It’s very common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Something like 20 million individuals regularly cope with persistent tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. This doesn’t 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 might manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is often linked to hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will immediately lead to the other.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in a number of forms. And each one will call for a different approach to treatment.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it stem from? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in a number of types and causes. Regardless of the particular cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still crucial to identify the cause in order to effectively manage the symptoms.
For some individuals, tinnitus is the result of a neurological issue, such as a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. Hearing loss related to age can be another aspect that can cause tinnitus. The following are some other potential causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Problems with the ear are not always the cause of tinnitus. The brain itself can sometimes be the source. 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 functioning correctly. As a result, a phantom noise is heard which isn’t actually there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the root sources of tinnitus, as well as others. In some instances, neurological tinnitus may resolve as the brain heals. It may be irreversible in other instances.
- Subjective tinnitus: When only you can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is really common, hearing specialists will talk about your condition as a subjective tinnitus. Lots of other forms of tinnitus also fall into this category. Neurological tinnitus, for example, is frequently also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can manifest as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and more.
- 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. 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 unusually loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many individuals, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this attribute. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This type of tinnitus becomes more extreme when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Most of these types of tinnitus aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Determining the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist decide the best tinnitus treatment strategy for your symptoms.
Getting assistance with your tinnitus
If your tinnitus is here this minute and gone the next, you likely don’t need to do anything about it. But if your tinnitus sticks around or comes back frequently, it may have real and severe impacts on your everyday life. When that happens, your best plan to get some relief is to call us for a consultation.
We have several different tinnitus management strategies we might try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less evident. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Generally, there is no cure for tinnitus, although it can usually be successfully treated. We will work with you to create treatments that work for your symptoms. That way, you can more easily disregard the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you enjoy.