Tinnitus. Tinnitus Noise in the ears.

Causes of the appearance of noise in the ears and how is it treated?

What is tinnitus?

The tinnitus, also called tinnitus, is the sensation of ringing, noise, buzzing and hissing in front of other perceived sounds that only you can hear. The type and intensity of this noise is individual and you can perceive it in different ways. It can be high, weak or strong, low and deep, temporary or persistent. And surely, it can affect your concentration and hearing.

The tinnitus it's more common than you might think: about 10-12 % of people listen to it all the time. About 80 % of people with tinnitus also have hearing loss, and they may not even realize it. However, although tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, it can appear for no apparent reason. 

Approximately 30% of severely deaf people do not have tinnitus, while 18% of the population suffer from some form of tinnitus. The noise in everyone's ears is expressed differently.

For example, with sensorineural hearing loss, it is of different hue and intensity.

Conductive - Low frequency with a persistent feeling of ear congestion.

With intracranial tumors, the noise is intermittent, pounding, amplified with a headache or a change in body position. Vascular diseases are characterized by a pulsating ringing.

What are the causes of tinnitus?

Until now, it is not known precisely what causes cause the tinnitus. However there are some recognized causes and / or diseases.

First, damage to the ear canal with hearing impairment (presbycusis or senile deafness; various diseases of the outer, middle or inner ear; acoustic trauma; ear infections; Meniere's disease, etc.).

Second, incorrect postural habits, which mainly affect the muscles and muscles. temporomandibular joints. Also to the cervical (bruxism or teeth grinding during sleep and other "bad habits" of the facial muscles; osteoarthritis of the cervical spine; muscle contractures; curvature of the spine, etc.).

Third, work or family stress. With regard to stress, it is important to note that patients with tinnitus have greater activity in the auditory cortex and the limbic cortex, which are responsible for emotions. The head trauma it is usually the cause of subjective tinnitus.

The most common reasons for the appearance of tinnitus are the following:

• The natural aging process.
• Head or neck trauma.
• Depression or stress.
• Ear diseases: otitis media, hearing loss, tympanic membrane tumors, sulfur plug, etc.
• Brain tumors.
• Diseases of the cervical spine.
• The effects of vibration and noise at work (production, music).
• Metabolic diseases: Mellitus diabetes, hepatitis, hyperthyroidism.
• Schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, deep depression.

Does tinnitus go away?

The answer to this question depends on the type of tinnitus we have. In general there are 4 types:

Subjective tinnitus.

This is the most common type and represents 95 % of cases. It can appear quickly and last up to three months and is classified as acute, or up to 12 months when classified as chronic. In some cases, the noise in the ear can last much longer.

Objective tinnitus.

There are very few cases. This type of tinnitus can occur due to vascular deformities or involuntary muscle contractions. The noise is often described as pulsating. The doctor can hear you using a stethoscope.

Neurological tinnitus.

This type of tinnitus is caused by a condition known as Meniere's disease. It affects the nervous system. This type of tinnitus is often accompanied by dizziness and coordination problems.

Somatic tinnitus.

This type is associated with your own body's sensory system. Signals from different parts of the body are interrupted, causing a spasm that contributes to the onset of tinnitus.

As we have seen in the case of objective tinnitus the noise is very likely to disappear with some treatment methods.

How is tinnitus treated?

Although it cannot be cured, there are a number of steps that can be taken to control it and reduce its negative impact.

It must be borne in mind that before starting any treatment it is important to do a series of tests to rule out serious diseases, for example, brain tumor, etc.

Treatment of tinnitus it depends on the underlying cause. If it is not possible to get rid of the cause, the following treatment methods will be used:

When is tinnitus treated medicated?

Usually, medications are prescribed that dilate the blood vessels in the brain, which can reduce and even eliminate tinnitus. If they do not help, other medications are prescribed to control brain activity, such as melatonin, sulpiride, hydroxyzine, lyrica, etc. Also, depending on the circumstances, tranquilizers such as alprazolam and amitriptyline may be prescribed.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT).

TRT therapy it is the most popular treatment method today. Its purpose is for the patient to get used to their tinnitus and not consciously notice it. This treatment includes 2 phases: the first is a treatment recommendation (detailed explanation of the problem) and the second is sound therapy (to reduce the perception of noise). In some cases, sound therapy uses a so-called sound signal generator, which works in conjunction with conventional hearing aids in patients with significant hearing loss.

Tinnitus masker.

A tinnitus masker is a hearing aid-like device that emits soft sounds directly into the ear, masking and reducing the noise caused by tinnitus. It converts the sound wave of tinnitus, which disappears for a time (for a few minutes, hours or even days).

Hearing aid to treat tinnitus.

If the patient has a hearing loss, the tinnitus can often disappear or be reduced with hearing aids. In this case, the patient hears the surrounding noises and not his own.

Sacral cranial massage as an alternative therapy for tinnitus.

In case of detection of muscle contracture or an incorrect postural habit, work or family stress or temporomandibular dysfunction, the patient is referred to relax the corresponding muscles.

In our chiromassage center Barcelona Lorem Massage & Wellness offer cranial sacral massage to correct injuries and eliminate lack of movement in the skull; normalize and balance the spontaneous system (body-mind).

There are quite a few cases that people notice improvement and eventually the tinnitus disappears.

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