I guess the old post got locked (because it was over 60-days old?). Thanks for the info on trigeminal neuralgia. What I have is definitely cartilage pain (it may sound funny - not haha), but that is what it is. I also have TMJ (breakdown (or whatever word is appropriate) of the cartilage). It has also came to my attention that I may, in addition, be having fascia pain (the tissue covering and in between the muscles and of the skin). I think this is pretty widespread. I'm trying to come up for a name for it when it finally hits the books I go to the doctor tomorrow and have a small list of lab to get done to include B12 and B6.
Just an update that I had the B6 drawn, but there were problems with the sample/lab and have to have it drawn again, and I plan on doing that in the next couple of months. Oh, B12 was normal.
HI, new here...just happened to google ear cartilage pain and found my way here. For over 2 years I have had off and on severe pain in my ear cartilage (mostly the right ear). It feels as though someone is literally pulling and twisting the ear, and the pain can be terrible! There is also a sort of cracking or popping when I move the ear around, which doesn't seem normal. I wear glasses (I can't wear contacts), and sometimes I am in tears by the end of the day from the pain.
I didn't think I had any other cartilage problems, but...when I was pregnant last year my (again- right side) ribs hurt so much that my doctor thought it might be gallbladder disease. Since the pain subsided after pregnancy I haven't had the gallbladder checked, but all along it felt like the ribs themselves were what hurt. No doctor has ever taken the ear thing seriously, which means they don't understand how much it hurts. Just thought I would add my story and see if there is more information out there about what this might be. Thanks!
It sounds like we have the same problem. Mine is mostly my left ear, and yes it pops too. I also wear glasses instead of contacts most of the time, and thank goodness the glasses have not bothered me, not yet anyway - something to look forward to I am very hopeful that when I get the B6 level drawn that it will shed some light on this and that the solution will simply be replacement of B6 (I assume it will be simple anyway). If my B6 is normal... I don't know what then. Good luck to you! I'll keep posting any new findings.
If you're still around the boards... I wanted to share something with you concerning your glasses. A few days ago I found an old pair of glasses and thought I would wear them, instead of the glasses I have been wearing for years, just to change things up a little bit, and I wanted to let you know that they caused me significant pain. The glasses I have now, and like I said have been wearing for years, are very lightweight with thin frames and really just barely touch my ears , if at all, at the very top, and I think that is why they have not bothered me. So, you may want to look into getting a different pair of glasses and see if that helps. Anyway, those glasses hurting me made me think of you, and I wanted to share in hopes that maybe you could benefit from this.
I have the mystery ear cartilage pain. I found this and gout runs in my family, who knows ???
Gout of ear
Primary gout (90%): idiopathic (85%) due to overproduction of uric acid or known enzyme defects (5%, partial hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase deficiency [HGPRT]); may have normal excretion
Secondary gout (10%): increased nucleic acid turnover due to leukemia/lymphoma, chronic renal disease, HGPRT deficiency
Gouty tophi (depositions of sodium urate) commonly deposit in helix of ear as painful, skin-covered, firm nodules
Gross images: gouty tophi
Micro: tophi are composed of needle-shaped aggregates of urate crystals with surrounding foreign body giant cell reaction; urate crystals dissolve with routine processing, so fix a smear of crystals in absolute alcohol or nonaqueous fixation; no birefringence
Micro images: site unknown - A: Xray; B: Diff-Quick; C: Pap smear; D: polarized light; E: H&E
DD: pseudogout (rhomboid or needle shaped, weak positive birefringence with polarized light, radiographic calcifications)
Well, you sure have provided a lot of much-appreciated information.
I too thought about the gout issue and considered having a uric-acid level checked, but I have spent a small fortune on docs and labs in the last few years and with no insurance can only do so much at once. If I'm not mistaken, I think one has to be in the middle of a gout flare for the uric acid to actually be elevated. This may be the next step for me. I know there are meds that can be taken on an everyday basis to prevent gout, although I don't know about side effects and haven't researched yet. I did ask my doctor if I could get steroids just when having a bad flare, and she agreed to that. My last doc appointment was in August, and I had a pretty significant flare just before that, and since then I have had 2 flares, but they were very mild in comparison to some of the others I have had. I have MAYBE narrowed it down to Chinese food (maybe MSG), vitamin E, vitamin B12. The first of the last 2 flares occured after Chinese food and the second flare occurred after I started to take vitamin E and B12, although both could just be coincidence. I haven't had Chineese food yet again, and I stopped the vitamin E and B12, but I will start the B12 again first and see what happens, then add in the vitamin E (maybe), and then try another round of Chineese food.
I have had a sed rate checked on more than 1 occasion, and it is always normal. My white blood cells were slightly elevated when this first started (I can't even remember how many years ago now... 5 or 6 perhaps), but in the last few years, my white blood count has been normal. Like I said, I many have the uric acid checked in the future.
Now, did you have some kind of biopsy or x-ray or other imaging of your ear?
I go to the doctor tomorrow and have a small list of lab to get done to include B12 and B6. 
