. What to do: If an object enters the ear and cannot be naturally dislodged: try tilting the head so the affected ear faces downward and gently shake it; under no circumstances use tweezers or other instruments for self-removal; be sure to consult an otolaryngologist. In the slides below, you can see various objects that were extracted from patient ears, as well as complications that arose due to delayed medical evaluation and neglect of one's health. Stay cautious and take care of your health!

Patients with ear fullness are among the most frequent consults for an otolaryngologist in the summer. Especially after swimming or using cotton swabs or other objects to "clean" cerumen (earwax) from the ear. In reality, such actions only push the cerumen deeper and impact it. Symptoms: Along with ear fullness, patients may experience: tinnitus, autophony (hearing one's own voice louder), progressive hearing loss. It is important to distinguish: if symptoms onset acutely after manipulation or water entry, it is likely a cerumen impaction (earwax plug); if hearing worsens gradually over days, accompanied by pain, rhinorrhea, or fever, it may indicate a different condition requiring medical evaluation. Clinical Case I was consulted by the relatives of an 89-year-old female patient who had spent years asking people to repeat themselves and watching television at a high volume, disturbing her neighbors. The relatives wanted to fit her with a hearing aid.During examination, cerumen impactions were detected in the auditory canals, blocking sound transmission. After their removal, the patient was surprised that her relatives were shouting at her and asked them to speak more quietly because she could now hear well. A week later, the relatives reported that she stopped asking people to repeat themselves, reduced the TV volume, and became more socially active. This case demonstrates how significantly cerumen impaction can impair the quality of life of a patient and their loved ones, and how simply the problem can be resolved. Who is at risk? There is a category of people in whom, due to various reasons: there is hypersecretion of ceruminous glands, cerumen clearance is impaired. Such patients know that every 3–6 months they need to consult a physician for cerumen removal to prevent ear canal obstruction. For a better understanding of the pathology, I am attaching photos: a medical model demonstrates exactly how cerumen impaction lodges in the ear canal; as well as a real example—the impaction removed from the patient in the clinical case described above. These images clearly demonstrate how tightly cerumen can occlude the ear canal and how simple removal of the plug can instantly restore hearing and improve quality of life. Important Note Never self-medicate without consulting a specialist. Stay healthy!