Whether you are simply curious about the ear, writing a college report on it, or you are trying to figure out what the exact problem is that you are experiencing, it is important to know that the ear is a complex part of the body. When it is understood correctly, you will be able to properly care for your ears and better handle any painful situations or problems that arise.
To start with, you will want to break the ear down into three different sections.
The outer ear is made up of the part that we see. It is skin and cartilage. This is the part of the ear that is pierced or stretched, depending on the fashion a person is into or what part of the world they are from. Many cultures have been piercing ears for the placement of ornaments, like earrings, for many thousand years.
The middle ear is a cavity that sits behind the eardrums and it is filled with air. This part of the ear also includes three different ear bones. The stapes, sometimes known as the stirrups, the incus, sometimes known as the anvil and the malleus, sometimes known as the hammer. The three bones are connected to one another and when one moves, it sets off a chain reaction and the others move.
The inner ear is where the cochlea, the hearing organ, is located. In addition, the vestibular or the labrinth, which is the sense organ, is located in the inner ear. The vestibular is attuned to both the effects of motion and gravity as well. Within the inner ear is also where the balance portion is found. This part is made up of three semi-circular canals, along with the vestibule. Believe it or not, the hardest bone in the body is found encasing the inner ear. It is a hard bone, like ivory, and there are small hollows that are filled with fluid.
When it comes to the ear, there is a lot that can go wrong. When trauma to the ear occurs, there are things that can be damaged for life. The thing most people do not know though, is that since there are three different sections of the ear, the outer, middle and inner ear, there are many different ways the ear can be traumatized.
Cauliflower ear
Outer ear trauma usually involved the cartilage being damaged. There is just a small padding of tissue over the ear. The biggest problem would be that the cartilage can actually separate from the nutrient supply and it can die. It would never be able to form back into a normal shape. What would be seen however is a distorted and lumpy ear. This trauma is commonly known as Cauliflower ear.
Since the ear canal has its outer part resting on the flesh of the human head, it can be traumatized easily. This could be from improper ear cleaning or from being too close to explosives or fireworks. The middle ear trauma can come from inserting things into the ear that do not belong there and from loud blasts. Inner ear trauma can come from noise trauma and from exposure to certain substances, such as drugs.
If you have had some recent problems with your hearing or you believe that you have a problem with your ear, whether it is damage to the cartilage or you have tinnitus, you will want to make sure that you are speaking to a doctor about it.
The ear is a very important part of your body to take care of. The last thing you want to do is to completely lose your hearing, as it is not something that can generally be brought back. The more you know about the anatomy of the ear, the better you can protect it.