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 people worldwide. This does not even reference the more common forms of tinnitus, which for most people can come and go without causing a major impact on their quality of life.
When you hear sounds in your ears that don’t have an outside source and no one else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. It could manifest as a continual buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is frequently 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 numerous forms. And each one will require a different approach to treatment.
What is tinnitus?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it come from? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in several types and causes. Regardless of the particular cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still crucial to identify the cause in order to effectively manage the symptoms.
In some cases, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. In other circumstances, tinnitus might be caused by age-related hearing loss. The following are a few other possible causes:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus is not always caused by ear issues. The brain itself can sometimes be the cause. Neurological tinnitus is a result of injury to or issues with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has gone wrong with the typical ways that your brain and ear communicate. The result is that you hear a phantom sound that might not be there. Neurological tinnitus can be due to concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and others. In some cases, neurological tinnitus might go away as the brain heals. It might be permanent in other circumstances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and has no external source and only you can hear it. Lots of other forms of tinnitus also fall into this category. For example, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as lots of 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 does happen, though it’s not as common as subjective types. Typically, this means you’re experiencing something called pulsatile tinnitus, which happens when you’re hearing your pulse or circulatory system. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be unusually loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often rather constant for many individuals coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Typically, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Most of these forms of tinnitus aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. For instance, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. In order for us to formulate a treatment plan, we will first need to determine the root cause of your tinnitus.
Getting help with your tinnitus
You probably won’t need 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 rather constant or keep returning. That’s when it’s especially important to speak with a hearing specialist to receive specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
After we identify the underlying cause of your symptoms, there are a few treatment methods we can employ. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less obvious. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Generally, there’s no cure for tinnitus, although it can usually be effectively treated. We will work with you to formulate treatments that work for your symptoms. That way, you can more easily disregard the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you love.