Hi tiredbunni: Wow! I have this too. I have trouble on the phone too as my ears begin to hurt really badly.

Do you have TMJ? I do and have a mouth guard to use at night. This has helped a lot. I also have nerve issues and am not taking a medication that has helped me too.

You take care and let me know how you are doing... XOXO - TD

Hi TDScarlett, I was dx with TMJ in 1992 as an acute case. My jaw was knocked out of alignment by chiropractor. It was so severe I could only open mouth one finger wide and had splint made in one day which was worn 6 months 24/7. I now wear at nightly. I never experience this pain with it. I have researched online possible causes and TMJ was one but doesn't fit as the TMJ was treated and under control.

Thank you for your response. You take care also. Hugs, Bunni

I've had this intense pain too. I went to a doctor for it and he seemed to have no idea what it was.

Thankfully it doesn't usually last long. In fact, sometimes it just comes and goes in less than a minute. I suspect sinus problems, I have had those really bad since childhood...or possibly something related to my migraines.

Like Gilda Radner used to say, "It's always something."

I was daignosed with TMJ way back in the late 1970's & wore a mouth guard for a long time. After all of the other chronic problems came along I more or less forgot about it.

Last fall my ear started doing what the rest of you have taked about. Went to my GP - nothing our to the normal. Put me on an antibiotic. No reduction in pain. Then I started having a toothache, an ulcer on my tongue & a burninig tongue. Made two trips to my dentist & one more to my GP - no help.

I found my out mouth guard & started wearing it again. That has helped some but my ear continues to hurt all of the time & my hearing is not as good when it hurts. Like others have said, holding the phone to that ear also is results in more pain but that is the one I have held the phone to all of my life so it is hard to make the switch.

Like others, I am sensitive to chemicals so not too many options left. Funny how you think you are the only one but when someone post about it, we come out of the woodwork.

Good luck to all of you in your individual to conquer this one.

Never heard of or had that pain. If a few of you are having the same pain, maybe it is connected. But I think in tiredbunnies case, sounds like the chiropractor might have done some real damage - there are a lot of nerves running around near the jaw joint/ear. Probably something is stirred up in there, or in the wrong place. I would go to an osteopath that specialises in cranial stuff if you can find one somewhere. Or something similar. Maybe you just need someone to put your jaw back into proper alignment a few times.

Sorry to everyone else, no tips for you.

Thank you all for your responses. I will continue to research and hopefully find a doctor that has compassion to help me. I just too tired to go that route with doctors that think it's all in your head.

I was hurt badly by a chiropractor. He not only knocked jaw out of alignment but also whiplash neck (severe cervical sprain) and damage occipital nerve. That was the start of my decline of health. Within 2 years totally disabled. Doctors couldn't help. Now I also have a dx of MS. I believe there was nerve damage done in my brain more than the doctors know.

It is possible that it is atypical case of TN (Trigeminal neuralgia) and the outside of ear pain is the cartilage being squished.

I hope you find you answers too.

Hugs to all, Bunni

I had a similar injury - someone dislocated my frontal lobe in an open water swimming race. It also gave me a whiplash injury - and with 2 car crashes, I ended up having 3 whiplash injuries in a year, all in the same direction. I had some awful migraines for a while, and some really wacky symptoms with my nerves being stuffed up. But luckily I had a brilliant physio who had specialised in cranial adjustments. And she got me back to normal pretty easily. Obviously I didn't have any permanent damage done though which you might have been unlucky enough to get.

I used to study chiro and am so incensed that such an idiot is out there practicing. He's just gone and thrown all knowledge out the window and used brute strength instead to do that. It's really quite easy to give a good neck adjustment if you know how (and bother to practice it properly instead of just doing anything you can to make the pop sound).

I would recommend that you see a Neurologist about this! It seems to be about nerves and nerve pain...and maybe nerve damage. There are tests that can be run to determine if the nerve that goes to the ear is damaged!! It's possible with your history!! A good Neuro guy will be able to pinpoint where this pain is coming from!!

TMJ can cause ear pain, I know that. I get the same "ice pick" ear pain as well. It comes and goes. I once went deaf for four hours! Ran to the ER. They did a hearing test and everything else and found nothing wrong.

Like everything else with this illness, "stuff" happens. I also get "ice pick" kinds of places in other parts of my body. By the time I decide to get it checked out...it's usually gone! UGH!

Neuro guy....he'll have the best credientials for recognizing this pain. IMHO!!

I had my neurologist check my ears for infection or anything else just the other day. He seemed stumped about ice-pick pain in ears when I mentioned it. It may or may not be related to MS but I believe it is neurological. I get electrical shots through other parts of my body but they don't seem to hurt as much as in ear. It is less than a minute. I know all on here have learned to adjust to the changing norms and pains.

It is the week of ear pain that isn't so short. Some I read had to get a special pillow with a hole to place ear in it because the cartilage is been squished. Question is why is it being squished to begin with. My mom doesn't have this problem.

As far as that chiropractor, I don't think he is practicing anymore... tax evasion. Actually, when he graduated college he started using moves on me that were meant for football players not little women. I was blacking out for 10 sec and told him. He said it was all right. You know that we get this mentality that doctors know what they are talking about. I trusted him and he was hurting me before he really hurt for the last time. I know there are good chiropractors. I've been warn by the best to never have my neck adjusted again.

I do believe that everything happens for a reason, to learn the lessons from the reason and to go on enjoying the beauty of life.

Oh phew - so glad to know he's outta there!! Sorry to hear your story of that awful experience. I hope you do end up getting a good diagnosis and good treatment of it all, or at least that it heals over time.

My lesson learnt is I'm going to be researching absolutely everything my doctors tell me from now on.

I have had the icepick in the ear pain. It's one of those things that happens every so often right out of the blue.

I have not asked my doctor about it because by the time I get to a doctor appt the pain is gone and forgotten and there are so many other things to discuss in the 10 minutes I'm given.

My pain does not sound as bad as yours, But i have real bad pain in my right ear...comes and go's and doctor never finds anything wrong. This is so far the only thing that helps me. I take( Olive leaf Extract) 100% pure 450 mg . I have 4 a day..if i miss a dose or forget one day, my ear reminds me right away with the pain. Hope it helps you..can't hurt to try. Good luck hope you find something that helps.

For symptoms that give you pain like having an ice pick sticking in your ear, look up Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia.