Have you ever had a ringing noise in your ear that only you could hear? Well you are not the only alone. This is known as tinnitus, an inner ear ringing without the presence of an external wave source, and 10-15% of adults will experience it at some point in their life. Besides a high pitch ringing noise, tinnitus can also present as hissing, static, buzzing, whooshing, pulsing or dial tones. It can be present in one ear or both ears, be constant or sporadic, and caused by various conditions such as a mild traumatic brain injury.
Different types of tinnitus exist, with the following being a few examples:
Subjective Tinnitus
The most common type of tinnitus, caused by an exposure to loud noises. The inner ear noise will start and stop randomly, typically lasting 3-9 months after exposure, while severe cases may never fully resolve.
Sensory Tinnitus
This is due to dysfunction from auditory disorders, such a Meniere’s disease. In this example, fluid builds up within the inner ear causing issues such as dizziness, hearing loss and tinnitus.
Somatic Tinnitus
Somatic tinnitus is related to head and neck movement or poor proprioception. Proprioception is the word given to our body’s ability to sense it’s location and movement in space. The symptoms will be aggravated by specific movements from the muscles, joints and other structures in the area.
Objective Tinnitus
This rare form of tinnitus is the only one where the ringing can be heard from those around you as well. It is due to structural abnormalities such as vascular deformities or involuntary muscle contractions. Thankfully, once the cause is determine, it can be quickly treated.
How is Tinnitus Diagnosed?
As previously mentioned, tinnitus can occur after a head injury. Reports have shown that it presents itself in 53% of people after traumatic brain injury, with 92% of patients experiencing some form of auditory dysfunction. A guideline has yet to be developed that outlines the diagnosis and treatment for tinnitus caused by head injury. For now, doctors base the diagnosis on patient symptoms of ear or head noise with the lack of external source. The symptoms last at least 5 minutes and is experienced at least twice in a week. Your doctor is likely to ask you further questions to gain a better understanding of your symptoms and try to determine the exact cause of your tinnitus. This may include:
- When did your symptoms start?
- What is the character of the inner ear noise?
