Tinnitus

ABOUT TINNITUS

Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing sounds that are not there. Normally, sound waves enter the ear, travel through the ear canal and middle ear and finally reach the hair cells located in the inner ear. These hair cells translate the sound wave vibrations into electrical impulses, which are then sent to the brain to be interpreted as sound. The hair cells within the inner ear of those who have tinnitus are damaged. Damage to these cells can cause the hair to randomly send electrical impulses to the brain, which are interpreted as sound.

Understanding the Facts

20%

Roughly 50 million Americans report some degree of tinnitus.

Tinnitus is often described as a ringing in the ears, but it can also manifest as buzzing, whooshing, roaring, clicking, hissing, or whistling.

90%

Approximately 90% of people with tinnitus have measurable hearing loss.

Tinnitus can lead to substantial mental and emotional distress, contributing to fatigue, depression, anxiety, irritability, and memory or concentration difficulties.

Around 4% of tinnitus sufferers experience incapacitating symptoms.

Many of our tinnitus patients experience significant reduction in symptoms when using their hearing aids.

Tinnitus Cure?
While there's no outright cure, options are available!Applied Hearing Solutions

SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, IMPACTS OF TINNITUS

Tinnitus is actually a symptom, not a disorder. Any of the following can cause it:

Hearing loss

Exposure to loud noises

Reactions to medication

Anxiety or stress

Sudden loud noises

Head or neck injuries

Natural aging process

Temporomandibular joint disfunction (TMJ)

TINNITUS MANAGEMENT

Tinnitus denotes the perception of sounds without an external origin. Typically, sound waves enter the ear, pass through the ear canal and middle ear, and reach hair cells in the inner ear. These hair cells convert sound wave vibrations into electrical signals, transmitted to the brain as sound. However, individuals with tinnitus suffer damage to these inner ear hair cells. This damage prompts the hair cells to periodically transmit electrical signals to the brain, which are then interpreted as sound.

Our comprehensive approach includes:

A detailed case history
to understand the impact of tinnitus on you.
Thorough hearing evaluation
to assess potential hearing-related connections to your tinnitus.
Identification of underlying medical issues
possibly leading to referral to an ENT specialist to explore potential medical causes of your tinnitus.

Matching the pitch and volume of your tinnitus to known sounds
aiding effective counseling during treatment.
Measurement of your sensitivity to noise masking
along with recommendations for managing tinnitus.

Tinnitus management aims to "train your brain" to disregard tinnitus as unimportant. This process, known as habituation, enables tinnitus patients to overlook the distressing effects, similar to how we learn to overlook a train whistle at night. The ultimate goal is to regain control over tinnitus.

Tinnitus therapy is tailored to each individual's perception of symptoms. Effective strategies often focus on counseling, sound therapy, relaxation techniques, and stress reduction methods. If you have both tinnitus and hearing loss, hearing aids may not only enhance your hearing but also alleviate tinnitus, as improved hearing makes it easier to ignore the tinnitus.

Schedule a Tinnitus Appointment