Tinnitus is a really common medical condition. Tinnitus can become so overwhelming that it becomes a burden to live with for about 20 million individuals around the world. This does not even reference the more common types of tinnitus, which for most people can come and go without causing a huge impact on their quality of life.
When you hear sounds in your ears that don’t have an external source and nobody else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. 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, there are a considerable variety of forms of tinnitus. And each one will call for a different approach to treatment.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it stem from? The first thing to understand is that tinnitus comes in several forms and causes. Regardless of the specific cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still crucial to determine the cause in order to successfully treat the symptoms.
For some people, tinnitus is the result of a neurological problem, like a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. Hearing loss related to age can be another factor that can trigger tinnitus. Here are some of the most prevalent types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Problems with the ear aren’t always the cause of tinnitus. In some cases, the root cause lies within the brain. If your baseline neurological functions are weakened by injury it can activate neurological tinnitus. This means that the typical communication between your brain and ears isn’t working properly. As a result, a phantom sound 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: When you’re the only one who can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is quite common, hearing specialists will refer to your condition as a subjective tinnitus. This type of tinnitus comprises many other types of tinnitus also. For instance, neurological tinnitus can also be 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 a real, 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. For individuals with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound usually seems louder than it should.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many people, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this attribute. However, somatic tinnitus is different. This form of tinnitus becomes more extreme when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to become more intense when you move your head or neck.
Most of these types of tinnitus aren’t generally mutually exclusive. For instance, you may have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. In order for us to put together a treatment plan, we will first need to identify the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
Getting tinnitus assistance
You probably won’t need to take any particular action if your tinnitus symptoms are sporadic. But if your tinnitus hangs around or returns frequently, it could have real and significant impacts on your everyday 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 strategies we may try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. A few of these techniques can decrease the severity of your symptoms making them less apparent. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t generally be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will help you personalize the best treatment for your particular situation. This will help you enjoy life again by pushing your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily ignored.