The ear is one of the most prominent organs of the body and the face in particular, and it is the organ responsible for hearing, and it consists of many different parts, and because it is one of the organs that you should be fully aware of, we had to shed light on it and its anatomy, parts, functions and most famous diseases, so follow us on this. The article to find out all that.

What is the ear?

The ear (in English Ear) is the organ responsible for hearing and balance in the human body, as it detects and analyzes sounds as well as maintaining the balance of the body.

This member’s job may seem easy, but these jobs are very complex. In addition to its constituent parts that do not stop at the pinna or its external shape that appears on both sides of the head.

Parts of the human ear and their composition

The anatomy of the ear shows the complexity of this organ. Despite its small size, much less appears from it than it hides inside the body. This organ consists of 3 different main parts:

1- The outer ear

It is the visible part of the ear and is located on both sides of the head. It contains the ear pinna and the short external auditory canal that extends into the ear in a simple way. It connects the outer ear with the inner ear. The end of the auditory canal is closed by a part known as the tympanic membrane (eardrum), which is a thin and semi-transparent membrane. Its thickness is about 8 to 10 millimeters.

As for the composition of this part, it is a corrugated and flexible yellow cartilage covered with skin, and its main function is to collect sound waves to direct these waves to the tympanic membrane. Where the sound passes through the pinna to the auditory canal and then to the tympanic membrane.

2- The middle ear

This part is a narrow, air-filled cavity in the temporal bone. This cavity extends along a series of small bones. They are:

• hammer.
• anvil.
• Passengers.

These three bones meet with each other, forming the auditory bone, and are responsible for transmitting the sound received from the eardrum to the inner ear.

3- The inner ear

This part is a labyrinth, and it is the innermost part of the ear. It has a very complex system of passages and fluid-filled cavities that lie deep in the petrous part of the temporal bone.

As for the components of the inner ear They include:

• vestibule of the ear;This system is composed of the semicircular canals and the vestibule. The vestibular system contains sensory organs to maintain the postural balance of the body.
• cochlea (ear cochlea)The cochlea, which is a snail-like part in its structure, contains the sensory organs of hearing, which are organs with highly specialized nerve endings of the vestibular-cochlear nerve or the eighth cranial nerve. The cochlea is connected to the semicircular canals by the vestibule.

The function of the ear in the body

The ears are among the sensory organs that make up the auditory system. With regard to their functions in the body, they perform two functions, namely:

• hearing function.
• Maintaining postural balance of the body.
• Coordination of eye and head movements.

The most common ear disease

There are some problems and diseases that all parts of the ear may be exposed to, and these problems may cause imbalance or hearing loss, and the most famous of these problems are:

• earacheIt is pain and soreness caused by many causes, some minor and others serious.
• Inflammation of the middle earIt is the most widespread and common infection, and a large group of people suffer from it.
• Swimmer’s earIt is an infection of the outer part of the ear, and it may be due to a skin condition such as dermatitis.
• Meniere’s diseaseIt is a disorder of the inner ear that may cause tinnitus, dizziness, pain and hearing loss.
• TinnitusRinging in one or both ears is a common condition that may be caused by noise or age.
• Earwax blockageor what is known as the cerumen effect, in which case earwax blocks the auditory canal and sticks to the tympanic membrane.
• A ruptured eardrumA person may experience this condition due to exposure to a very loud sound, exposure to a sudden change in air pressure, or infection.
• acoustic neuromaIt is a non-cancerous tumor that grows on the auditory nerve that connects the ear to the brain, and may cause dizziness, tinnitus, and hearing loss.
• mastoiditis;It is an inflammation that occurs in the mastoid bone behind the ear, and this may result from exposure to an infection in the middle ear and neglect in its treatment.
• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo BPPV is a disorder that affects the function of the inner ear, causing dizziness and other painful symptoms.
• CholesteatomaIt is a benign tumor, which is an abnormal accumulation of skin inside the middle ear and surrounding bones. This condition may cause foul-smelling secretions that may be associated with hearing loss, and for this reason, it may require surgical treatment to avoid complications.

Ways to maintain ear health

There are several ways for you to keep your ears healthy.

Ear cleaning

Because wax buildup in the external auditory canal may affect your hearing, increasing the risk of infection in this canal and eardrum damage. And in the event that this wax is trapped inside the ear, it may be the cause of vertigo problems and hearing impairment, so a specialized doctor should be consulted in order to clean the ear.

Some people may try to clean their ears themselves using a piece of cotton, but this may do more harm than good, because this may cause the wax to be pushed in and far from the ear and block the ear, and in this case you may also need the help of a specialist doctor.

Ear protection

This is done by protecting the ear from loud sounds and avoiding exposure to harmful noises, and try to wear an ear protection body if you are in a place with loud sounds and loud noises.