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Ear Pain

I have had RA diagnosis for 6 months. Treatment seems to be going well as I have improvement in pain, stiffness swelling and especially fatigue. I know that bilateral symptoms are a common thing for RA and have had issues with both hands, both feet, etc. I recently had sharp pain in both ears pop up. Only had it for a day. Wondering if this is a symptom of RA as I doubt its an ear infection as it came and went on its own so quickly.

  1. I have been having ear pain too. Nobody gave me a definitive answer, but some interesting things to consider. 1) I am told there is connective tissue in our ears behind the ear drum. 2) Jaw pain and inflammation can cause ear pain.

    I found out I have TMJ in my right jaw. I also got myositis in 2 muscles in that jaw. The theory that they have no way to prove is that all of that causes pain, pressure and a feeling of fullness in my ear. They told me it could affect my balance as well, so be careful on ladders and other types of activities.

    I don't know if this helps, but I thought I would pass it along.

    1. Hi MelissaTG. Sorry that you are having these ear difficulties. While RA effecting the ears is rare it does exist. Most people don't think about bones in the ear, but they are in there - the ossicular joints. This article from one of our contributors takes a closer look: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/eh-whats-that-say/. Hope this information helps. Your doctor should be able to provide additional information and, hopefully, help determine what your specific issue may be. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

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