Tinnitus - What Is It?
Over 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus, or ringing in ears, which is the perception of sound without an external source being present.
The most common cause of Tinnitus is hearing loss; however, there are several underlying health conditions that can also have the symptom of tinnitus. A diagnostic hearing test and case history help in diagnosing the specific cause which can include:
- Noise Exposure
- Medications
- Diet
- Stress
- Earwax buildup
Tinnitus case history and questionnaires help us determine how each patient’s tinnitus is affecting them. Our audiologist performs specialized testing to evaluate and diagnose a patient’s tinnitus. Including pitch matching, loudness matching and finding a minimum masking level. Utilizing the results, our audiologist can determine a specific treatment plan.
Tinnitus - Treatment Options
While there’s no cure for tinnitus, there are many treatments that can give patients significant relief. Certain devices can be worn that produce soothing therapeutic sounds designed to retrain the brain to ignore the tinnitus. Other devices produce constant, soft noise to mask the tinnitus. Tinnitus sufferers who also have hearing loss often find relief from wearing properly fitted hearing aids or combination devices, (hearing aids combined with sound therapy or masking sound).
What Are The Treatment Options?
Hearing Aids
A widely utilized option with positive results for tinnitus patients with hearing loss. Hearing aids will provide relief from tinnitus while also improving patients’ ability to hear speech and stimulate the auditory system. Some manufacturers have developed hearing aids with specific tinnitus programming that can be customized for each patient.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy:
After your hearing assessment, our audiologist may recommend Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a form of habituation therapy that has been proven to give significant relief to those who are bothered by tinnitus. TRT uses a combination of sound therapy and behavioral therapy to retrain the brain and auditory system to ignore the tinnitus. When utilized properly, TRT can reduce a patient’s awareness and volume of their tinnitus.
Masking
A device called a masker or sound generator may be used to cover up or blend in with tinnitus. Maskers can be worn like hearing aids, or can be sound machines used at nighttime or during the day when a patient is bothered by their tinnitus.
Behavioral Therapies
Tinnitus can cause stress, anxiety and depression for many. Behavioral therapies are designed to reduce these and to overall improve the body’s emotional reaction to tinnitus. The audiologist may recommend behavioral therapy alone or in combination with another tinnitus treatment.
Schedule Your Tinnitus Consultation with our Doctor of Audiology
Contact Us
Phone
402.235.5028
