Extraneous sounds in the skull are always a sign of disease or physiological failure. When a symptom appears, you must visit a doctor, regardless of the severity of the manifestation. The reasons why there is a clicking sound in the head when turning or walking can be different. In some cases, the noises are audible only to the patient himself, in others they are obvious to others. Approaches to treating the problem depend on the mechanism of its development and the source of the pathology. The sooner therapy begins, the higher the chances of getting rid of the unpleasant sensation, the lower the risk of complications.
Types of noise
In different cases there is noise in the head in different ways. This may be pulsating, knocking, ringing or squeaking, and sometimes people hear several voices at once. Depending on the nature of the sound, one or another disease can be identified. Noise in the head may appear permanently or temporarily. It happens on one side or in both ears at once. Noise can also be objective and subjective. The first group includes a sound that is heard by several people. Sometimes it’s a doctor with a stethoscope, sometimes it’s strangers. And sounds that are heard only by one person - the patient - are considered subjective.
Dysfunction of the mandibular joint
Malocclusion often provokes dysfunction of the mandibular joint. If in youth no consequences are felt, then after 30 years such a problem may appear. Especially if a person is actively involved in weightlifting and the load on the jaw increases. Dysfunction is also sometimes caused by incorrect actions of the dentist. After filling, the dentist always makes sure that the bite remains even.
If he does not do this, the person may injure his jaw joint while chewing. A slight dislocation of the joint may not hurt, but may manifest itself as a kind of clicking sound.
If there is a clicking sound in the head when walking, the cause is rarely a pathology of the jaw joint.
Causes of noise in the head
Extraneous noise may appear due to physiological reasons. This often happens when an airplane takes off and lands, when a car accelerates to high speed, or when there is a sudden change in body position. Pathological causes of noise in the head are usually caused by damage to an entire organ system. Noise in the head often appears when:
- diseases of the auditory analyzer,
- diseases of the heart and blood vessels,
- endocrine disorders,
- pathologies of metabolic processes,
- taking ototoxic drugs (some antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs, salicylates),
- mental disorders,
- jaw disorders.
A timely visit to a doctor and an accurate diagnosis will help eliminate noise in the ears and head.
When walking there is a clicking sound in the head. What is the symptom?
You can often hear about the relationship between the legs and the head. When we walk, the load is distributed along the entire length of the spine. If an anomaly develops in any part of the body, its consequences are reflected throughout the entire organ. Sometimes a person feels clicks for a long time, but does not turn to specialists. But in vain.
Since spinal diseases are very common, it can be assumed that the spine is to blame for the appearance of strange clicking sounds. However, assumptions cannot be relied upon. You need to urgently go to the doctor and look for the cause of this condition.
When you have a clicking sound in your head while walking, this is clearly a symptom of some kind of illness. Some people mistake sounds for neurosis and go to see a psychologist; others ignore the symptom. But you cannot ignore the body’s prompts; you need to go to a neurologist or, better yet, a vertebrologist. Vertebrology studies diseases of the spinal column. It is this doctor who is better able to recognize symptoms such as sounds in the head.
Diseases that are accompanied by noise
Pathological causes of noise in the head include a whole list of diseases. Extraneous sounds are typical for:
- sensorineural hearing loss,
- internal or otitis media,
- the presence of sulfur plugs,
- otosclerosis,
- diabetes mellitus,
- thyroid diseases,
- temporal bone tumors,
- oncology of the cerebellopontine angle,
- osteochondrosis of the cervical spine,
- schizophrenia,
- multiple sclerosis,
- blood vessel tumors,
- increased intracranial pressure,
- dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint,
- clonus.
Only a professional doctor can determine the exact cause after a live examination and order an appropriate examination. I have a noise in my head, what causes it?
causes of noise in the head
Cervicoarthrosis
Why does my head click when I walk? The reason may lie in spondyloarthrosis of the cervical spine - cervicoarthrosis. It manifests itself as a crunch in the neck when moving, pain in the affected area. At first, it may seem like there is a clicking sound in the back of your head when walking. And also when bending and making sharp turns.
But over time, the pain increases, it becomes difficult and painful to turn your head. The patient has to turn his whole body. Due to cerebral ischemia, spots appear in the eyes, and vision and hearing deteriorate slightly. Pain shoots into the shoulder blades and the back of the head. Your hands will become numb and your muscles will become weaker. It is advisable to identify such a serious disease as cervicoarthrosis at another stage. Then undesirable consequences can be prevented.
Causes
Why is there a noise in my head, what should I do? Let's find out the reasons for this pathology:
- Compaction of the walls of blood vessels due to the accumulation of cholesterol and calcium in their walls, the appearance of cholesterol plaques, and the development of atherosclerosis. A large number of plaques throughout the vessel reduce the elasticity of the vascular wall; it does not dampen the strong shock of the pulse wave as blood passes through the vessels. The effect of blood moving through a rigid pipe is similar to the flow of water through steel pipes. A noise appears that a person hears in his head. In fact, he hears the movement of blood through the vessels of the head.
- An increase in cerebral vascular tone due to disruption of nervous regulation, the formation of a large number of biologically active substances during stress. Blood beats harder against the dense walls of blood vessels, which is why a person hears a noise in the head.
- Natural wear and tear of the walls of brain vessels, their compaction, and decrease in elasticity.
- The formation of a protrusion on the wall of the artery of the brain, due to which the nature of blood circulation in it changes, stagnation of blood appears in the changed area.
- Poor blood flow to the brain tissues due to damaged arteries at the level of the upper vertebrae.
- Focal changes in the brain matter in elderly people due to circulatory disorders and inhibition of metabolic processes.
- Poor supply of nutrients and B vitamins necessary for productive brain function.
- Mental abnormalities in which a person thinks he hears some sounds.
- Blockage of the ear canal in the ear, reducing the elasticity of the eardrum, which deforms the conduction and perception of sounds.
Osteochondrosis and consequences
Osteochondrosis is constantly progressing. If you don’t play sports or take preventive measures, osteophytes on the bone tissue will grow even more. Then, in addition to the only symptom of a click in the head when walking, a whole complex of new symptoms will appear:
- headaches and dizziness;
- feeling of numbness in the fingers of the left or right hand;
- feeling of nausea;
- increased fatigue;
- VSD syndrome.
Osteochondrosis is dangerous because these degenerative changes in the spine cause problems with pressure and pinched nerves.
Frequent dizziness can lead to fainting. And high blood pressure threatens pathologies in the blood supply to the brain and disturbances in the hemodynamics of the heart.
Therefore, if you feel a click in your head while walking, then it is important to undergo a comprehensive examination immediately.
Types of treatment
What causes noise in the head, how to treat it? You can eliminate noise in your head only after determining the exact causes. Treatment should be carried out by the doctor whose competence is the diagnosis. Many patients resort to physical therapy and massage. But in the presence of serious diagnoses, medication is necessary, and in case of a tumor, radiation or chemotherapy is required. Surgery is rarely used.
The noise in your head cannot be ignored. It can notify about the development of a serious and dangerous disease. The sooner a patient sees a doctor, the higher the chances of his recovery.
Stages of hernia development
Subsidence (or, in scientific language, protrusion) is the first stage of intervertebral disc herniation.
The disease develops in 3 stages:
- prolapse - protrusion of the nucleus up to 3 mm;
- protrusion - 3–8 mm;
- extrusion - when the nucleus pulposus comes out of the disc and “hangs” to the side in the form of a drop.
The last stage is extrusion, this is a hernia. Clicking sounds when walking can occur at any stage of development. This is an important symptom of a hernia - there is a clicking sound in the head when walking. These sounds are explained simply. The distance between the vertebrae has now been greatly reduced, and salts have grown on them. Calcification gradually progresses. Osteophytes can engage other growths on an adjacent vertebra. With each step, characteristic clicks are then formed. And when a person stops, the sounds stop.
Therapeutic measures
Purulent otitis requires surgical intervention.
There is no medicine that can eliminate clicking in the head when walking, bending and turning. This is not a disease, but a symptom of other pathological processes that need to be fought. For example, with degenerative-dystrophic changes in the vertebrae, treatment is aimed at eliminating the disease with the help of medications: chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, muscle relaxants, antispasmodics. Additionally prescribed:
- physiotherapy;
- physical therapy;
- reflexology;
- massage of the collar area;
- surgery (in severe cases).
For pain and grinding in the temporomandibular joint, the patient is recommended to:
- eat soft foods so as not to strain your jaw;
- use compresses that reduce pain and relieve muscle spasms;
- take medications prescribed by a doctor;
- install dentures (for problems with bite);
- perform surgery (in severe cases).
Treatment of otitis is carried out with antipyretic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory drugs. Additionally, physiotherapy, external compresses, and lotions are used. In advanced cases, they resort to dissecting the eardrum.
Folk remedies
Honey with lemon and ginger to improve immunity
At home, as an addition to the main therapy, you can fight circulatory disorders, cervical osteochondrosis, and ENT diseases with folk remedies:
- 2-3 lemons with peel are washed, pitted and crushed in a blender. Add the same amount of honey and take a large spoon daily before each main meal.
- Melissa, peppermint, and plantain are mixed in equal proportions. Two large spoons of the mixture are steamed in a glass of water and allowed to stand for 2-3 hours. Take half a glass twice a day, strained.
- 200 ml of vodka, 100 g of honey, 30 g of propolis tincture, 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic are placed in a glass container and left for 2 weeks in a dark place. After straining, take 10 drops of tincture three times a day before meals.
For otitis, accompanied by pulsation, sharp, nagging pain, clicking in the head and hearing aid, ear drops are prepared: cut out the middle of a medium-sized onion, place cumin in the resulting hole and bake for 40 minutes. After cooling, squeeze the vegetable through cheesecloth. The resulting juice is dripped into each ear canal 2-3 times a day, 1-2 drops. Store the medicine in a cold, sealed form.
If the back of the head hurts badly, you can save yourself with a cold or warm compress, a foot bath, or tea made from a herbal decoction with lemon balm, sage, chamomile, and motherwort. It relieves tension, calms the nervous system, and helps you fall asleep.
A person may feel something clicking or cracking in his head when walking, if he is overtired, very cold, or bends over a lot. In such cases, the discomfort occurs once and no longer interferes with everyday life. If there is constant clicking, crunching, or ringing, you should see your doctor.
Prevention
If a patient reports that he has a clicking sensation in his head when walking, then the first thing the therapist will assume is osteochondrosis. Especially if headaches occur frequently and there is tension in the cervical spine. Prevention is proper daily exercise and, most importantly, a healthy diet. Quitting alcohol is also necessary.
The prognosis is worse if the MRI reveals that spondylosis, spondylarthrosis or hernia has begun in the cervical spine. These spinal diseases are treated with exercise therapy, magnetic therapy or surgical methods.
To prevent dysfunction of the jaw joint, it is enough to straighten the bite. This is done by orthodontists.
Diagnostic methods
MRI allows you to visualize the soft tissues and bones of the skull.
If there is a clicking sound in the back of the head, temples, or in the jaw area when turning the head or walking, you should consult a therapist. After making a diagnosis, the doctor will refer the patient to specialized specialists: an orthopedist, a neurologist, a dentist (for jaw pathologies), an ophthalmologist (to check intracranial pressure), and an otolaryngologist. First you need to pass general blood and urine tests, and also undergo:
- radiography of the neck and spine;
- Vascular ultrasound;
- rheoencephalography;
- magnetic resonance imaging.
Based on the results of the examination, treatment will be prescribed.
If no pathological changes are detected, it is recommended to increase physical activity, walk in the fresh air more often, normalize nutrition, and sleep on a moderately hard mattress.