Tinnitus is an incredibly common medical condition. Around 20 million people regularly suffer from persistent tinnitus so severe that it becomes burdensome. 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 noises in your ears that don’t have an external source and nobody else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. This could be a ringing in the ears or a buzzing sound you can’t shake. Tinnitus is often linked to hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will automatically result in the other.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in numerous forms. Managing these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
Exactly what is tinnitus and what are its causes? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in numerous forms and causes. The assorted causes of tinnitus will manifest with similar symptoms. But it’s still crucial to determine the cause in order to effectively treat the symptoms.
In some instances, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. In other circumstances, tinnitus may result from age-related hearing loss. Here are a few of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus is not always caused by ear problems. The brain itself can sometimes be the cause. 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 working correctly. The result is that you hear a phantom sound that may not be there. Neurological tinnitus can be a result of concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some situations, go away on its own. It may be permanent in other instances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and has no external source and no one else can hear it. This form of tinnitus comprises many other forms of tinnitus also. Neurological tinnitus, for instance, is often also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can manifest as many different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and more.
- Objective tinnitus: When the sound you’re hearing in your ears is an actual, verifiable sound, it’s referred to as objective tinnitus. 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 unusually loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are frequently rather constant for many individuals coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This form of tinnitus becomes more severe when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most sensitive to movement of the head or neck areas.
Frequently, individuals will have more than one form of tinnitus at the same time. You may have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for example. In order for us to develop a treatment plan, we will first need to identify the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
Getting assistance with your tinnitus
You probably won’t have to take any specific action if your tinnitus symptoms are sporadic. But your quality of life can be significantly impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are rather constant or keep coming back. When that occurs, your best plan to get some relief is to call us for a consultation.
We have a number of different tinnitus management methods we may try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. A few of these techniques can minimize the severity of your symptoms making them less evident. We might also utilize masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Tinnitus can’t usually be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will work with you to create 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.