It’s really common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Tinnitus can become so extreme that it becomes a burden to live with for about 20 million individuals worldwide. This doesn’t 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.
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 might manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Although hearing loss is frequently associated with tinnitus, there isn’t always a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
As a matter of fact, there are a considerable variety of types of tinnitus. Managing these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
What is tinnitus?
Exactly what is tinnitus and how is it caused? Well, it’s significant to note that not all kinds of tinnitus are the same. The assorted causes of tinnitus will present with similar symptoms. But determining the cause can be crucial to identifying the best treatment strategy.
In some instances, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. In other instances, tinnitus may result from age-related hearing loss. Here are some of the most prevalent types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Issues with the ear are not always the cause of tinnitus. Sometimes, the underlying cause lies within the brain. If your baseline neurological functions are damaged by injury it can activate neurological tinnitus. This means that the standard communication between your brain and ears isn’t functioning properly. As a result, a phantom sound is heard which isn’t actually there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the root sources of tinnitus, as well as others. In some instances, neurological tinnitus may resolve as the brain heals. It may be irreversible in other instances.
- 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 forms of tinnitus also fall into this category. For example, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. There are a large number of sounds that can manifest with subjective tinnitus, including buzzing, ringing, screeching, roaring, thumping, and many others.
- Objective tinnitus: When the sound you’re hearing in your ears is an actual, verifiable sound, it’s referred to as objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus isn’t really as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still happens. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an illustration of this type of tinnitus. For people with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound typically seems louder than it should.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are frequently quite constant for many individuals coping with them. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this characteristic. However, somatic tinnitus is different. This form of tinnitus becomes more severe when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Often, people will have more than one form of tinnitus simultaneously. For example, you may have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. In order for us to develop a treatment plan, we will first need to determine the root cause of your tinnitus.
Getting tinnitus support
If your tinnitus is here one minute and gone the next, you most likely don’t have to do anything about it. But your quality of life can be significantly impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are fairly constant or keep coming back. When that happens, your best plan to get some relief is to contact us for a consultation.
After we determine the underlying cause of your symptoms, there are a few treatment methods we can employ. A few of these strategies can decrease the intensity of your symptoms making them less obvious. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Generally, there is no cure for tinnitus, though it can usually be effectively managed. We will help you personalize 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 disregarded.