If it's something new that hasn't happened before, I would rule out an inner ear imbalance or an ear infection, because that can feel very painful when you get the extra vibrations of a loud noise. If she's always had some sound sensitivity, then it might be worth looking into something like sensory processing disorder. I have this (as does my youngest). It can manifest in different ways, but one of the senses is auditory and some people with SPD have auditory filtering issues or auditory sensitivities. My son has filtering issues -- he has a hard time filtering out one sound in order to focus on another. So if I'm giving him instructions and his sister is singing in the background, to him she's not "in the background." Both of our voices are equally present and he can't focus. Me, I have auditory sensitivity. I can filter out background noises just fine, but I can always hear mechanical hums in the background, especially as they shift pitch and tone (that's actually pretty helpful in predicting when something like a microwave or refrigerator is about to break down!) and the sound feels annoying to me. Same with fluorescent lights -- they have a really annoying hum. Loud noises, especially in a confined space like a crowded room or a car, get overwhelming very quickly and make it hard for me to feel comfortable in my skin. They often seem to hurt my ears much sooner than, say, my husband, who can crank the radio dial at least five notches past my comfort level without feeling any discomfort himself.
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The Out-of-Sync child has some really good descriptions of the various types of SPD and how they can manifest in children.
