It’s really common for people to experience tinnitus. 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 count the more common forms of tinnitus, which for most individuals 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 nobody else can hear. It might manifest as a continual buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is often linked to hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will automatically lead to the other.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in numerous forms. And each one will call for a different approach to treatment.
What is tinnitus?
Exactly what is tinnitus and how is it caused? The first thing to understand is that tinnitus comes in several types and causes. Regardless of the specific cause, the symptoms will be similar. But determining the cause can be essential to identifying the correct treatment approach.
In some instances, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological issues can be the cause. In other circumstances, tinnitus might be caused by age-related hearing loss. Here are some of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Problems with the ear aren’t always the cause of tinnitus. The brain itself can sometimes be the source. If your baseline neurological functions are impaired by injury it can activate neurological tinnitus. In other words, something has gone wrong 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 cases, neurological tinnitus might go away as the brain heals. For others, it may be lasting.
- Subjective tinnitus: When only you can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is really common, hearing specialists will refer to your condition as a subjective tinnitus. Lots of other types of tinnitus also fall into this category. For instance, 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 an actual, verifiable sound, it’s known as objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus does happen, though it’s not as common as subjective types. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an example of this form of tinnitus. 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 characteristic. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This type of tinnitus becomes more severe when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Often, individuals will have more than one form of tinnitus simultaneously. For example, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. In order for us to formulate a treatment plan, we will first need to determine the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
Getting help with your tinnitus
You most likely won’t need to take any particular action if your tinnitus symptoms are intermittent. But if your tinnitus sticks around or comes back frequently, it could have real and significant impacts on your day-to-day life. That’s when it’s particularly important to talk to a hearing specialist to get specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
After we identify the root cause of your symptoms, there are a few treatment methods we can employ. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less evident. We might also utilize masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Tinnitus can’t generally be cured, but it can be effectively 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 ignored.