Tinnitus is a really prevalent medical condition. Tinnitus can become so extreme that it becomes a burden to live with for around 20 million people around the world. This doesn’t even count the more common types of tinnitus, which for most individuals can come and go without causing a huge impact on their quality of life.
When you hear noises in your ears that don’t have an external source and no one else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. It may manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Although hearing loss is frequently accompanied by tinnitus, there isn’t necessarily a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
In fact, there are a substantial variety of forms of tinnitus. Managing these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
What is tinnitus?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it come from? Well, it’s essential to mention that not all types of tinnitus are the same. Regardless of the particular cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still essential to determine the cause in order to effectively treat the symptoms.
In some instances, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. Hearing loss related to age can be another factor that can cause tinnitus. Here are a few of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus is not always caused by ear problems. The brain itself can sometimes be the source. Neurological tinnitus is a result of injury to or issues with your baseline neurological functions. This means that the normal communication between your brain and ears isn’t functioning correctly. The outcome is that you hear a phantom sound that might not be there. Neurological tinnitus can be a result of concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and more. In some instances, neurological tinnitus may go away as the brain heals. For others, it may be permanent.
- Subjective tinnitus: When you’re the only one who can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is quite common, hearing specialists will talk about your condition as a subjective tinnitus. This form of tinnitus comprises many other types of tinnitus as well. Neurological tinnitus, for instance, is frequently also subjective tinnitus. There are a large number of sounds that can manifest with subjective tinnitus, including buzzing, ringing, screeching, roaring, thumping, and lots of others.
- Objective tinnitus: With objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. 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 those with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound typically seems louder than it should.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often rather constant for many individuals coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This is tinnitus that grows worse with movement. Normally, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to get worse when you move your head or neck.
Frequently, individuals will have more than one type of tinnitus at the same time. You may have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for example. Identifying the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Finding tinnitus assistance
You probably won’t need to take any particular action if your tinnitus symptoms are intermittent. But if your tinnitus hangs around or returns frequently, it may have real and significant impacts on your everyday life. When that occurs, your best plan to get some relief is to contact us for a consultation.
After we identify the root cause of your symptoms, there are a number of treatment methods we can use. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less evident. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t typically be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will work with you to formulate treatments that work for your symptoms. This will help you enjoy life again by moving your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily disregarded.