About 10-15% of the population suffers from tinnitus, that annoying and mangy ear disorder that manifests itself with the famous whistling or rustling sound even in the absence of external noises. Very often tinnitus interferes with sleep and daily activities, significantly impacting the quality of life.
Many patients turn to the osteopath or are referred to them by ENT specialists.
What are the causes?
The different sounds (each person has a specific pattern/type) cause a change in the signal that reaches the brain, which is responsible for processing everyday noise. This part of the brain is called the auditory cortex and if it is damaged it indicates that some different parts of the auditory cortex are not receiving signals as correctly as before.
Let's keep in mind that tinnitus itself somewhat reduces a person's hearing to a small extent.
Of course, it should be noted that one in three people with tinnitus have not experienced any hearing loss.
What affects tinnitus?
Go to a noisy, high-volume environment
Lesions/dysfunctions at the cranio-cervical-mandibular and ear level
Hearing loss
Ear pathologies
Ear infections
Anxiety and emotional stress
Side effects of drugs (ototoxic drugs)
Neurovascular conflicts
Musculoskeletal stiffness
Central neurological disorders
Certainly, in the first instance it is necessary to undergo an ENT examination to exclude damage to the auditory system. The specialist will carry out an audiometric test and, if negative, may indicate instrumental cervical or TMJ tests and will refer the patient to a dentist and/or osteopath and possibly to a neurologist specialist.
It is also important that the patient, together with the doctor/therapist, evaluates and, if necessary, changes their lifestyle and eating habits in order to remove all the variables that could worsen the situation.
Valentina Carlile - Osteopath expert in Osteopathy applied to voice and speech disorders since 2002. For information and reservations visit the page Contacts