Does Swimming Increase the Incidence of Ear Infections in Children?
Robertson LM, Marino RV, Namjoshi S. Department of Pediatrics Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, NY, USA. PMID: 9107124 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]Conclusion: Based on their findings, the authors conclude that there appears to be no basis to the commonly held belief that swimming may induce or exacerbate otitis media (aka “swimmer’s ear”). In fact, the converse may be true.Swimmer’s Ear:The condition commonly known as Swimmer’s ear is different from an ear infection, which occurs in the middle ear space behind the eardrum. Swimmer’s ear occurs when water gets stuck in the ear canal. Lake water is the most likely to cause an infection, followed by ocean water, bath water, then pool water.
