Q: Our 12-year-old son loves swimming. He's in the pool all year, without any problems. This summer, he started taking surfing lessons, and he got a pretty bad earache. His pediatrician diagnosed ...

Dear Reader: Swimmer’s ear is a term that describes inflammation or infection in the external auditory canal. That’s the portion of the ear between the eardrum and the outer ear.

Medically reviewed by Benjamin F. Asher, MD The ear canal is also called the external acoustic meatus, outer ear, or auditory ...

Dear Reader: Swimmer’s ear is a term that describes inflammation or infection in the external auditory canal. That’s the portion of the ear between the eardrum and the outer ear.

External acoustic meatus: Also called the external auditory canal, this tube leads from the outside of the ear to the eardrum. Its outer portion is surrounded by cartilage, and the inner part is ...

Cerumen: A waxy substance produced by the ceruminous glands in the external auditory canal that protects the ear from dust, microorganisms and foreign particles.

Otoscopy is a clinical procedure employed to visually inspect the structures of the ear, especially the External Auditory Canal (EAC) and Tympanic Membrane (TM). Image Credit: Amplivox UK.

This type of ear infection in the external auditory canal of your outer ear is called swimmer’s ear (otitis externa). It’s not hard to get water out of your ear on your own. These 12 tips can ...

Q: Our 12-year-old son loves swimming. He’s in the pool all year, without any problems. This summer, he started taking surfing lessons, and he got a pretty bad earache. His pediatrician diagn… ...

Dear Doctors: Our 12-year-old son loves swimming. He’s in the pool all year, without any problems. This summer, he started taking surfing lessons, and he got a pretty bad earache.