Tinnitus is an incredibly common medical condition. Around 20 million people routinely cope with chronic tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. This does not even reference the more common types of tinnitus, which for most people can come and go without causing a major impact on their quality of life.
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 get rid of. 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 significant variety of types of tinnitus. Treating these varieties of tinnitus will call for different approaches.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it stem from? Well, it’s significant to note that not all types of tinnitus are the same. The various causes of tinnitus will present with similar symptoms. But identifying the cause can be essential to identifying the proper treatment strategy.
In some cases, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological issues can be the cause. Hearing loss due to age can be another aspect that can trigger tinnitus. The following are a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Issues with the ear are not always the cause of tinnitus. In some cases, the underlying cause lies within the brain. Neurological tinnitus is a result of 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 actually there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the underlying causes of tinnitus, as well as others. In some instances, neurological tinnitus might go away as the brain heals. For others, it could be lasting.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and has no external source and no one else can hear it. Lots of other types of tinnitus also fall into this category. For example, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can manifest as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- 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 does happen, though it’s not as common as subjective forms. 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 people coping with them. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this characteristic. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
The majority of these types 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 identify the root cause of your tinnitus.
Getting help with your tinnitus
You most likely won’t need to take any specific action if your tinnitus symptoms are sporadic. But your quality of life can be seriously impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are rather constant or keep returning. 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 a few different tinnitus management strategies we might try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. A few of these strategies can decrease the severity of your symptoms making them less apparent. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t typically be cured, but it can be successfully managed. We will work with you to formulate treatments that work for your symptoms. This will help you enjoy life again by pushing your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily disregarded.