Tinnitus is a really prevalent medical condition. Something like 20 million people routinely suffer from persistent tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more prevalent presentations of tinnitus which are much more mild and sporadic and are also easier to cope with.
Tinnitus happens when you hear a phantom noise, when you’re hearing a sound that nobody else can hear. It might manifest as a continual buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is frequently associated with hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will immediately result in the other.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in numerous forms. Dealing with these varieties of tinnitus will call for different approaches.
What is tinnitus?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it come from? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in numerous forms and causes. The assorted causes of tinnitus will present with similar symptoms. But determining the cause can be crucial to finding the right treatment strategy.
For some people, tinnitus is the result of a neurological problem, including a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. Hearing loss related to age can be another factor that can trigger tinnitus. The following are a few other potential causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear problems. The brain itself can sometimes be the cause. If your baseline neurological functions are weakened by injury it can trigger neurological tinnitus. In other words, something has gone wrong with the typical ways that your brain and ear interact. The result is that you hear a phantom sound that might not be there. Neurological tinnitus can be due to concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and more. In some cases, neurological tinnitus may go away as the brain heals. It might be irreversible in other instances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and has no external source and no one else can hear it. Lots of other forms of tinnitus also fall into this category. For example, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can manifest as many different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and more.
- Objective tinnitus: When the sound you’re hearing in your ears is an actual, verifiable sound, it’s known as objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus isn’t quite as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still occurs. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an illustration of this type of tinnitus. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be unusually loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many individuals, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this characteristic. However, somatic tinnitus is different. This is tinnitus that grows worse with movement. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most sensitive to movement of the head or neck areas.
The majority of these types of tinnitus aren’t generally mutually exclusive. For example, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Figuring out the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist decide the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Getting help with your tinnitus
If your tinnitus is here this minute and gone the next, you most likely don’t need to do anything about it. But your quality of life can be seriously impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are fairly constant or keep returning. When that happens, your best plan to get some relief is to call us for a consultation.
After we determine the underlying cause of your symptoms, there are a few treatment methods we can use. A few of these techniques can minimize the intensity of your symptoms making them less apparent. We may also utilize masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Generally, there is no cure for tinnitus, although it can usually be successfully treated. We will help you personalize the best treatment for your particular situation. This will help you enjoy life again by pushing your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily disregarded.