You know that scene in your favorite action movie where something explodes next to the hero and the sound goes all high-pitched-buzzing? Well, at least some amount of minor brain trauma has likely happened to them.
To be sure, brain injuries aren’t the part that most action movies focus on. But that ringing in our hero’s ears signifies a condition called tinnitus. Tinnitus is most frequently talked about from the perspective of hearing loss, but actually, traumatic brain injuries like concussions can also cause this particular ringing in the ears.
After all, one of the most prevalent traumatic brain injuries is a concussion. And there are lots of reasons concussions can occur (for example, falls, sporting accidents, and motor vehicle accidents). It can be a bit complicated sorting out how a concussion can lead to tinnitus. Luckily, treating and managing your conditions is usually very achievable.
Concussions, exactly what are they?
A concussion is brain trauma of a very particular type. One way to view it is that your brain is protected by sitting snuggly in your skull. When something comes along and shakes the head violently enough, your brain begins moving around in your skull. But because there’s so little extra space in there, your brain could literally crash into the inside of your skull.
This causes harm to your brain! The brain can impact one or more sides of your skull. And when this happens, you get a concussion. This illustration makes it quite evident that a concussion is literally damage to the brain. Symptoms of concussions include the following:
- Ringing in the ears
- Slurred speech
- Blurry vision or dizziness
- Confusion and loss of memory
- A slow or delayed response to questions
- Vomiting and nausea
- Headaches
This list isn’t complete, but you get the idea. Symptoms from a concussion can continue anywhere between a few weeks and a few months. When somebody gets a single concussion, they will typically make a complete recovery. But, repetitive or multiple concussions are a bigger problem (generally speaking, it’s a good idea to avoid these).
How do concussions trigger tinnitus?
Is it really feasible that a concussion may affect your hearing?
It’s an intriguing question: what is the link between tinnitus and concussions? Because it’s more accurate to say that traumatic brain injuries (even minor ones) can cause tinnitus, it’s not just concussions. That ringing in your ears can be triggered by even minor brain injuries. That might happen in a few ways:
- Disruption of the Ossicular Chain: There are three tiny bones in your ear that help transfer sounds to your brain. A major impact (the type that can trigger a concussion, for example) can jostle these bones out of place. This can interrupt your ability to hear and cause tinnitus.
- Damage to your hearing: For members of the military, TBIs and concussions are frequently a result of distance to an explosion. And explosions are really loud, the noise and the shock wave can harm the stereocilia in your ear, causing hearing loss and tinnitus. So it isn’t so much that the concussion caused tinnitus, it’s that the tinnitus and concussion have the same underlying cause.
- Nerve damage: There’s also a nerve that is responsible for sending sounds you hear to your brain, which a concussion can harm.
- Meniere’s Syndrome: The onset of a condition known as Meniere’s Syndrome can be a consequence of a TBI. When pressure accumulates in the inner ear this condition can happen. Significant hearing loss and tinnitus can become a problem over time as a result of Menier’s disease.
- Disruption of communication: Concussion can, in some cases, damage the parts of the brain that manage hearing. As a result, the messages sent from the ear to your brain can’t be correctly processed and tinnitus can result.
- A “labyrinthine” concussion: When your TBI damages the inner ear this form of concussion happens. Tinnitus and hearing loss, due to inflammation, can be the consequence of this damage.
Of course it’s important to note that no two brain injuries are exactly alike. Every patient will receive personalized care and instructions from us. You should definitely call us for an evaluation if you believe you might have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
When you get a concussion and tinnitus is the result, how can it be treated?
Most often, tinnitus triggered by a concussion or traumatic brain injury will be short-term. After a concussion, how long can I expect my tinnitus to last? Well, it might last weeks or months. Then again, if your tinnitus has lasted for more than a year, it’s likely to be long lasting. In these situations, the treatment approach changes to controlling your symptoms over the long term.
This can be accomplished by:
- Hearing aid: Sometimes, tinnitus becomes pronounced because the rest of the world takes a back seat (as is the situation with non-TBI-caused hearing loss, everything else becomes quieter, so your tinnitus seems louder). A hearing aid can help raise the volume of everything else, ensuring that your tinnitus fades into the background.
- Masking device: This device is similar to a hearing aid, but instead of helping you hear things more loudly, it creates a distinct noise in your ear. This noise is customized to your tinnitus, drowning out the sound so you can pay attention to voices, or other sounds you really want to hear.
- Therapy: In some situations, therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be used to help patients ignore the noise produced by their tinnitus. You accept that the noise is present, and then disregard it. It will take some therapy, practice, and time though.
Achieving the desired result will, in some situations, call for added therapies. Treatment of the underlying concussion might be necessary in order to get rid of the tinnitus. The right course of action will depend on the nature of your concussion and your TBI. In this regard, an accurate diagnosis is key.
Consult us about what the ideal treatment plan might look like for you.
You can manage tinnitus caused by a TBI
A concussion can be a substantial and traumatic situation in your life. When you get concussed, it’s a bad day! And if you’ve been in a car crash and your ears are ringing, you might wonder why.
Tinnitus may emerge instantly or in the following days. However, it’s important to remember that tinnitus after a head injury can be successfully managed. Schedule a consultation with us today.