ot: outer ear (cartilage) pain: can anyone help?

The Phat Conductor · Post by **The Phat Conductor** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 7:04 pm

i was working a lot over the first part of the holidays and i had to work in headphones most of the time. i also wear glasses and the combination of headphones + glasses + 8+ hours of producing every day did a real number on the cartilage of my ears.

it sounds like a pretty inconsequential injury but it really really hurts and i don't know what to do about it. i've been gobbling tylenol and advil and i think ive built up a tolerance to them because they don't seem to work anymore.

every day i wake up in agony and these waves of sharp aching come and go constantly throughout the day.

i can't see because i can't wear my glasses, and i definitely can't do anything that involves headphones... it really sucks. i have a bunch of gigs and lots of work to do but i'm totally debilitated.

has this ever happened to any of you?

is there anything i can do about this?

are there any herbs or other painkillers i should know about?

thanks for caring.

happy holidays.

dylan

D K · Post by **D K** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 7:14 pm

sounds like you're bruised.
let it heal, then find some phones that are more comfortable and don't
mash your head so hard when working.
beyer has some out that i've tried that feel like nothing.
they did seem to loose some bass response, however.
the more important factor in my opinion is the type of hearing dammage that can occur with phones over long periods of time... even when it doesn't seem so loud.
any way you can use a set of nearfields? you can always use phones back and forth
(that way you have 2 reference sources at least)

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:10 pm

the more important factor in my opinion is the type of hearing dammage that can occur with phones over long periods of time... even when it doesn't seem so loud.
any way you can use a set of nearfields? you can always use phones back and forth
(that way you have 2 reference sources at least)

Good suggestion, but when he's performing live, he'll need the phones for cueing. That's mission-critical kit, no doubt about that.

Dylan, my advice to you is threefold;

1. get a set of disposable contact lenses. They're cheap (compared to regular contacts) and you'll only wear them while your head / cartilage heals.

2. use a set of earbud phones. Yes, they suck. Yes they're uncomfortable. But they won't crush your ear cartilage.

3. go see a doctor, and lay off the self-perscription of painkillers.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:29 pm

I had a major problem 2 years ago, got really scared, since the docs were not too optimistic. I came out of it but learnt something and stay carefull. i did change my lifestyle/ way of working, food etc etc.
1. Do not work like mad anymore, take breaks frequently, if I feel any kind of pain or discomfort in my ears I stop immediately return to work when it is gone, if possible take even longer, few hours break, do some sport etc.
2. Headphones- if you have to use, though try to avoid a much as possible- closed ones are no, no, no except for live when you have to, HD 25 are great protection for the ears ( against blasting pa) I wear them all the time on the gigs even when not cueing anything, in fact I use them for the purpose notoriously ( in the airplanes, any noisy places)
For the studio Sennheiser HD 600 or 650 are the least tiring (I tried all major brands top models Beyer, AKG, Sony etc) and as side effect actually rather good cans.
Dont panic but take the warning your body is giving you seriously and take better care of it in the future.
3. There are some chinese sticks (combination of herbal smoke and the heat can work well , I imagine) that I heard are very good, would like to know some more about them myself. Hopefully somebody here might know more about them.
4. Sleep is the most important.

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:01 pm

one other suggestion;

Ice. I used to fight in an amateur MMA group, (back in my younger and fitter days), and got my ears smashed more than once. Ice your ears.

Wrap a few ice cubes in a plastic bag, and wrap with a facetowel. Hit it with a hammer (so it's a nice even bag o' ice) and apply to your ear for fifteen minutes when it really friggin hurts. Take off, and don't re-apply for another half hour to an hour.

It's only for temporary relief, and to reduce swelling... If you're not swelling up, then it's probably not necessary, but the cold will numb the area briefly.

D K · Post by **D K** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 4:49 am

of course phones are a must for performance.....
but for production, there are usually options.
so dylan, is your workspace a problem as far as sound?
there's lots of reasons for nearfields, besides ear fatigue, as i'm sure you
are aware...

The Phat Conductor · Post by **The Phat Conductor** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 7:30 am

thanks for all the advice, i really appreciate it. i'm in some pretty serious pain here.

it was a sound issue, but only between the hours of 1-11 am. i also prefer privacy when i'm working but i think i'm just going to have to get over that. i have really nice nearfields but i wasn't using them.

i'm going to try the ice thing tomorrow. they aren't swelling but maybe it will help them go numb. heat seemed to help a bit as well.

funny enough, drinking worked better than anything else i tried today. i just hope that my relatives can put up with me

kent_sandvik · Post by **kent_sandvik** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:29 am

Just go and see a doctor, and be prepared for anything. Hearing the most important tool we have.

The other recommendation, to let the ear rest, is also a good one. Sometimes it could take even weeks of no high dBs into the ear got get back to decent shape.

I'm nowadays in the school of 'low volume' mixing with near-field monitors. By having to work harder to hear things you could actually hear more subtle parts.

Long term headphone use (even ipod use) is not good.

--Kent

SUPERBANANBOMB · Post by **SUPERBANANBOMB** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 11:51 pm

I've had the same problem before, and I wear glasses too so I know exactly what you're talking about. That's why I use my nearfield monitors so much and use headphones ONLY when necessary... I hate that pain!

My advice would be to just use your headphones as sparingly as possible, and if you do use them, take frequent breaks. Also, make sure you own a pair of phones that are actually comfortable! I reccommend ULTRASONE headphones.

I've had the pain in my ears last 2-3 days before. It's no fun. :[

Contra · Post by **Contra** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 12:07 am

kent_sandvik wrote:Just go and see a doctor, and be prepared for anything. Hearing the most important tool we have.

--Kent

telekom · Post by **telekom** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 12:15 am

Try pince nez...

Or wear glasses with an elastic headband - like snowboarding goggles.

Or some soothing gel like aftersun or something.

Get well soon.
M

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 6:53 pm

Get a pair of these babies;

http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20041214.html

They're glasses that attach to a nose-bridge piercing. No ear-pieces, no ear pain! Plus they look wickedly cool. I'm thinking about a pair myself, but I work for a VERY conservative organization, and they may not dig it.

kennerb · Post by **kennerb** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:21 pm

M. Bréqs wrote:Get a pair of these babies;

http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20041214.html

They're glasses that attach to a nose-bridge piercing. No ear-pieces, no ear pain! Plus they look wickedly cool. I'm thinking about a pair myself, but I work for a VERY conservative organization, and they may not dig it.

That is so funny! I was just talking with a friend about these needing to exist for all those urban tribalists. I guess everything has been thought of. I thought I had invented something.

Spiralgroove · Post by **Spiralgroove** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:32 pm

i have the same problem

some of the sennheisers have a little softer ear cups

maybe go for a in-ear headphone or get contacts...

my old sony md700's hurt like a muther fucker...

the Senn. HD-25s have been recommended to me several times and i think i may try them next...

ChiDJ · Post by **ChiDJ** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:33 pm

I agree w/ M. Breqs.

My day job is a physical therapist, (16 years).

Cartilege has very poor blood flow and innervation. As a result it can handle greater compression before you realize you've "bruised" it. And, unfortunately, due to the poor blood flow, it takes longer to heal than other soft tissue. Kind of think of it as a Bone Bruise. It can take a long time to heal and even longer if you mask the pain with pain killers or alchohol. Ice alternating with heat will increase vasoconstriction and dialation respectively resulting in a "pumping effect" which will increase bloodflow to the area and facilitate healing. Also, rest, (no compression) is required to heal the tissue. This has nothing to do with ear fatigue or tinnitus. It sounds like a soft tissue compression injury.

Don't waste your time or money on a doctor for this. Just avoid compression and stimulate healing with heat and ice.

Good Luck.

That'll be US $200.00 check or cash.