Is It Your Ear or Your Jaw? Telling TMJ Ear Pain Apart From Ear Infection
Ear pain can be frustrating, especially when your ear looks normal. If discomfort gets worse when you chew, yawn, or wake with a stiff jaw, the source may be the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. I often remind patients that pain felt in the ear does not always begin in the ear. TMJ ear pain can […]
APAC 2026: Cochlear Implant Surgeons Come Together in Hyderabad
When cochlear implant surgery involves difficult anatomy or unexpected findings, experience and preparation matter. I was therefore particularly pleased to see cochlear implant surgeons from across India and the Asia-Pacific region come together in Hyderabad for APAC 2026, a meeting focused specifically on the realities of cochlear implant surgery. https://youtu.be/3W91YLjDyWI?si=NI75ul6r-AXrgaFg APAC 2026 brings cochlear implant […]
Vestibular Migraine: When Dizziness Is a Migraine Without the Headache
Many of my patients arrive already having visited several specialists, undergone hearing tests, and been told multiple times that nothing is wrong with their ears. Yet they suffer from recurring episodes of dizziness and have a poor quality of life. If this sounds like you, vestibular migraine may be what you are experiencing. Vestibular migraine […]
Hyperacusis Treatment: When Everyday Sounds Become Painfully Loud
You may be able to hear perfectly well, yet find the sound of a pressure cooker, traffic, a child’s voice, or even running water surprisingly uncomfortable or painful. Patients sometimes describe feeling as though ordinary sounds have suddenly become “too loud.” This can be confusing, especially when a routine hearing test appears normal. As an […]
Menieres Disease Treatment: Vertigo, Ringing, and Fullness That Come in Attacks
When a patient walks into my clinic describing sudden spinning sensations that last for hours, along with a ringing sound in one ear and a sensation of fullness, I think of Meniere’s disease. I’ve found that many people experience these episodes for months or even years before understanding what’s happening. Meniere’s disease is a chronic […]
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Treatment: Why Your Ears Feel Blocked and How to Fix It
Introduction I see many patients who come to me frustrated because their ears feel stuck, muffled, or like they need constant popping to feel normal. The sensation is often described as fullness, pressure, or that uncomfortable feeling of not being able to clear your ears no matter what you try. What they’re experiencing is eustachian […]
BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo): The Most Common Cause of Sudden Dizziness
Introduction As an ENT specialist, I see BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) more often than any other vestibular condition in my clinic. Patients arrive frightened by sudden spinning sensations, convinced something serious has happened to their inner ear. What they discover is that BPPV is treatable, manageable, and rarely dangerous. Understanding BPPV transforms fear into […]
Cholesteatoma Symptoms and Treatment: The Silent Ear Growth That Can Destroy Hearing If Ignored
As an ENT and cochlear implant surgeon, I have lost count of the number of patients who come to me after months, sometimes years, of being treated for “just another ear infection.” This is why understanding cholesteatoma symptoms and treatment is so important. A persistent, foul smelling discharge that never fully clears. A dulling of […]
Demystifying the Big Day: A Guide to Cochlear Implant Activation
The cochlear implant activation represents a significant clinical milestone for patients and their families, marking the formal transition from surgical recovery to the beginning of auditory rehabilitation. This guide provides a formal overview of the procedural expectations, technical requirements and the complex auditory transitions associated with this critical phase of the patient’s journey toward sound. […]
Is Your Medication Harming Your Hearing? A Comprehensive Guide to Ototoxic Medications
When we take prescribed medications to heal from an illness, the last thing we expect is for our hearing to be negatively affected in the process. However, there is a surprisingly large group of ototoxic medications that can cause unintended damage to our delicate ears. Hello, I am Dr. Shree Rao, an ENT specialist, Hearing […]