Earfit Speech and Hearing Clinic

  Unilateral ear pain,  that sharp or dull ache that seems to affect only one side, is an incredibly common complaint. If you have ever had it, you know how confusing it can be. Is it a cold? A cavity? Or did you just sleep funny? The truth is, ear pain on one side often doesn't even start in the ear itself. Understanding the root cause is the key to getting relief. How Ear Pain Works: A Simple Overview Your ear is an intricate structure, but it’s intimately connected to your throat , nose  and jaw . This close relationship explains why one sided ear pain is so common. The Phenomenon of Referred Pain The most confusing part of one sided ear pain is often referred pain . This is when a nerve pathway causes pain signals originating from one part of the body, like your jaw joint or tonsil to be felt in another part of your body, like your ear. Because the structures on the right and left sides of your head are separate, problems like a single infected tooth or a sore throa...