6 ms·

What I noticed when talking to people with tinnitus: For some people, putting fingers in their ears and altering the pressure alters the frequency of their tin

by TekMol 4y ago

What I noticed when talking to people with tinnitus: For some people, putting fingers in their ears and altering the pressure alters the frequency of their tinnitus. For others, it does not. Could it be that this makes it possible to differentiate between two different types of tinnitus? For the HN readers with tinnitus - does it alter the frequency for you, when you put fingers in your ears and move the fingers into different directions?

ktkoffroth 4y ago
For me, it doesn't seem to alter the frequency of the underlying tinnitus "signal", but it does add some lower frequency rumbling, which I believe is my tensor tympani response.
Zardoz84 4y ago
nope
seri4l 4y ago
I'm not a physician or neurologist, but I read a lot about this when I started suffering from tinnitus. There are indeed multiple types. - Hearing loss related: the tiny hairs in the inner ear that transform vibrations into chemo-electric signals get damaged and start sending the wrong signal. - Cardiovascular: a pulsatile rumbling that varies with heart rate. It's the sound of the blood flowing through some artery near the inner ear. I remember reading that it was caused by loud arteries and that it could be detected with very sensitive microphones. - TMJ/cervical/postural: I think this one was about motor system or pain signals leaking to the ear circuit, but I'm not sure. - Timpani related: wax buildup, tensor muscle acting funny... This rough classification only deals with the "input" part, though. It doesn't explain how these bad inputs reach conscious hearing, causing distress. As a general rule, over time extreme pain becomes just pain, torrid heat becomes just heat, blue and red can be seen as white depending on the lighting conditions, even hunger and thirst are modulated by the nervous system. Eventually one learns to cope with tinnitus, but it's kind of fishy that this isn't filtered upstream by the auditory system, before it reaches conscious hearing.
- Arisaka1 4y ago
  I have pulsatile tinnitus for the last 12 years, however it's also accompanied with a CONSTANT sensation of pulse, as if I can feel my arteries dancing, all around my scalp. To this day, the doctors have been unable to find the root cause for either. I eventually learned to live with both and came to terms with the idea that I will never find out why this happens. With that being said, I want to pursue a diagnosis for curiosity's sake as soon as my financial situation allows it.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
brobinson 4y ago
Doesn't do anything for me.
eezynow 4y ago
i am an audiologist and that sounds like TMJ https://www.tmjtreatmentsc.com/blog/explaining-tinnitus-ear-muscles-jaw-muscles/ https://www.tmjtreatmentsc.com/blog/explaining-tinnitus-ear-... ..so yes, it is possible.
- seti0Cha 4y ago
  Interesting. I don't hear a single frequency, I often, but not always, hear two or more. I wasn't aware until today that this is called double tinnitus and is rare. I have TMJ and tinnitus. I always thought my tinnitus was from going to really loud music shows, but now I'm wondering whether it doesn't have multiple causes, which perhaps explains the different frequencies. Does this seem plausible?
- TekMol 4y ago
  Interesting. People with TMJ seem to suffer from tinnitus more than twice as often as other people: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30125964/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30125964/ Let's see if there are studies about treating tinnitus via treating TMJ: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=tinnitus+tmj&filter=pubt.randomizedcontrolledtrial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=tinnitus+tmj&filter=pu... My reading of it: Two of the 7 found studies seem to be relevant to this question. Both seem to indicate that treating TMJ also treats tinnitus.
  - vprcic 4y ago
    My nugdet of experience to add a data point to this claim. I have TMJ and have had it for as long as I can remember (my jaw clicks every time I open or close my mouth). I developed constant tinnitus in one ear (on the side where the clicks happen) in my early 30s, a few years ago. I was SURE the TMJ was causing my tinnitus, but the doctors dismissed it as non-related. Maybe I should have pushed harder. (I also have voluntary control over the tensor tympani muscle, for what it's worth.)
    - TekMol 4y ago
      That the tinnitus is on the side of th TMJ is interesting. Can you change the frequency/intensity of your tinnitus by changing pressure in the ear with fingers or by moving your jaw?
TwoNineA 4y ago
No change. However, some of my migraines lower the noise, some anti migraine medication raises it (Elavil).
- tunap 4y ago
  To add to that, a K1/K2 'Super K' supplement I was taking amplified my tinnitus within a couple days of taking it(I didn't make the connection, initially). Early in 2020 when I ran out & could not resupply, my tinnitus reduced > 50% within a week or two of abstaining. When I did get another bottle, the tinnitus increased almost immediately. I did multi-weeks on/multi-weeks off testing 4 times that year and the results were the same: the 'Super K' triggered it & it waned within 2 weeks of desisting. YMMV.
  - rex-mundi 4y ago
    Interesting, my tinnitus increased recently and I started vit k again. I'll see if stopping helps. Thanks
IsopropylMalbec 4y ago
No difference for me, in frequency or volume.
jFriedensreich 4y ago
for me, pressure increases the frequency. also high jaw muscle tension increases the frequency in a similar way.
clsec 4y ago
For me, putting my finger in my ear only slightly mutes the higher frequencies. I can change pitch a tiny bit by clenching my jaw. But the real big changes in volume and pitch come when I push my tongue onto the roof of my mouth.

by TekMol 4y ago

ktkoffroth 4y ago

For me, it doesn't seem to alter the frequency of the underlying tinnitus "signal", but it does add some lower frequency rumbling, which I believe is my tensor tympani response.

Zardoz84 4y ago

nope

seri4l 4y ago

I'm not a physician or neurologist, but I read a lot about this when I started suffering from tinnitus. There are indeed multiple types. - Hearing loss related: the tiny hairs in the inner ear that transform vibrations into chemo-electric signals get damaged and start sending the wrong signal. - Cardiovascular: a pulsatile rumbling that varies with heart rate. It's the sound of the blood flowing through some artery near the inner ear. I remember reading that it was caused by loud arteries and that it could be detected with very sensitive microphones. - TMJ/cervical/postural: I think this one was about motor system or pain signals leaking to the ear circuit, but I'm not sure. - Timpani related: wax buildup, tensor muscle acting funny... This rough classification only deals with the "input" part, though. It doesn't explain how these bad inputs reach conscious hearing, causing distress. As a general rule, over time extreme pain becomes just pain, torrid heat becomes just heat, blue and red can be seen as white depending on the lighting conditions, even hunger and thirst are modulated by the nervous system. Eventually one learns to cope with tinnitus, but it's kind of fishy that this isn't filtered upstream by the auditory system, before it reaches conscious hearing.

Arisaka1 4y ago
I have pulsatile tinnitus for the last 12 years, however it's also accompanied with a CONSTANT sensation of pulse, as if I can feel my arteries dancing, all around my scalp. To this day, the doctors have been unable to find the root cause for either. I eventually learned to live with both and came to terms with the idea that I will never find out why this happens. With that being said, I want to pursue a diagnosis for curiosity's sake as soon as my financial situation allows it.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

brobinson 4y ago

Doesn't do anything for me.

eezynow 4y ago

i am an audiologist and that sounds like TMJ https://www.tmjtreatmentsc.com/blog/explaining-tinnitus-ear-muscles-jaw-muscles/ https://www.tmjtreatmentsc.com/blog/explaining-tinnitus-ear-... ..so yes, it is possible.

seti0Cha 4y ago
Interesting. I don't hear a single frequency, I often, but not always, hear two or more. I wasn't aware until today that this is called double tinnitus and is rare. I have TMJ and tinnitus. I always thought my tinnitus was from going to really loud music shows, but now I'm wondering whether it doesn't have multiple causes, which perhaps explains the different frequencies. Does this seem plausible?
TekMol 4y ago
Interesting. People with TMJ seem to suffer from tinnitus more than twice as often as other people: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30125964/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30125964/ Let's see if there are studies about treating tinnitus via treating TMJ: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=tinnitus+tmj&filter=pubt.randomizedcontrolledtrial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=tinnitus+tmj&filter=pu... My reading of it: Two of the 7 found studies seem to be relevant to this question. Both seem to indicate that treating TMJ also treats tinnitus.
- vprcic 4y ago
  My nugdet of experience to add a data point to this claim. I have TMJ and have had it for as long as I can remember (my jaw clicks every time I open or close my mouth). I developed constant tinnitus in one ear (on the side where the clicks happen) in my early 30s, a few years ago. I was SURE the TMJ was causing my tinnitus, but the doctors dismissed it as non-related. Maybe I should have pushed harder. (I also have voluntary control over the tensor tympani muscle, for what it's worth.)
  - TekMol 4y ago
    That the tinnitus is on the side of th TMJ is interesting. Can you change the frequency/intensity of your tinnitus by changing pressure in the ear with fingers or by moving your jaw?

TwoNineA 4y ago

No change. However, some of my migraines lower the noise, some anti migraine medication raises it (Elavil).

tunap 4y ago
To add to that, a K1/K2 'Super K' supplement I was taking amplified my tinnitus within a couple days of taking it(I didn't make the connection, initially). Early in 2020 when I ran out & could not resupply, my tinnitus reduced > 50% within a week or two of abstaining. When I did get another bottle, the tinnitus increased almost immediately. I did multi-weeks on/multi-weeks off testing 4 times that year and the results were the same: the 'Super K' triggered it & it waned within 2 weeks of desisting. YMMV.
- rex-mundi 4y ago
  Interesting, my tinnitus increased recently and I started vit k again. I'll see if stopping helps. Thanks

IsopropylMalbec 4y ago

No difference for me, in frequency or volume.

jFriedensreich 4y ago

for me, pressure increases the frequency. also high jaw muscle tension increases the frequency in a similar way.

clsec 4y ago

For me, putting my finger in my ear only slightly mutes the higher frequencies. I can change pitch a tiny bit by clenching my jaw. But the real big changes in volume and pitch come when I push my tongue onto the roof of my mouth.