You Know when you’re viewing an action movie and the hero has a loud explosion close by and their ears begin to ring? Well, guess what: that probably means our hero suffered at least a minor traumatic brain injury!
Obviously, action movies don’t highlight the brain injury part. But that ringing in our hero’s ears signifies a condition called tinnitus. Tinnitus is most often talked about from the perspective of hearing loss, but actually, traumatic brain injuries such as concussions can also cause this particular ringing in the ears.
Concussions, after all, are one of the more common traumatic brain injuries that happen. And they can occur for many reasons (for example, falls, sports accidents, and motor vehicle crashes). It can be somewhat complicated sorting out how a concussion can trigger tinnitus. Luckily, treating and managing your conditions is usually very attainable.
What is a concussion?
A concussion is a particular type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Think about it this way: your brain is situated pretty tightly into your skull (your brain is large, and your skull is there to protect it). The brain will start to move around in 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 causes harm to your brain! Multiple sides of your skull can be impacted by your brain. And when this happens, you experience a concussion. When you visualize this, it makes it simple to see how a concussion is literally brain damage. Symptoms of concussions include the following:
- Dizziness and blurred vision
- Confusion and loss of memory
- Slurred speech
- A slow or delayed response to questions
- Headaches
- Ringing in the ears
- Vomiting and nausea
This list is not exhaustive, but you get the idea. A few weeks to several months is the normal duration of concussion symptoms. Brain damage from one concussion is generally not permanent, most individuals will end up making a full recovery. But recurring concussions can lead to irreversible brain damage.
How do concussions cause tinnitus?
Can a concussion mess with your hearing? Really?
It’s an intriguing question: what is the link between concussions and tinnitus? Not surprisingly, concussions aren’t the only brain traumas that can trigger tinnitus symptoms. That ringing in your ears can be activated by even minor brain injuries. Here are a few ways that could happen:
- Interruption of the Ossicular Chain: The relaying of sound to your brain is assisted by three tiny bones in your ear. These bones can be pushed out of place by a substantial concussive, impactive event. This can disrupt your ability to hear and cause tinnitus.
- Disruption of communication: In some instances, the part of your brain that controls hearing can become damaged by a concussion. Consequently, the messages sent from the ear to your brain can’t be properly digested and tinnitus can result.
- Damage to your hearing: Experiencing an explosion at close range is the cause of concussions and TBIs for many members of the military. Permanent hearing loss can be triggered when the stereocilia in your ears are damaged by the incredibly loud shock wave of an explosion. So it’s not 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 in charge of transmitting sounds you hear to your brain, which a concussion can harm.
- Meniere’s Syndrome: A TBI can cause the onset of a condition called Meniere’s Syndrome. When pressure accumulates in the inner ear this condition can occur. Significant hearing loss and tinnitus can become an issue over time as a result of Menier’s disease.
- A “labyrinthine” concussion: When your TBI injures the inner ear this type of concussion happens. Tinnitus and hearing loss, as a result of inflammation, can be the result of this damage.
It’s significant to stress that every traumatic brain injury and concussion is a bit different. Every patient will receive personalized care and instructions from us. Certainly, if you think you have experienced a traumatic brain injury or a concussion, you should call us for an evaluation as soon as possible.
How do you treat tinnitus caused by a concussion?
Typically, it will be a temporary challenge if tinnitus is the result of a concussion. How long can tinnitus linger after a concussion? Well, it may last weeks or possibly months. However, if your tinnitus has lingered for more than a year, it’s likely to be permanent. Over time, in these situations, treatment plans to manage your condition will be the optimal strategy.
Here are some ways to achieve this:
- Masking device: This device is a lot like a hearing aid, only instead of helping you hear things more loudly, it produces a particular noise in your ear. This noise is custom tailored to your tinnitus, overpowering the sound so you can pay attention to voices, or other sounds you really want to hear.
- Hearing aid: In a similar way to when you have hearing loss not caused by a TBI, tinnitus symptoms seem louder because everything else is quieter. A hearing aid can help raise the volume of everything else, assuring that your tinnitus fades into the background.
- Therapy: Sometimes, patients can learn to ignore the sound by undertaking cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). You acknowledge that the noise is there, and then ignore it. It will take some therapy, practice, and time though.
Obtaining the desired result will, in some situations, call for additional therapies. Treatment of the root concussion may be necessary in order to make the tinnitus go away. Depending on the status of your concussion, there could be several possible courses of action. In this regard, an accurate diagnosis is key.
Talk to us about what the ideal treatment plan may look like for you.
TBI-caused tinnitus can be controlled
A concussion can be a substantial and traumatic situation in your life. When you get concussed, it’s a bad day! And if your ears are ringing, you may ask yourself, why do I have ringing in my ears after a car crash?
It could be days later or instantly after the crash that tinnitus symptoms emerge. However, it’s important to remember that tinnitus after a head injury can be managed effectively. Schedule a consultation with us right away.
