It’s very common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Something like 20 million individuals routinely suffer from chronic tinnitus so intense 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.
Tinnitus happens when you hear a phantom noise, when you’re hearing a sound that no one else can hear. This may be a ringing in the ears or a buzzing sound you can’t shake. Although hearing loss is frequently associated with tinnitus, there isn’t necessarily a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
In fact, there are a substantial variety of types of tinnitus. Managing these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
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 several forms and causes. Regardless of the particular cause, the symptoms will be similar. But distinguishing the cause can be essential to identifying the right treatment approach.
For some people, tinnitus is the outcome of a neurological problem, such as a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. In other circumstances, tinnitus might be caused by age-related hearing loss. The following are a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus is not always caused by ear issues. In some cases, the underlying cause lies within the brain. If your baseline neurological functions are damaged by injury it can trigger neurological tinnitus. This means that the standard communication between your brain and ears isn’t functioning properly. As a result, a phantom noise is heard which isn’t really there. Neurological tinnitus can be due to concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and more. In some cases, neurological tinnitus might go away as the brain heals. It may be irreversible in other instances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and only you can hear it. Lots of other types of tinnitus also fall into this category. For instance, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as many 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 really as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still happens. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an example of this form of tinnitus. For those with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound usually seems louder than it ought to.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many people, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this characteristic. However, somatic tinnitus is different. This type of tinnitus becomes more intense when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Often, people will have more than one form of tinnitus at the same time. For instance, you may have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Identifying the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment strategy for your symptoms.
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 significant impacts on your day-to-day life. That’s when it’s particularly important to speak with a hearing specialist to receive specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
We have several different tinnitus management methods we might try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. A few of these strategies can minimize the intensity of your symptoms making them less apparent. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t usually be cured, but it can be successfully managed. 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 love.