Tinnitus is a really prevalent medical condition. Around 20 million individuals regularly suffer from persistent tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are much more mild and intermittent and are also easier to cope with.
When you hear noises in your ears that don’t have an external source and no one else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. This could be a ringing in the ears or a buzzing sound you can’t get rid of. Although hearing loss is frequently accompanied by tinnitus, there isn’t necessarily a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
In fact, there are a substantial variety of types of tinnitus. Treating these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
What is tinnitus?
Exactly what is tinnitus and how is it caused? The first thing to understand is that tinnitus comes in several forms and causes. The assorted causes of tinnitus will manifest with similar symptoms. But it’s still essential to determine the cause in order to successfully treat the symptoms.
In some cases, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. In other circumstances, tinnitus might result from age-related hearing loss. The following are a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear issues. In some cases, the root cause lies within the brain. If your baseline neurological functions are damaged by injury it can activate neurological tinnitus. This means that the normal communication between your brain and ears isn’t working properly. The result is that you hear a phantom sound that might not be there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the root sources of tinnitus, as well as others. In some situations, neurological tinnitus might go away as the brain heals. For others, it may be lasting.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and has no external source and no one else can hear it. This type of tinnitus comprises many other forms of tinnitus as well. Neurological tinnitus, for example, is often also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can manifest as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- Objective tinnitus: With objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus does happen, though it’s not as common as subjective forms. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an illustration of this form of tinnitus. For individuals with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound usually seems louder than it should.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many people, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This form of tinnitus becomes more severe when you move around. Typically, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Most of these forms of tinnitus aren’t generally mutually exclusive. For example, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Determining the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Finding tinnitus assistance
You most likely won’t have to take any specific action if your tinnitus symptoms are intermittent. But if your tinnitus sticks around or returns frequently, it might have real and significant impacts on your day-to-day life. When that happens, your best plan to get some relief is to contact us for a consultation.
We have a number of different tinnitus management methods we might try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less evident. We might also use masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Tinnitus can’t usually be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will help you customize the best treatment for your specific situation. This will help you enjoy life again by pushing your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily ignored.