Noises in the ears and head: osteochondrosis is to blame

Tinnitus (from Latin tinnire - ring, tinkle) is a noise, ringing or squeaking in the ears that a person hears without an external source of noise stimulus.

Author:

• Gadzhiev Kamran Rafikovich

  otolaryngologist, rhinosurgeon

2.67 (Votes: 3)

Tinnitus (from Latin tinnire - ring, tinkle) is a noise, ringing or squeaking in the ears that a person hears without an external source of noise stimulus. Tinnitus can be temporary, passing or permanent, which directly reduces the patient's quality of life, up to a complete decrease in performance.

Tinnitus can be subjective, which can only be heard by the patient, or objective, which can be determined by a doctor when examining the patient.

What is tinnitus?

The word tinnitus comes from the Latin tinnire, meaning “to jingle ,” but tinnitus may sound more like a hum, hiss, chirp, or high-pitched squeak.

About 40% of adults periodically experience tinnitus. About 8% suffer from it frequently or constantly. For 1% of people, tinnitus is a serious problem that interferes with normal life. It almost never affects children and very often affects older people with hearing impairment.

This noise is not associated with external sounds and is “heard” better in silence than with external noise. Tinnitus lasts a long time (more than 5 minutes) and should be distinguished from a short-term, transient sound that lasts a few seconds or occurs after a powerful sound stimulus. This noise has nothing to do with the mechanical processes occurring in the ear; its cause is in the nerve cells.

IMPORTANT! Information from the article cannot be used for self-diagnosis and self-medication! Only a doctor can prescribe the necessary examinations, establish a diagnosis and draw up a treatment plan during a consultation!

Causes of noise not related to hearing aids

If there is noise in the ear, and unbearable pain also occurs, the causes of this condition will not necessarily be related directly to the hearing aid. Often the cause of tinnitus and pain is such diagnoses and conditions as:

• hypertension;
• atherosclerosis;
• metabolic problems;
• diabetes;
• osteochondrosis;
• side effects from taking certain medications;
• poisoning with alcohol or toxic substances.

If unpleasant symptoms do not go away, but only intensify, the best decision would be to consult an ENT doctor to understand the cause of this pathological condition.

Why does tinnitus occur?

There are two theories of its origin.

1) Due to the constant high level of noise in the life of a city dweller, the cells in the inner ear that convert sounds into nerve impulses are constantly dying. They do not die immediately, but remain in a “near-death” state for some time. They can still send information to the brain, but are no longer able to generate impulses specific to each sound. The result is "noise".

2) According to another theory, tinnitus is a kind of phantom pain. The auditory cortex of the brain “remembers” that information about external sounds should be transmitted along the auditory pathways, but the corresponding auditory cells are already trying to find information that is similar to sound impulses. This information travels along pathways that pass through the mood center, which is why tinnitus sufferers have such a hard time with noise. Gradually, as a result of incorrect adaptation, this path becomes the main one for the brain, and the person gets used to hearing noise.

Why there is ringing and noise in the ears, suddenly hearing loss - all the causes of noise and ringing in the ears

Factors that can provoke the pathological condition in question lie in the structure of the auditory organ.

This organ consists of three parts, it is partially connected to the arteries of the brain and nerve endings.

• Noise in the ears and head, causes and treatment. Folk remedies and medications for ear noise

Based on this, the causes of noise and ringing in the ears can be classified as follows:

Foreign bodies or fluid block the ear canal

Even if during a routine examination of the ear no foreign objects are visible, this does not mean that they are not there. They may be located next to the eardrum, which can be confirmed using an otoscope during examination.

The main irritants in this case may be:

• Particles of dust or dirt.
• Water. In this case, the person partially loses his hearing and feels discomfort. In extremely rare cases, pain may occur.
• Insects. Tinnitus is a consequence of the movement of small insects along the tympanic membrane. If the pest is localized in the area of ​​the external auditory canal, the patient will complain of dizziness and pain.
• Paper, parts from toys that small children push into the auditory tube.

Sulfur plug

It is a mixture of earwax and epithelial particles.

A similar phenomenon can develop due to the small diameter of the ear canal; inflammatory phenomena in it; increased production of sulfur glands. All this leads to the accumulation of sulfur mass in the passage of the auditory organ.

Less commonly, this plug may appear when sulfur comes into contact with water (for example, after taking a shower).

Video: Why do my ears constantly ring?

External ear pathologies

1. Otitis externa. The main provocateurs of this disease are streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition to tinnitus, patients complain of intense pain and purulent discharge from the ear canal.
2. Otomycosis. It is the result of the harmful influence of fungi. The external auditory canal swells, which negatively affects the patient's hearing abilities. The symptomatic picture is complemented by itching in the affected area, as well as the presence of pathological discharge, which can have a different color.
3. Furuncle. Lack of timely and adequate medical care can lead to general intoxication and infection of the entire body.
4. Exostoses. By their nature, these are defective bone growths that often affect the upper or posterior section of the external auditory canal. The cause of this pathology has not been fully studied: scientists associate its occurrence with a genetic factor, as well as with syphilis of the ear. During such deformation, the quality of passage of sound waves is disrupted, which leads to tinnitus. As a rule, there are no additional manifestations of this disease.

Middle ear pathologies are the most popular cause of tinnitus.

A similar phenomenon occurs against the background of a violation of the integrity of the auditory ossicles and/or tympanic membrane.

The main diseases of the middle ear are:

• Acute inflammatory phenomena in the middle ear. Harmful microorganisms can enter here in various ways: through the blood, through a sore throat or nose. When the eardrum ruptures through injury, pathogenic bacteria can also enter the middle ear, causing damage to its mucous membrane. The tinnitus is pulsating in nature and not constant. In addition to this, the patient is bothered by pain, increased body temperature, and hearing loss. In advanced stages, the eardrum ruptures and purulent masses flow out.
• Chronic otitis media of the middle ear. It is the result of an untreated acute form of otitis media, and its exacerbation. During the disease under consideration, the pathological process affects the deep layers of tissue. At the same time, hearing function is constantly deteriorating, pain and ringing in the ears are periodically disturbing. When the tympanic membrane is perforated, pus leaks from the ears.
• Mastoiditis. A disease associated with damage to the mastoid processes, which are localized in the posterior section of the middle ear. The pain is strong and can spread to the back of the head and temporal region. The noise in the head is of a pulsating nature. Sometimes patients complain of general malaise: fever, weakness, nausea and vomiting. Most often, this pathology is a complication of otitis media, less often - the result of traumatic injuries to the head.
• Tympanosclerosis. It is a pathological condition in which normal tissue of the eardrum is transformed into connective tissue. This leads to the appearance of scars and plaques on the drum membrane, which affects the quality of sound waves. As a result, regular ringing in the head makes itself felt. This disease always develops against the background of another illness.
• Aerootite. This disease occurs due to a sharp drop in pressure in the middle ear and in the external environment. This negatively affects the condition of the blood vessels supplying the eardrum and on the membrane itself, causing ringing in the ears, constant congestion, and deterioration of hearing abilities. In addition, such a condition, when pathogenic microorganisms penetrate into the middle ear, leads to the development of acute otitis media here. Often, the disease in question is diagnosed in pilots, divers, and parachutists.
• Eustachite. A similar pathology occurs as a result of inflammatory processes in the auditory canal, which connects the nasopharynx to the middle ear. In this case, pathogenic bacteria can migrate into the ear formations.
• Myringitis. It is an inflammation of the tympanic membrane, which occurs against the background of its injury and infection. In such situations, the membrane swells, changes, and becomes unable to properly transmit sound waves. There are frequent cases when it ruptures.
• Eardrum injury. Based on the type of traumatic agent, injuries can be thermal, chemical, mechanical (if the tympanic membrane is damaged by a cotton swab or other object), or barometric. In addition to tinnitus, this disease is accompanied by pain and hearing loss.

Inner ear diseases

This category of pathologies is classified as severe. This is due to the difficulties in eliminating such a disease.

The following pathological conditions of the inner ear are distinguished:

1. Labyrinthitis . At its core, it is an infection. The symptomatic picture for this pathology is mixed, combining signs of damage to the vestibular and auditory nerve endings. Hearing impairment is accompanied by frequent dizziness, nausea, and inability to maintain balance.
2. Otosclerosis. The hereditary factor plays an important role in its appearance. Often the disease affects both ears. The pathological element is bone tissue overgrown with blood vessels, which is localized in the bone labyrinth. Over time, the defective tissue grows, leading to hearing loss, periodic tinnitus, and dizziness.
3. Contusion of the labyrinth. It is a pathology in which the integrity of the cochlear structure is violated. This phenomenon is a consequence of a sharp drop in hydrodynamic pressure, which is possible with traumatic brain injuries. The tissues of the inner ear swell and are poorly supplied with oxygen. In addition to ringing in the ears, the patient is bothered by dizziness, nausea, and deterioration of hearing abilities.
4. Syphilis of the inner ear. It develops against the background of primary infection and leads to the destruction of the main components of the inner ear. The patient complains of dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus, as well as hearing impairment.
5. Meniere's syndrome. Due to the accumulation of endolymphatic fluid, swelling of almost all components of the inner ear is observed.

Chronic cerebral circulatory disorders

Errors associated with the quality of cerebral blood supply are often provoked by atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, stroke, or ischemic attack.

Outwardly, this is manifested by clouding of consciousness, paralysis, inability to concentrate on anything, loss of strength, dizziness, and ringing in the ears.

• High frequency tinnitus

Diseases affecting the auditory nerve

• Sensorineural hearing loss. The object of this disease is the nerve cells that transform the sound wave into an impulse. Damage to such cells is an almost irreversible process, so it is quite difficult to cope with this disease. This disease can be occupational or senile. In the first case, as a rule, workers in the metallurgical, aviation, and textile industries suffer: in their work they constantly encounter production noise. The appearance of senile hearing loss is associated with the progressive atrophy of sound receptors and nerve endings that are localized in the inner ear. This degenerative condition is observed in people after they cross the 50-year mark.
• Neurosyphilis. Affects brain structures, as well as the auditory nerve. This affects the symptoms of the disease: the skin loses its sensitivity and elasticity, and paresis is observed. Extraneous noise in the ears is a common occurrence in this case.
• Neuroma. A tumor forms on the auditory nerve, which provokes the appearance of tinnitus, a non-standard perception of sounds.

Osteochondrosis

The cause of extraneous noise in the ears during the disease in question is compression of the artery of the spinal column and the development of vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

A distinctive sign of this disease is periodic pain and muscle spasms in the neck.

Taking certain medications

1. Diuretics.
2. Medicines that have an anti-inflammatory effect.
3. Drugs that have a negative effect on the functioning of the central nervous system.
4. Some groups of antibiotics.
5. Drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular pathologies.

In addition, there are several diseases that are accompanied by tinnitus:

• Malfunctions of the thyroid gland, incl. diabetes.
• Oncological diseases of the brain and its structures.
• Poisoning with chemical reagents.
• Carotid artery aneurysm.
• Hepatitis.
• Defects in the development of veins and arteries.
• Serious errors in the functioning of the heart.

What can cause tinnitus?

• Typically, tinnitus occurs as a result of hearing loss resulting from constant exposure to loud noises (tractors, lawnmowers, loud music on headphones) or acoustic trauma.
• The occurrence of tinnitus can be caused by otitis media, atherosclerosis, traumatic brain injury, cervical osteochondrosis, as well as hearing loss due to aging or other reasons.
• Much less commonly, tinnitus can be a symptom of diabetes, kidney disease, or head or neck tumors.
• Tinnitus is caused by some medications: quinine, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol, diuretics (furosemide...), a number of antibiotics (gentamicin, streptomycin, etc.), certain types of chemotherapy, some psychiatric drugs (amitriptyline, sertraline, anafranil, etc.). )

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Tinnitus is a sensation of ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling or other sounds. It can be constant or intermittent and have different volumes. It is often felt best in silence. In rare cases, the tinnitus synchronizes with the heartbeat and becomes pulsating. This condition can be caused by a wound with pathology of the ENT organs or brain, so you need to consult a specialist to diagnose and treat it.

Description of the phenomenon

Tinnitus or ringing in the ears is a very common condition, affecting approximately one in five adults. Usually it is only an inconvenience, but sometimes it can interfere with the ability to concentrate and sleep well. As a result, the patient experiences constant stress, which has a negative impact on his personal relationships and work.

This condition often accompanies hearing loss, although it does not cause deafness in itself. Many people with tinnitus have excellent hearing. Sometimes they develop increased sensitivity to sounds - hyperacusis, so they are forced to take measures to limit external noise.

In some cases, the pathology disappears after eliminating its cause, for example, otitis media or ear plug. However, often even after treatment, ear noise persists.

Why is there noise in my ears?

The causes of tinnitus may be associated with damage to parts of the auditory system - the outer, middle, inner ear or brain. There are several theories explaining what happens in the body with this pathology:

• spontaneous electroacoustic emission, that is, the spontaneous generation of electrical signals in the cochlea of ​​the inner ear, which are perceived as tinnitus;
• damage to the organ of Corti with dysfunction of the auditory cells of the cochlea;
• dissonance between healthy and damaged cells of the organ of Corti, which can be caused by the normal aging process;
• increased activity in the posterior cochlear nuclei of the brain caused by exposure to too much external noise;
• auditory plasticity, that is, activation of nerve centers in response to hearing loss due to damage to the cochlea;
• the formation of new connections between the neurons of the auditory nerves when they are damaged, compressed by a tumor or hemorrhage, and the generation of impulses in them in the absence of external sound;
• damage to the trigeminal, facial, glossopharyngeal and other cranial nerves, activating the so-called oto-somatic interaction;
• increased activity of the limbic and autonomic nervous systems due to increased sensitivity to the first episode of tinnitus.

Thus, tinnitus is a complex process that requires accurate diagnosis using modern equipment and competent treatment.

Types of tinnitus

There are the following types of noise in the ear:

• subjective: the patient hears noise that does not come from the external environment, it is associated with irritation of the auditory nerve;
• pulsating: the patient hears a buzzing, ringing, clicking or other loud sound that coincides with his heartbeat;
• objective: a rather rare phenomenon associated with the patient’s increased sensitivity to external sounds or vibration of various parts of the body.

Depending on the cause of the noise, it is divided into the following types:

• associated with damage to the vascular system;
• caused by damage to the outer or middle ear;
• muscular;
• neurosensory (peripheral and central), associated with the pathology of auditory cells and pathways.

Additionally, doctors distinguish 3 degrees of noise: with the first, the patient notes sound sensations only upon active questioning, with the second, he considers it not the main problem with hearing, and with the third, tinnitus becomes the main complaint.

Causes of tinnitus

The causes of tinnitus are usually associated with some kind of disease of the hearing organs or nervous system.

• The most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss. Due to age-related changes, injuries, and the effects of medications, the sensitive cells of the cochlea are damaged. They do not send electrical signals to the brain, and it begins to produce its own impulses, as if compensating for the lack of external stimuli.
• Diseases of the outer and middle ear can cause noise: cerumen plug, otitis media, narrowing of the ear canal, tumor of the tympanic cavity.
• Exposure to loud noise is a very common cause of not only hearing loss, but also tinnitus. Every person should be aware of the damaging effects of loud music and the noise of operating machinery and protect themselves from such influence. Another cause of pathology is barotrauma.
• More than 200 medications can cause this symptom, most often aspirin, aminoglycoside antibiotics (gentamicin, kanamycin) and quinine derivatives. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ethacrynic acid, platinum derivatives, ACE inhibitors and other drugs can cause noise. Exposure to methyl alcohol and benzene is also dangerous.
• Meniere's disease is a disease accompanied by transient dizziness, ringing and congestion in the ears, and temporary hearing loss.
• Acoustic neuroma is a tumor that affects the nerve pathway leading from the cochlea to the brain centers, and causes noise and hearing loss on one side.
• Pulsatile noise is usually associated with pathology of the circulatory system. It is observed during pregnancy, anemia, thyrotoxicosis, arteritis, and also with increased intracranial pressure; In addition, vascular murmur appears with heart defects, vascular development anomalies, and stenosis of the ear arteries.
• The causes of objective tinnitus may be diseases of the temporomandibular joint, pathology of the muscles of the soft palate, middle ear, or gaping of the eustachian tube in the nasopharynx.
• Diseases that can cause tinnitus: hepatitis, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, instability or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, as well as various hereditary anomalies (Chiari, Gardner-Turner, Klippel-Feil, Pence, Hunt, Konigsmark-Hollender-Berlin syndromes).

The causes and treatment of this pathology are complex, and only a highly qualified otolaryngologist can understand the problem comprehensively.

Symptoms

Manifestations of tinnitus include a variety of sounds heard by the patient. It could be ringing, buzzing, the sound of a roaring aircraft engine, hissing, whistling, clicking. It may be constant or appear only occasionally.

If you experience noise in the ear, you should consult a doctor. This may be associated not only with pathology of the hearing aid, but also be a manifestation of hypertension, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, anemia and other diseases.

With infectious diseases of the ear, noise may be accompanied by pain and discharge from the ear canal.

When noise is combined with dizziness, urgent medical attention is required, as this may be a manifestation of Meniere's disease or cerebrovascular accident.

With brain tumors, this complaint intensifies at the height of a headache attack. With a tumor located in the posterior cranial fossa, the noise increases with changes in body position.

Diagnostics

To identify the causes of ear noise, the following diagnostic tests are used:

• complete physical examination, medical history, examination of the head and neck, determination of cranial nerve function;
• hearing test (subjective audiography);
• objective audiological examination: method of studying the auditory brainstem response (ABR) and extratympanic electrocochleography;
• computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the skull;
• endoscopic nasopharyngoscopy to identify the causes of muscle noise;
• microotoscopy;
• in some cases - diagnosis of hypertension, hyperthyroidism and other therapeutic diseases;
• according to indications - spinal puncture with determination of intracranial pressure.

Treatment for tinnitus

The patient should be examined by an otolaryngologist and a neurologist. Treatment for tinnitus depends on its cause. Various techniques are used for this, for example:

• medications, including anti-anxiety and sedatives, as well as tranquilizers and antipsychotics;
• medications that improve blood supply to the hearing organ: vinpocetine, cinnarizine, ergot preparations, preductal, products based on ginkgo biloba;
• betahistine, B vitamins;
• physiotherapy: phototherapy, UHF, diathermy, iontophoresis, ultrasound;
• mechanotherapy - blowing with a Politzer balloon, pneumomassage, massage of the auricle, neck-collar area, vibration and acoustic massage;
• biofeedback method and reflexology;
• use of hearing aids;
• auditory nerve stimulation;
• installation of a cochlear implant that replaces the function of damaged auditory cells, even with a slight concomitant hearing loss;
• neurosurgical intervention, for example, removal of a tumor of the auditory nerve or its microvascular decompression, effects on the sympathetic ganglia and nerves of the middle ear;
• operations to improve hearing – tympanoplasty and stapedoplasty;
• changing lifestyle, changing profession to limit external sound exposure;
• the use of sound generators that create so-called white noise, distracting from the sensation of ringing in the ears.

The patient should avoid excessive consumption of caffeine, aspirin, and aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Often, tinnitus persists despite treatment. In this case, the patient is shown cognitive psychotherapy to help him cope with the problems that this unpleasant sensation causes. There is also a new direction for helping such patients - retraining therapy. This is a combination of the following medications:

• audiomaskers that create white noise, recordings of sea noise, nature sounds;
• psychotherapy;
• auto-training, yoga, breathing exercises.

In addition, treatment by a dentist and elimination of possible pathology of the temporomandibular joint are necessary.

Any patient with tinnitus requires an individual approach. It is necessary not only to establish the cause of the pathology, but also to identify concomitant diseases, assess the emotional background, and identify adverse household and professional factors. The physician should inquire about the use of ototoxic drugs or chronic intoxication. Often the patient requires additional consultation with a cardiologist, hematologist, allergist or endocrinologist. Only a comprehensive examination and treatment helps eliminate or reduce the patient’s discomfort.

If you experience tinnitus, it is recommended that you consult a qualified physician. Treatment at an early stage of the disease is much more effective. The paid services department of NIKIO provides medical services for the diagnosis and selection of therapeutic and surgical techniques for ear noise and the diseases that cause it.

How to “measure” the severity of tinnitus?

Since this is a subjective sensation, it cannot be measured in decibels. In fact, the most important thing is how much discomfort tinnitus causes to its “lucky” owner.

Therefore, a qualitative scale is used that rates tinnitus from “mild” to “catastrophic” based on whether a person hears it all the time, or whether it interferes with sleep or activities that require silence.

Severe tinnitus can lead to nervous tension, insomnia, inability to concentrate, and even depression.

How to cure tinnitus?

There is no cure for tinnitus. Various groups of drugs have been studied, including antiepileptics, antidepressants, tranquilizers, but none of them can reliably reduce tinnitus.

Based on the theory that the brain does not adapt properly to the death of nerve cells that conduct auditory impulses, tinnitus is treated with a method called tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). This is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy in which a person is taught to distract himself from noise, relax, and not hear it. Gradually, positive feedback is formed, the brain “unlearns” to use the wrong path of impulses, and the noise level actually decreases.

In addition to training, the TRT course uses sound therapy individually selected by noise metry - a person is experimentally selected “white noise”, which he must listen to from time to time. It could be the sound of the sea, the wind or the rustling of leaves. Such noise is assessed in the subcortical auditory pathways as a neutral sound, its perception is quickly blocked and it does not reach the cortex, and along with it the tinnitus is blocked - the patient ceases to be aware of it.

Both parts of therapy are equally important, but the first is the main one: the patient must stop paying attention to tinnitus, learn to live with it and reduce its significance. The TRT method allows you to completely eliminate tinnitus in a period of three months to two years.

If you suffer from nighttime tinnitus, there are mobile apps Tinnitus Therapy Pro and Tinnitus Therapy Lite to help relieve it while you sleep. The applications offer so-called sound maskers (white noise and others), as well as sound tracks developed by doctors with a duration of 8 hours. There are other apps and tracks, paid and free, that can make life easier and “mask” tinnitus that occurs during the day or at night.

Treatment

Treatment is prescribed by an otolaryngologist and a neurologist. In some cases, the help of a cardiologist and endocrinologist is required. Prescriptions depend entirely on what disease was identified during diagnosis.

What treatment may include:

• Drugs for the treatment of the underlying disease - antibiotics, antipsychotics, hormonal drugs;
• B vitamins;
• Physiotherapy and mechanotherapy;
• Psychotherapy in combination with meditation and breathing exercises;
• Noise maskers - for example, recording the noise of a forest or sea;
• If necessary, surgical intervention - removal of the tumor, impact on the sympathetic nerve nodes, surgery to improve hearing.

In the medical department you can get advice from doctors: a neurologist, an otolaryngologist, a psychotherapist and a surgeon. Make an appointment right now so as not to waste time and get qualified medical care.

With us you can get tested and undergo the necessary procedures during the treatment of tinnitus and related diseases.