It’s very common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Tinnitus can become so extreme that it becomes a burden to live with for about 20 million people around the world. And there are also more prevalent presentations of tinnitus which are much more mild and sporadic and are also easier to cope with.
When you hear sounds in your ears that don’t have an outside 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 associated with tinnitus, there isn’t always a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in a number of forms. Treating these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
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. The assorted causes of tinnitus will manifest with similar symptoms. But it’s still crucial to identify the cause in order to effectively treat the symptoms.
For some individuals, tinnitus is the outcome 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 a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear issues. Sometimes, the underlying cause lies within the brain. Neurological tinnitus is caused by injury to or issues 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 noise is heard which isn’t really there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the root sources of tinnitus, as well as others. In some cases, neurological tinnitus may go away as the brain heals. It might be permanent in other circumstances.
- 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. Lots of other forms of tinnitus also fall into this category. For instance, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- Objective tinnitus: When you have objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus is not quite as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still occurs. Most commonly, this means you’re experiencing 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 characteristic. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Typically, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Frequently, people will have more than one type of tinnitus simultaneously. You might have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus at the same time, for example. In order for us to develop a treatment plan, we will first need to identify the root cause of your tinnitus.
Finding tinnitus support
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 could have real and severe impacts on your day-to-day life. That’s when it’s particularly important to speak with a hearing specialist to get specialized care and find some relief from your tinnitus.
We have several different tinnitus management methods we may try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less noticeable. Other treatment solutions can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t usually be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will work with you to formulate treatments that work for your symptoms. This will help you enjoy life again by moving your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily ignored.