text: why is my ear swollen? my right ear feels swollen inside and hurts whenever i touch it i can hear ok and have never had problems with my ears. there could be few causes but most commonly, its otitis externa meaning infection or inflammation of ear canal which can cause ear canal to swell lot of pain and reduced hearing as a consequence, or 2nd you can get furunculosis or boil in your ear canal, both these needs treating with antibiotics and strong painkillers. 1, oral antibiotics like flucloxacillin 2, ear drops with antibiotics i them 3, if its very bad, you may need to see ent specialist who can clean your ears and put ointment or small wick containing medication, which will cure the problems  but don't forget to see gp/doctor to get it checked out