Can MP3 player ear buds cause sore ears?

Question

I have a new MP3 player (Creative Zen) and it came with ear buds instead of earphones.

I have NOT put the buds far into my ears, I keep the volume on #1 or #2 so it's not loud, but my ear canals are incredibly sore for about 3 days after each time I use the ear buds.

Is this normal and my ears will someday get used to them? I gave up on buds years ago because my ear canals got sore.

My old earphones won't plug into the MP3.

I took off the little foam earbud covers and washed them with mild soap and water and rinsed them well and when they dried I put them back on the buds, but it's not the covers that make my ear canals ache/hurt.

Answer 1

Ear canals are very sensitive, and you may have canals that are a bit too small for the size of the ear buds. The same thing happens with me. They won't physically fit far enough into my ears to not fall out immediately. It took some doing and several pairs of earphones, but I finally found a pair that fit my mp3 player's connection plug. If you bring it in with you to a large, reputable electronics store, they can open earphone packages and try them for fit on your mp3 player. It'll save buying many sets. Good luck!

Answer 2

Hi ya

Yep they can cause pain. It is like a mechanical effect, every time you put them into your ears you scrape of the top layer of your skin. ( it is very thin and you won't even notice it it is normally only seen under a microscope) So after a few days you take more and more of the top layers off, causing inflammation and pain. My suggestion is use earphones with your ear buds, and interchange the 2 on a regular basis, with the emphasis on using the earphones whenever you can, and the buds only when you have to. If you have inflammation now, don't stick anything into your ears for a few days and give things time to settle down

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

You don't really know it's not the covers. The foam they're made of contains quite a few chemicals. You could be sensitive to any one of them. Washing them wouldn't help. It may not effect the outer portion of your ear, where the skin is thicker, but bother the inside where it becomes more membranous.

Just forget the ear buds and get yourself some headphones.

Answer 4

The ear buds that got here with my iPhone lasted me particularly awhile till I ripped the cord in a door. considering that then, i've got offered some bud instruments, all costing $5, yet they are actually not particularly as solid. In different words, you get what you pay for. i could inspect considered one of those $10 "Gummi" ear bud instruments.