“Can swimming cause hearing loss?”
I am a swimmer and recently I am observing a lot of wet wax from my ears, perhaps due to water getting inside the ear. Can this cause hearing loss?
5 Answers
The wet wax can block the ear canal resulting in a reduction in hearing. This hearing loss is easily corrected by removing the obstructing wax. This can be done at your audiologist's office or primary care physician's office.
Angela R. Sieh Ceretto, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA
Audiologist
Pinnacle Audiology, LLC
6809 S. Minnesota Ave., Suite 101
605-306-4481
Angela R. Sieh Ceretto, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA
Audiologist
Pinnacle Audiology, LLC
6809 S. Minnesota Ave., Suite 101
605-306-4481
Yes and it can cause swimmer's ear, a very painful infection in the ear canal.
No, swimming itself cannot cause hearing loss. You may develop more wax simply because of the ears being exposed to more water than typical. But ears are very self cleaning so no need to worry!
Hello, that’s a great question. Everyone has earwax which helps to protect the ear Canal from being irritated. Earwax is made in the canal and will often come out of the ear canal on it’s own over time. If you use q tips, sometimes the wax can get pushed too far into the canal to come out on it’s own and it can build up over time creating an earplug of sorts. If you’ve been swimming and you are noticing that the wax is coming out, it’s mainly because the wax has Now been softened and it’s able to move freely out if the canal on it’s own. As far as hearing loss, it is usually a temporary blockage that creates the feeling of being stopped up just like if you out an earplug in your ear. If you feel the wax is out and still can’t hear well, it would be good to schedule an appointment to have your regular dr look inside the canal. They can safely remove the rest of the earwax. If there is no wax and you feel like you cannot hear well then you would want to see an audiologist or otolaryngologist to have your hearing checked. The testing will be able to tell you if the hearing loss is temporary, permanent, or caused by another issue. If your ears are Very full of earwax And you dive deep under water, that can cause pressure and pain.
If there is enough wax in the ear canal to cause a complete blockage, it can cause a temporary hearing impairment. The best course of action is to get to your primary care doctor, an ENT or an audiologist and have the ears cleared of the wax.
