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, guess what: that most likely means our hero suffered at least a mild traumatic brain injury!
To be sure, brain injuries aren’t the bit that most action movies linger on. But that high-pitched ringing is something known as tinnitus. Tinnitus is most frequently discussed in the context of hearing loss, but it turns out that traumatic brain injuries such as concussions can also lead to this particular ringing in the ears.
Concussions, after all, are one of the most common traumatic brain injuries that occur. And they can occur for a wide variety of reasons (car accidents, sports accidents, and falls, for example). It can be a bit complicated sorting out how a concussion can cause tinnitus. But here’s the good news: even if you suffer a brain injury that triggers tinnitus, you can usually treat and manage your condition.
Concussions, exactly what are they?
A concussion is a specific type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Think about it this way: your brain is situated fairly tightly inside your skull (your brain is large, and your skull is there to protect it). The brain will start to move around inside your skull when something shakes your head violently. But your brain could end up smashing into the inside of your skull because of the small amount of additional space in there.
This hurts your brain! Multiple sides of your skull can be hit by your brain. And when this happens, you get a concussion. When you picture this, it makes it simple to understand how a concussion is literally brain damage. Here are a few symptoms of a concussion:
- Headaches
- Ringing in the ears
- Vomiting and nausea
- Confusion and loss of memory
- Blurry vision or dizziness
- A slow or delayed response to questions
- Slurred speech
This list isn’t exhaustive, but you get the idea. Several weeks to a few months is the normal duration of concussion symptoms. When someone gets a single concussion, they will usually make a full recovery. But recurring concussions can lead to irreversible brain damage.
How is tinnitus caused by a concussion?
Is it really feasible that a concussion could affect your hearing?
It’s an interesting question: what is the link between concussions and tinnitus? Because it’s more accurate to say that traumatic brain injuries (even mild ones) can bring about tinnitus, It isn’t just concussions. Even minor brain injuries can result in that ringing in your ears. Here are a couple of ways that could occur:
- Meniere’s Syndrome: A TBI can cause the onset of a condition known as Meniere’s Syndrome. When pressure accumulates in the inner ear this condition can occur. Sooner or later, Meniere’s syndrome can lead to noticeable tinnitus and hearing loss.
- Disruption of communication: In some cases, the portion of your brain that controls hearing can become harmed by a concussion. When this happens, the signals that get transmitted from your ear can’t be precisely dealt with, and tinnitus may occur consequently.
- Damage to your hearing: For members of the armed forces, TBIs and concussions are often related to proximity to an explosion. Irreversible hearing loss can be triggered when the stereocilia in your ears are injured by the incredibly noisy shock wave of an explosion. So it isn’t so much that the concussion brought about tinnitus, it’s that the tinnitus and concussion have the same underlying cause.
- A “labyrinthine” concussion: This form of concussion occurs when the inner ear is injured due to your TBI. This damage can cause inflammation and lead to both hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Nerve damage: There’s also a nerve that is responsible for sending sounds you hear to your brain, which a concussion can harm.
- Disruption of the Ossicular Chain: There are three bones in your ear that help transfer sounds to your brain. A substantial impact (the type that can cause a concussion, for example) can jostle these bones out of place. Tinnitus can be caused by this and it can also interrupt your ability to hear.
Of course it’s important to keep in mind that no two brain injuries are precisely the same. Individualized care and instructions, from us, will be given to every patient. Indeed, if you think you have suffered a traumatic brain injury or a concussion, you need to call us for an assessment right away.
When you suffer from a concussion and tinnitus is the result, how can it be managed?
Most often, tinnitus caused by a concussion or traumatic brain injury will be short-term. After a concussion, how long can I expect my tinnitus to linger? Well, it may last weeks or possibly months. But, it’s likely that your tinnitus is long lasting if it lasts more than a year. In these circumstances, the treatment approach changes to managing your symptoms over the long run.
Here are some ways to accomplish this:
- Therapy: In some cases, therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be used to help patients disregard the noise caused by their tinnitus. You disregard the sound after accepting it. It will take some therapy, practice, and time though.
- Hearing aid: Sometimes, tinnitus becomes prominent because the rest of the world takes a back seat (as is the case with non-TBI-caused hearing loss, everything else gets quieter, so your tinnitus sounds 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 a lot like a hearing aid, but instead of helping you hear things louder, it produces a distinct noise in your ear. Your particular tinnitus symptoms dictate what sound the device will generate helping you ignore the tinnitus sounds and be better able to focus on voices and other external sounds.
Obtaining the desired result will, in some cases, call for additional therapies. Treatment of the root concussion may be necessary in order to make the tinnitus go away. The right course of action will depend on the status of your concussion and your TBI. As a result, a precise diagnosis is extremely important in this regard.
Learn what the right plan of treatment might be for you by giving us a call.
TBI-triggered tinnitus can be managed
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 accident and your ears are ringing, you might wonder why.
It could be days later or immediately after the crash that tinnitus symptoms emerge. However, it’s essential to remember that tinnitus after a head injury can be successfully managed. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.