Tinnitus is an incredibly prevalent medical condition. Something like 20 million people regularly cope with chronic tinnitus so severe that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are much more mild and intermittent and are also easier to cope with.
Tinnitus occurs when you hear a phantom sound, when you’re hearing a sound that nobody else can hear. It could 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 immediately lead to the other.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in a number of forms. 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 a number of types and causes. Regardless of the specific cause, the symptoms will be similar. But identifying the cause can be crucial to finding the proper treatment approach.
For some individuals, tinnitus is the result of a neurological issue, like a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. Hearing loss due to age can be another factor that can cause tinnitus. Here are a few of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear issues. The brain itself can sometimes be the cause. Neurological tinnitus is a result of injury to or problems with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has broken down with the normal ways that your brain and ear communicate. As a result, a phantom sound is heard which isn’t actually there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the underlying sources of tinnitus, as well as others. In some situations, neurological tinnitus might go away as the brain heals. It may be irreversible in other instances.
- Subjective tinnitus: When only you can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is really common, hearing specialists will talk about your condition as a subjective tinnitus. This type of tinnitus includes many other forms of tinnitus as well. Neurological tinnitus, for instance, is frequently also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as many different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- Objective tinnitus: With objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus does happen, though it’s not as common as subjective forms. Most commonly, this means you’re dealing with something called pulsatile tinnitus, which happens when you’re hearing your pulse or circulatory system. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be abnormally loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many individuals, the sound they hear with tinnitus is fairly constant. 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. Normally, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to become more intense when you move your head or neck.
Often, individuals will have more than one type of tinnitus simultaneously. For example, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Figuring out the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment strategy for your symptoms.
Getting help with your tinnitus
You most likely won’t have to take any specific action if your tinnitus symptoms are intermittent. But your quality of life can be seriously impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are fairly constant or keep returning. When that happens, your best plan to get some relief is to call us for a consultation.
After we determine the root cause of your symptoms, there are a number of treatment strategies we can use. Several treatments can make the sounds you’re hearing less noticeable. Other treatment solutions can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t typically be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will help you customize the best treatment for your particular situation. That way, you can more easily ignore the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you love.
