Tinnitus is an audiological and neurological condition in which you perceive a ringing, buzzing or humming sound in your ear that does not come from an external source. It’s very common: over 25 million Americans are estimated to suffer from tinnitus, and approximately 65% of those cases are cases of somatic tinnitus, which is a subtype of tinnitus. Somatic tinnitus has the same in-ear ringing as general tinnitus, but the sound appears or worsens when moving your body or touching certain points on your body.
Why Do I Hear Somatic Tinnitus?
Somatic tinnitus is also known as somatosensory tinnitus. The somatosensory system refers to the network of neural pathways in the body that process sensations like touch, pressure, temperature, pain, body position and movement. It is commonly believed that somatic tinnitus occurs due to the interaction between the auditory system and the somatosensory system.
A key player is the dorsal cochlear nucleus, or DCN. The DCN is a part of the brainstem. Auditory signals from your inner ear pass through the DCN and are routed from there to the auditory complex area of the brain, allowing you to perceive sound. Signals from somatosensory nerves in the face, neck and jaw also pass through the DCN to be routed to other areas in the brain. The brainstem is essentially a busy intersection that takes both muscle information and sound perception to the brain, and the DCN is the stoplight guiding traffic.
To continue the traffic comparison, if the DCN is damaged (e.g., the stoplight isn’t working), there’s a higher chance of collision between the sensory signals and auditory signals in the intersection. These collisions cause somatic tinnitus.
How Does the DCN Get Damaged?
There are a number of ways the DCN may sustain damage. Some of them are:
- Head injury or trauma
- Neck injury or trauma
- Complications from surgery (e.g., dental or neck)
- Whiplash
- Muscle tension in the jaw, neck or head
- Muscle spasms in the neck
- Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) in the jaw
- Dental disorders
- Damage or trauma to the ear
- Exposure to loud noise
How Can I Relieve Somatic Tinnitus?
The first step is to visit a healthcare professional and attempt to discern if your tinnitus is somatic tinnitus, and if so, what muscle or nerve triggers the noise in your ear. Once the trigger is identified, steps can be made to repair or relax the trigger (e.g., muscle relaxation therapy; jaw massage; TMJ surgery). Early identification of triggers and management options can significantly minimize the impact of somatic tinnitus on your daily life.
There are also several forms of tinnitus management therapy that have shown great success in mitigating the nuisance of the sound in your ear. These management strategies do not cure tinnitus, nor do they address what is causing your tinnitus, but they will relieve you of the distracting noise. Seeking guidance from trusted audiology specialists can provide valuable insight and support throughout your journey of managing somatic tinnitus. Call Kampsen Hearing today for more information or to book an appointment.