Hearing a ringing, pulsing or buzzing in your ears that comes out of nowhere is a surprising and occasionally annoying phenomenon. The symptom, called tinnitus, falls into one of two categories: objective or subjective. Let’s look at each of those categories.
Objective Tinnitus
Objective tinnitus is very rare, only accounting for 1% of cases.[1] This type of tinnitus is objective because it can be heard by others, usually by a doctor using a stethoscope. They can hear objective tinnitus because it comes from physical sources within your body, like middle ear issues, muscle spasms and abnormal blood flow. One common type of objective tinnitus is pulsatile tinnitus, described as a swooshing or thumping in the ear. Many people say that pulsatile tinnitus beats at the same rhythm as their heart.
Subjective Tinnitus
Subjective tinnitus accounts for the remaining 99% of cases. Unlike objective tinnitus, you are the only person who can hear subjective tinnitus. Every person has a different description of what subjective tinnitus sounds like, but ringing, buzzing, clicking, scraping and hissing are a few common descriptions. Subjective tinnitus can arise from anything that damages the hearing system, like physical trauma to the ears, ototoxic medications, genetics and loud noise exposure. Because the objective tinnitus arises after damage to the auditory system, it often coincides with hearing loss.
How Does Tinnitus Management Differ Between Subjective and Objective Cases?
The main difference between managing subjective and objective tinnitus is that you can only manage subjective tinnitus, while you can often treat objective tinnitus. That distinction arises because objective tinnitus often has an identifiable source; if your provider knows you have high blood pressure, they can recommend medication, dietary or lifestyle changes to manage the condition and the associated tinnitus.
Managing subjective tinnitus means finding ways to reduce its impact on your life. A few different types of management tools include sound masking to cover the internal ringing with an external one, tinnitus retraining therapy, a combination of counseling and sound masking to minimize your reaction to tinnitus, and stress relief practices to reduce the likelihood of worsening tinnitus.
Our experts can help you identify which type of tinnitus you’re dealing with and which techniques will be best to manage or treat it. Contact Massachusetts Hearing Group for your tinnitus evaluation.
[1] American Tinnitus Association. (n.d.). Why are my ears ringing? American Tinnitus Association. https://www.ata.org/about-tinnitus/why-are-my-ears-ringing/