# Ears 👂🏽 --- The **ears** are the [[organ]] that grant us the special sense of [[hearing]]. ## Anatomy Inner ear, middle ear, outer ear; little bones, juicy juice, little hairs, vibes ![[ear.png]] ## Labyrinthine Sense The sensory organ in the inner ear provide the sense of position, orientation, and movement. This is critical in our sense of [[cerebellum|proprioception]] and [[balance]]. ## Considerations for Pediatrics The inner ear (i.e. the eustachian tube) in children is relatively short, wide and horizontal, which allows bacteria relatively easy access to it. This increases the chances of children developing [[otitis media]], as opposed to adults. Fortunately, as the ear shape matures the likelihood of developing ear infections lessons. ![[inner ear in children.png]] ## Problems with The Ear - [[hearing|hearing loss]] - **otalgia** is a pain in the ear, with or without hearing loss - [[otitis media]] - **Otosclerosis** is a gradual hardening of the stapes so it becomes fixed in the oval window, which impedes sound transmission (i.e. conductive hearing). It's actually a common cause of hearing loss in young adults (ages 20-40). - **Presbycusis** is age related hearing loss. Usually is pretty gradual sensorineural hearing loss. caused by degeneration of inner ear or auditory nerve. Onset is usually in 50s. First to go is high tone hearing loss. Accentuated when there is a lot of background noise. - [[meniere's disease]] ___