It’s really common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Something like 20 million people routinely cope with persistent tinnitus so severe that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are a lot more mild and sporadic 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. It could manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is frequently related to hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will immediately lead to the other.
As a matter of fact, there are a considerable variety of forms of tinnitus. And each one will require a different treatment approach.
What is tinnitus?
Exactly what is tinnitus and what are its causes? The first thing to understand is that tinnitus comes in several types and causes. Regardless of the specific cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still essential to identify the cause in order to effectively treat the symptoms.
For some individuals, tinnitus is the result of a neurological issue, including a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. In other circumstances, tinnitus might be caused by age-related hearing loss. Here are some of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Issues with the ear are not always the cause of tinnitus. Sometimes, the underlying cause lies within the brain. Neurological tinnitus is caused by injury to or problems with your baseline neurological functions. This means that the typical communication between your brain and ears isn’t functioning properly. As a result, a phantom sound is heard which isn’t really there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the underlying causes of tinnitus, as well as others. In some cases, neurological tinnitus may go away as the brain heals. For others, it may be permanent.
- Subjective tinnitus: When only you can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is really common, hearing specialists will refer to your condition as a subjective tinnitus. This form of tinnitus comprises many other types of tinnitus also. Neurological tinnitus, for example, is often also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- 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 really as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still occurs. Typically, this means you’re experiencing something called pulsatile tinnitus, which occurs when you’re hearing your heartbeat or circulatory system. For those with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound typically seems louder than it should.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many individuals, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this characteristic. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Typically, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to become more intense when you move your head or neck.
Often, individuals will have more than one type of tinnitus at the same time. For instance, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. In order for us to develop a treatment plan, we will first need to identify the root cause of your tinnitus.
Getting tinnitus assistance
If your tinnitus is here this minute and gone the next, you most likely don’t need to do anything about it. But if your tinnitus hangs 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.
After we identify the root cause of your symptoms, there are a few treatment strategies we can utilize. A few of these techniques can minimize the intensity of your symptoms making them less obvious. We may also use masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Generally, there is no cure for tinnitus, though it can usually be successfully treated. We will work with you to formulate treatments that work for your symptoms. That way, you can more easily ignore the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you enjoy.