In most cases, discharge from your ear is simply ear wax making its way out of your body. This is natural. Other conditions that can cause discharge include infection or injury. 

Middle ear infection

Middle ear infection (otitis media) is a common cause of discharge from the ear. Otitis media occurs when bacteria or viruses make their way into the middle ear. The middle ear is behind the eardrum. It contains three bones called ossicles. These are vital to hearing.

Ear infections in the middle ear can cause fluid to build up behind the eardrum. If there is too much fluid, there is a risk of perforation of the eardrum, which can lead to ear discharge.

Trauma

Trauma to the ear canal can also cause discharge. Such trauma can occur while cleaning your ear with a cotton swab if you push it in too deep.

An increase in pressure, such as when you’re flying in an airplane or scuba diving, can also result in trauma to your ear. These situations may also cause your eardrum to rupture or tear.

Acoustic trauma is damage to the ear due to extremely loud noises. Acoustic trauma can cause your eardrum to rupture as well. However, these cases aren’t as common as the others described.

Swimmer’s ear

Otitis externa, commonly known as swimmer’s ear, occurs when bacteria or fungus infects your ear canal. It usually occurs when you spend long periods of time in water.

Too much moisture inside your ear can break down the skin on the walls of your ear canal. This allows bacteria or fungus to enter and cause an infection.

However, swimmer’s ear isn’t exclusive to swimmers. It can result whenever there’s a break in the skin of the ear canal. This might occur if you have irritated skin as a result of eczema.

It can also occur if you insert a foreign object into the ear. Any damage to your ear canal makes it more susceptible to infection.