It’s very common for people to experience tinnitus. Around 20 million people regularly cope with chronic tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. This does not even count the more common forms of tinnitus, which for most individuals can come and go without causing a huge impact on their quality of life.
When you hear noises in your ears that don’t have an external source and nobody else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. It may manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Although hearing loss is frequently associated with tinnitus, there isn’t always a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in numerous forms. And each one will require a different treatment approach.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
Exactly what is tinnitus and how is it caused? Well, it’s significant to note that not all kinds of tinnitus are the same. Regardless of the particular cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still essential to determine the cause in order to effectively treat the symptoms.
For some people, tinnitus is the result of a neurological issue, like a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. Hearing loss due to age can be another factor that can trigger tinnitus. The following are some other potential causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear issues. In some cases, the underlying cause lies within the brain. Neurological tinnitus is caused by injury to or problems with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has broken down with the typical ways that your brain and ear communicate. As a result, a phantom noise is heard which isn’t actually there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the underlying causes of tinnitus, as well as others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some instances, clear up on its own. For others, it could be permanent.
- Subjective tinnitus: When only you can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is quite common, hearing specialists will talk about your condition as a subjective tinnitus. This type of tinnitus comprises many other forms of tinnitus as well. Neurological tinnitus, for example, is often also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as many different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- Objective tinnitus: When the sound you’re hearing in your ears is a real, verifiable sound, it’s known as objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus isn’t really as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still happens. Typically, this means you’re dealing with something called pulsatile tinnitus, which occurs when you’re hearing your pulse or circulatory system. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be unusually loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many people, the sound they hear with tinnitus is relatively constant. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this attribute. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Usually, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to get worse when you move your head or neck.
The majority of these types of tinnitus are not necessarily mutually exclusive. You might have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for instance. In order for us to develop a treatment plan, we will first need to determine the root cause of your tinnitus.
Getting assistance with your tinnitus
You probably won’t have to take any specific action if your tinnitus symptoms are intermittent. But your quality of life can be significantly impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are fairly constant or keep coming back. When that occurs, your best plan to get some relief is to contact 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 decrease the severity of your symptoms making them less obvious. We might also use masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Generally, there’s no cure for tinnitus, although it can usually be successfully 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 disregarded.