Tinnitus is a really common medical condition. Around 20 million people routinely cope with 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 deal with.
Tinnitus happens when you hear a phantom noise, when you’re hearing a sound that no one else can hear. This could be a ringing in the ears or a buzzing sound you can’t get rid of. Although hearing loss is often associated with tinnitus, there isn’t necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.
In fact, there are a considerable variety of forms of tinnitus. And each one will call for a different approach to treatment.
What is tinnitus?
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 identifying the cause can be crucial to finding the correct treatment strategy.
In some cases, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological issues can be the cause. Hearing loss related to age can be another aspect that can cause tinnitus. The following are a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear problems. The brain itself can sometimes be the source. Neurological tinnitus is a result of injury to or problems with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has gone wrong with the typical ways that your brain and ear interact. As a result, a phantom noise is heard which isn’t actually there. Neurological tinnitus can be due to concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some situations, clear up on its own. For others, it could be lasting.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and no one else can hear it. This type of tinnitus comprises many other forms of tinnitus also. Neurological tinnitus, for instance, is often also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and more.
- Objective tinnitus: With objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus is not 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 form of tinnitus. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be abnormally loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often quite constant for many individuals coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Normally, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to become more intense when you move your head or neck.
Most of these types of tinnitus aren’t generally mutually exclusive. You might have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for instance. In order for us to formulate a treatment plan, we will first need to determine the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
Getting tinnitus assistance
You most likely won’t need 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 returning. That’s when it’s particularly important to talk to a hearing specialist to receive specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
We have several different tinnitus management strategies we may try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Several treatments can make the sounds you’re hearing less obvious. We might also utilize masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Generally, there is no cure for tinnitus, though it can usually be successfully managed. We will help you personalize 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.