Swimmer's Ear: Ear Pain After Swimming
If you've climbed out of the pool with a dull ache building in your ear, you're not imagining it, and you're not alone. Swimmer's ear and ear pain after swimming are two of the most common things people search after a day in the water, and yes, your pool can genuinely be part of the story.
Here's what's actually happening, whether your pool is really to blame, and what to do about it.
Water in Your Ear After Swimming
That trapped, muffled feeling right after you get out of the pool is incredibly common, and on its own it isn't swimmer's ear. The ear canal doesn't drain the way you'd expect, so water can sit there for a while after you've dried off everywhere else.
To get water out of your ear after swimming: tilt your head to each side and gently pull the earlobe up and back to straighten the canal, or lie on your side for a minute to let gravity do the work. If it clears within a few minutes, that's completely normal. It's when water stays trapped for hours, and the skin underneath starts getting irritated, that it can tip into something more.
Swimmer's Ear Treatment
Swimmer's ear is usually treated with prescription antibiotic ear drops, sometimes combined with a steroid drop, from a GP or pharmacist. Mild to moderate cases typically start improving within 2 to 3 days, and most people fully recover within 7 to 10 days of proper treatment. It's worth using the full course even once it feels better, stopping early is a common reason it comes back.
Pain relief like paracetamol or ibuprofen can help with discomfort in the meantime. Home remedies aren't a substitute for proper treatment once an infection has set in, if you're dealing with real pain, discharge or swelling, see a GP or pharmacist rather than trying to wait it out or self-treat.
Swimmer's Ear Symptoms
According to healthdirect Australia, common signs include:
Ear pain, especially when tugging the earlobe or chewing
Itching inside the ear canal
A feeling of fullness or blockage
Redness or swelling
Discharge, which may start clear and become cloudy
It often starts subtly, a bit of pressure or the sensation that water's still in there, and builds into more noticeable pain over several hours or by the next day. Swimmer's ear (otitis externa, an infection of the outer ear canal) is different from the middle ear infections kids often get from colds, which is worth knowing if you're trying to work out which one you're dealing with.
Why Do Your Ears Hurt After Swimming?
Water gets trapped, creating a warm, damp environment.
That environment turns bacteria-friendly. Warm, trapped moisture is exactly what bacteria and fungi need to multiply.
Your ear's natural defences get worn down. Earwax is a protective barrier, and chlorine chemically breaks down the oils in it, essentially degreasing the ear canal, while repeated water exposure softens and irritates the skin underneath.
Some bacteria don't care about chlorine. Certain bacteria commonly linked to swimmer's ear, particularly Pseudomonas, can survive even in properly chlorinated water sitting within a normal range.
Can Pool Water Really Cause an Ear Infection?
Yes, but it's not the only cause, and it's worth being clear about that: pools aren't uniquely responsible here. Ear infection from swimming pools happens for the same reasons outlined above, chlorine wearing down the ear's defences and trapped water creating a breeding ground, but the same thing can happen from bath water, the ocean, a river, or even humid weather that keeps the ear canal damp. A pool is a common trigger simply because swimming means repeated, prolonged water exposure, but if it's happened to you outside of pool season too, that tracks.
How to Prevent Swimmer's Ear
Dry your ears properly after swimming, using the tilt-and-drain approach above.
Skip the cotton buds. They tend to push water and wax further in rather than out, and can damage the skin lining the canal.
Consider earplugs if you're prone to it or swim frequently.
Keep pool water properly balanced. It won't eliminate the risk, since some bacteria can shrug off normal chlorine levels, but consistent water chemistry reduces the overall bacterial load your ears are exposed to. Inconsistent testing and chlorine that's allowed to drift low is where pools tend to become more of a problem.
Where We Come In
We can't treat an ear infection, but we can take one variable off the table. Consistent, properly balanced pool water is one of the few parts of this equation you can actually control, and it's exactly what regular servicing is designed to maintain, rather than chlorine that's fine on Monday and low by Friday.
If you're not sure where your pool's chemistry actually sits, free water testing is available in-store any time, no booking needed, or get in touch and we'll help you get it on a consistent schedule.
FAQs
Is swimmer's ear contagious?
No. Swimmer's ear is an infection of the outer ear canal caused by trapped water and irritated skin, not something that spreads from person to person, even if several people have been swimming in the same water. Multiple people getting it after the same pool day usually points to the water conditions everyone was exposed to, not one person passing it to another.
How long does swimmer's ear last?
With proper treatment, most people start feeling relief within 2 to 3 days and are fully recovered within 7 to 10 days. Left untreated, it typically doesn't resolve on its own and can get worse rather than better, which is why seeing a GP or pharmacist early matters more than trying to wait it out.
How can you tell if it's swimmer's ear or a regular ear infection?
One of the more reliable signs is pain when you gently pull or tug the earlobe, or press the small cartilage bump just in front of the ear canal. That kind of pain points to swimmer's ear, an outer ear infection, whereas a regular middle ear infection, the kind kids often get with a cold, is less likely to hurt when you touch the outer ear itself and is more often linked to congestion or a runny nose.
What happens if you leave swimmer's ear untreated?
It generally doesn't resolve on its own once an infection has properly set in, and can progress to more pain, swelling and discharge the longer it's left. It's not something to wait out, seeing a GP or pharmacist early tends to mean a shorter, more straightforward recovery.
Can you keep swimming if you have swimmer's ear?
It's best to stay out of the water until it's cleared. Swimming again while the ear canal is infected and irritated re-exposes it to moisture and bacteria right when it needs to dry out and heal, which can prolong the infection or make it worse.
Does a well-balanced pool actually reduce the risk of swimmer's ear?
It helps, though it's not a guarantee, since some bacteria linked to swimmer's ear can tolerate normal chlorine levels. What consistent water balance does is keep the overall bacterial load down and avoid the low-chlorine stretches, chemistry drifting untested over a week, where the risk climbs. It's one variable among several, but it's the one a pool owner can actually control.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Pool Wizard is a Brisbane-based pool servicing company and pool shop, servicing homes, strata properties, and real estate across Brisbane's southside, Redlands, and Bayside.
