ICSE Class 9 Answered

The outside of our ears and some part of the nose is made of elastic cartilage. Cartilage itself has no nerves or blood vessels and therefore, it is insensitive. However, when we pull our nose or ears, sometimes the cartilage of the nasal septum gets pushed to one side. This causes an injury to the elastic cartilage lining the nose and the ears. This damage to the cartilage appears in the form of swelling and stiffness of the nose and ears. It is this swelling that causes a sensation of pain when we touch our nose and ears. Damage to the cartilage can even cause a collection of blood to form inside the nose, resulting in excessive pain.