It’s really common for people to experience tinnitus. Around 20 million people routinely cope with persistent tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are much more mild and sporadic and are also easier to cope with.
Tinnitus happens when you hear a phantom noise, when you’re hearing a sound that nobody else can hear. It could 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 immediately result in the other.
As a matter of fact, there are a considerable variety of types of tinnitus. And each one will call for a different treatment approach.
What is tinnitus?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it come from? Well, it’s significant to note that not all types of tinnitus are the same. The assorted causes of tinnitus will manifest with similar symptoms. But it’s still essential to identify the cause in order to successfully manage the symptoms.
In some cases, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological issues can be the cause. In other instances, tinnitus may result from age-related hearing loss. Here are a few of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear problems. In some cases, the underlying cause lies within the brain. 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 interact. As a result, a phantom noise is heard which isn’t actually there. Neurological tinnitus can be a result of concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and more. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some situations, go away on its own. It might be permanent in other circumstances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and no one else can hear it. This type of tinnitus includes many other types of tinnitus also. Neurological tinnitus, for example, is often 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: 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 type of tinnitus. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be abnormally loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often quite constant for many people coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This form of tinnitus becomes more intense when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most susceptible to movement of the head or neck areas.
Most of these types of tinnitus aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. You might have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus at the same time, for instance. Figuring out the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist decide the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Getting help with your tinnitus
You most likely won’t have to take any particular action if your tinnitus symptoms are sporadic. But if your tinnitus sticks around or comes back frequently, it could have real and significant impacts on your day-to-day life. When that happens, your best plan to get some relief is to call us for a consultation.
We have a number of different tinnitus management methods we might try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Several treatments can make the sounds you’re hearing less noticeable. Other treatment solutions can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Generally, there is no cure for tinnitus, though it can usually be successfully treated. 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.