Post Traumatic tinnitus or 'trauma associated tinnitus' refers to tinnitus caused by something that is traumatic. This post provides an explanation of what post-traumatic tinnitus is and why it is important for the treatment and management of tinnitus symptoms.
Post Traumatic Tinnitus
Post traumatic tinnitus or trauma associated tinnitus describes tinnitus which is caused by anything that is physically or psychologically traumatic.
Trauma associated tinnitus causes
Examples of things which can cause trauma associated tinnitus could include:
Traumatic brain injury - Tinnitus can be caused by head or neck trauma or concussions. Experiences associated with head and neck trauma include: car accidents, a fall where the head hits on something hard, physical attack.
The leading causes of Traumatic Brain Injury in civilians are motor vehicle accidents, falls and assaults. Motor vehicle accidents can result in head trauma and or neck trauma in the form of whiplash.
Blasts from an explosion are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in military service men and women. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is also a common side affect of TBI. Head or neck trauma can affect blood flow, auditory nerves, the inner ear and auditory pathway. This is the part of the brain linked to your hearing function. Traumatic brain injury is often accompanied by the onset of tinnitus.
Injuries of this kind can affect one or both ears. Many patients who have experienced head trauma may only suffer tinnitus symptoms for a temporary period, however the affects can be long term. Tinnitus can be ringing, buzzing or another new type of sound. It can also be constant or intermittent.
Accuse stress - Tinnitus sometimes manifests during or shortly after something that is acutely stressful. Examples include things like losing a job, marriage break up or traumatic bereavement.
Trauma to the ear - Tinnitus can sometimes be caused when there is trauma to the ear or areas near to the ear. Examples might include: ossicular chain disruption - loss of alignment between the three middle ear bones. Perilymphatic fistula which is a tear or opening between the inner and middle ear. Traumatic eardrum perforation. This is caused by trauma to the ear or infection.
Psychological trauma - Psychological trauma might include post traumatic stress disorder. Both tinnitus and PTSD make the opposing conditions worse.
Tinnitus following surgery - Tinnitus can also manifest after surgery or a routine medical procedure. Patients might experience tinnitus following ear syringing or after major surgery. Having surgery can be traumatic for the mind and the body resulting in temporary tinnitus or more longer term tinnitus.
Combat trauma is usually shocking and accompanied by hearing loss caused by excessive noise exposure. It also evokes strong emotions. Having PTSD caused by shock trauma as well as tinnitus can ramp up the symptoms of both. This is because both use the same physiological response mechanisms.
Relevance of trauma to tinnitus management
It is important to appreciate the role your cause of tinnitus might be having in your ability to manage tinnitus or habituate to tinnitus.
Whilst I am not able to speak for the medical professional in relation to physical trauma and hearing damage I can speak about the affect of things like trauma, stress and PTSD on tinnitus habituation.
Here are some important points in relation to tinnitus and psychological difficulty.
- Some people are experiencing tinnitus as a direct result of their body being stuck in a stress response state.
- Experiencing PTSD at the same time as tinnitus can make the experience of tinnitus much worse.
- Experiencing tinnitus at the same time as PTSD can make the experience of PTSD worse.
- It is much more difficult to habituate to tinnitus if you also have PTSD symptoms. This is because your body is stuck in a stress response and you might blame the tinnitus for the stress. This is of course often true but only part of the bigger picture.
- If you know that your tinnitus is caused by psychological stress or trauma or PTSD you can do something about it.
- Even if it's not caused by psychological trauma and is something more physical you can still do something about your stress reaction to a tinnitus trigger. In many cases changing your stress reaction to tinnitus to a neutral one also reduces tinnitus symptoms themselves and the stress associated with problematic tinnitus.