Conductive Hearing Loss: Causes, Fixes, and What You Can Do

When sound can’t reach your inner ear properly, you’re dealing with conductive hearing loss, a type of hearing impairment caused by physical blockages or damage in the outer or middle ear. Also known as mechanical hearing loss, it’s not about damaged nerves—it’s about sound getting stuck before it even gets there. Unlike sensorineural hearing loss, which comes from inner ear or nerve damage, conductive hearing loss often has clear, fixable causes. Many people mistake it for just being "a little deaf," but it’s usually a sign of something specific—like earwax buildup, an infection, or even a hole in the eardrum.

This type of hearing loss is common in kids because their Eustachian tubes are smaller and more prone to fluid buildup after colds. But adults get it too—especially if they swim often, use cotton swabs, or have chronic ear infections. Ear infections, inflammation or fluid trapped behind the eardrum are one of the top reasons. So are earwax blockages, when wax hardens and seals off the ear canal. Less common but just as important is otosclerosis, a condition where abnormal bone growth around the stapes bone stops it from vibrating properly. Then there’s the eardrum perforation, a tear or hole in the eardrum from trauma, loud noise, or infection. All of these stop sound from moving forward the way it should.

The good news? Most cases of conductive hearing loss can be reversed or improved. A simple ear cleaning by a doctor can bring your hearing back. Antibiotics fix infections. A tiny surgical patch can repair a torn eardrum. For otosclerosis, a procedure called stapedectomy often restores hearing. Even if surgery isn’t an option, hearing aids, especially bone-conduction or air-conduction models designed for conductive loss can make a huge difference. You don’t have to live with muffled sounds if you know what’s causing them.

The posts below give you real, practical advice on what to do next—whether you’re dealing with recurring ear infections, wondering if your hearing aid is right for your type of loss, or trying to understand why your child keeps pulling at their ears. You’ll find comparisons of treatments, warnings about what not to do, and insights from people who’ve been through it. No fluff. Just what works.