What is Tinnitus?
Have you been experiencing a buzzing, ringing, or whooshing sound in your ears even when the world around you is completely silent? You’re suffering from tinnitus, and seeking treatment as soon as possible is the best way to manage your symptoms and find relief. The American Tinnitus Association defines tinnitus as “the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present,” and many people describe it as a hissing, whistling, ringing, or clicking sound. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, roughly 15% of the general public — over 45 million Americans — experience some form of tinnitus. While tinnitus is a symptom of a wide range of conditions, it is most frequently the result of some level of hearing loss. To learn more about tinnitus treatment visit one of our twelve convenient locations in Avon, IN, Carmel, IN, Greencastle, IN, Greenwood, IN, Greenfield, IN, Indianapolis, IN, Castleton, IN, Indianapolis, IN, Noblesville, IN, Mooresville, IN, Kokomo, IN & Shelbyville, IN.
Causes of Tinnitus
- Sensorineural hearing loss
- Over exposure to potentially damaging noise
- Impacted Ear Wax
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- High blood pressure
- Atherosclerosis
- Stress
- Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ)
- Idiopathic
- Ototoxic drugs
- Meniere’s Disease
- Acoustic Neuroma
Tinnitus Treatment
There is presently no known cure for tinnitus, and once the cells in your ear are damaged, they can’t be restored. That doesn’t mean you have to live with tinnitus! There are excellent, well-established tools and treatment programs that can significantly reduce the perceived burden of tinnitus and bring you relief. With perseverance and support from audiologists, these options can help you manage even the most severe tinnitus.
The first step is testing your hearing, since tinnitus and hearing loss often occur together. If you have a hearing loss, digital hearing aids will improve your ability to communicate and hear clearly, and hearing aids will also provide relief from your tinnitus. Hearing aids help you focus on what you want to hear, decrease background noise, and help all the cells in your ear hear clearly. Treating hearing loss can often reduce your experience of tinnitus.
Treatment Options for Tinnitus
At Whisper Hearing Centers, we use a multi-faceted approach to tinnitus treatment that is individualized to each patient. The use of sound therapy and counseling have proven to be the two most important components of any management protocol. The addition of the Lenire at-home tinnitus treatment provides additional options for tinnitus.