Earwax Facts: How does the ear canal run?

Most people think that the ear canal runs straight into our head. But it doesn’t. The ear canal slopes upward and forward.

So if you want to get a good look at the entire ear canal and see the eardrum, you have to make sure you tilt the head properly and turn the face away from you. Sometimes there is another piece of cartilage in the way and it helps to also pull the auricle back (or push it back, depending on your dominant hand and how the client or patient is sitting in front of you) while looking.

ENT specialist Dr. Jan Rombout of OnlineKNO explains clearly in this video how the ear canal runs and how best to look inside the ear if you want to remove wax or assess the ear canal and eardrum.