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 most likely means our hero suffered at least a minor traumatic brain injury!
To be certain, brain injuries aren’t the part that most action movies focus on. But that ringing in our hero’s ears signifies a condition called tinnitus. Usually, hearing loss is the subject of a tinnitus conversation, but traumatic brain injuries can also trigger this condition.
Concussions, after all, are one of the most prevalent traumatic brain injuries that occur. And they can occur for a wide variety of reasons (car crashes, sports accidents, and falls, for example). How something such as a concussion triggers tinnitus can be, well, complex. But the good news is that even if you suffer a brain injury that causes tinnitus, you can usually treat and manage your condition.
Concussions, exactly what are they?
A concussion is a specific kind of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Think about it this way: your brain is nestled fairly tightly inside your skull (your brain is large, and your skull is there to protect it). The brain will start moving around in your skull when something shakes your head violently. But because there’s so little additional space in there, your brain could literally smash into the inside of your skull.
This harms your brain! The brain can impact one or more sides of your skull. And when this occurs, you experience a concussion. When you visualize this, it makes it easy to see how a concussion is literally brain damage. Symptoms of concussions include the following:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Slurred speech
- Ringing in the ears
- Loss of memory and confusion
- Blurry vision or dizziness
- Headaches
- A slow or delayed response to questions
Even though this list makes the point, it’s certainly not exhaustive. Symptoms from a concussion can persist anywhere between a few weeks and several months. When someone gets one concussion, they will usually make a full recovery. But recurring concussions can lead to permanent brain damage.
How do concussions trigger tinnitus?
Is it actually feasible that a concussion may affect your hearing?
The question of concussions and tinnitus is an intriguing one. After all, concussions aren’t the only brain traumas that can trigger tinnitus symptoms. Even mild brain injuries can result in that ringing in your ears. Here are a couple of ways that could take place:
- Disruption of communication: In some instances, the portion of your brain that manages hearing can become harmed by a concussion. When this happens, the signals that get transmitted from your ear cannot be correctly dealt with, and tinnitus might occur as a result.
- Nerve damage: A concussion may also cause injury to the nerve that is in charge of transmitting the sounds you hear to your brain.
- A “labyrinthine” concussion: This type of concussion takes place when the inner ear is injured due to your TBI. This damage can cause inflammation and cause both hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Damage to your hearing: For members of the military, TBIs and concussions are often a result of proximity to an explosion. Permanent hearing loss can be caused when the stereocilia in your ears are damaged by the incredibly noisy shock wave of an explosion. Tinnitus isn’t necessarily caused by a concussion, but they definitely do share some common causes.
- Disruption of the Ossicular Chain: The transmission of sound to your brain is assisted by three bones in your ear. These bones can be pushed out of place by a significant concussive, impactive event. This can interrupt your ability to hear and result in tinnitus.
- Meniere’s Syndrome: A TBI can cause the onset of a condition known as Meniere’s Syndrome. This is a result of the buildup of pressure within the inner ear. Substantial hearing loss and tinnitus can become an issue over time as a result of Menier’s disease.
It’s significant to stress that every traumatic brain injury and concussion is a bit different. Every patient will get personalized care and instructions from us. You should certainly give us a call for an evaluation if you believe you may have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
How do you manage tinnitus caused by a concussion?
Most often, tinnitus related to a concussion or traumatic brain damage will be short-term. How long does tinnitus last after a concussion? Weeks or months, sadly, could be the time frame. However, if your tinnitus has lasted 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 best plan.
Here are some ways to achieve this:
- Hearing aid: Sometimes, tinnitus becomes prominent because the rest of the world takes a back seat (as is the situation with non-TBI-caused hearing loss, everything else becomes quieter, so your tinnitus seems louder). Hearing aids help your tinnitus go into the background by turning up the volume on everything else.
- Masking device: This device is a lot like a hearing aid, only instead of helping you hear things louder, it creates a particular noise in your ear. This noise is customized to your tinnitus, overpowering the sound so you can pay attention to voices, or other sounds you actually want to hear.
- Therapy: Sometimes, patients can learn to ignore the sound by engaging in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). You accept that the noise is present, and then disregard it. It will take some therapy, practice, and time though.
Achieving the expected result will, in some cases, require added therapies. Getting rid of the tinnitus will frequently require treatment to the root concussion. Depending on the status of your concussion, there may be a number of possible courses of action. In this regard, a precise diagnosis is key.
Learn what the best plan of treatment might be for you by giving us a call.
You can control tinnitus caused by a TBI
Your life can be traumatically affected by a concussion. When you get a concussion, it’s a bad day! And if your ears are ringing, you might ask yourself, why are my ears ringing after a car accident?
It may be days later or immediately after the accident 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.