It’s very common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Around 20 million people regularly suffer from persistent tinnitus so severe that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are a lot more mild and intermittent and are also easier to cope with.
Tinnitus occurs when you hear a phantom noise, when you’re hearing a sound that no one else can hear. It might manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is often related 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. And each one will call for a different treatment approach.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it come from? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in a number of forms and causes. The assorted causes of tinnitus will present with similar symptoms. But determining the cause can be crucial to finding the proper treatment strategy.
For some individuals, tinnitus is the outcome of a neurological issue, such as a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. Hearing loss related to age can be another factor that can cause tinnitus. The following are a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear issues. In some cases, the root cause lies within the brain. If your baseline neurological functions are impaired by injury it can trigger neurological tinnitus. This means that the normal 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 others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some instances, go away on its own. For others, it could be lasting.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and only you can hear it. This form of tinnitus comprises many other forms of tinnitus also. For example, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. There are a large number of sounds that can manifest with subjective tinnitus, including buzzing, ringing, screeching, roaring, thumping, and many others.
- Objective tinnitus: With objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus does occur, though it’s not as common as subjective types. Most commonly, this means you’re experiencing something called pulsatile tinnitus, which occurs when you’re hearing your heartbeat 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 attribute. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This is tinnitus that grows worse with movement. Typically, somatic tinnitus is most sensitive to movement of the head or neck areas.
Most of these forms of tinnitus are not generally mutually exclusive. You might have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for example. In order for us to put together a treatment plan, we will first need to determine the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
Getting tinnitus assistance
You most likely won’t have to take any specific action if your tinnitus symptoms are intermittent. But if your tinnitus hangs around or returns frequently, it could have real and severe impacts on your everyday life. That’s when it’s especially important to speak with a hearing specialist to receive specialized care and find some relief from your tinnitus.
We have several different tinnitus management strategies we may try depending on the root 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 successfully managed. We will help you customize the best treatment for your particular situation. This will help you enjoy life again by moving your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily disregarded.