TMJ or temperomandibular joint dysfunction can cause ear ache, even an ear itch.
It is a chronic pain problem and needs to be treated as such.

I think that often TMJ comes from other areas of the body like the neck, see the link to neck pain,

TMJ pain could also be from grinding your teeth at night, and that is almost always from stress. This stress could be even from stress from your distant past. Your brain and your body aren’t always connected. Check out  Stress Anxiety and PTSD and Daily Program. 

if you have chronic pain, there is a problem. Pain causes Stress in your brain, Limbic System, and stress causes pain.  Work on Step 2 and watch the videos on Step 3.