Tinnitus is a well-known but commonly misunderstood symptom of an underlying condition, and one that it can be helpful to know more about. Regardless of whether or not you think you have it yourself, or you have ever experienced it, it’s the kind of thing that can prove to be quite important, partly because it can crop up for pretty much anyone at any time. And something you might not have known is that tinnitus actually comes in a number of different forms.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the four main types of tinnitus, so that you will come away with a much stronger and fuller understanding of this condition and how it affects people.

Subjective Tinnitus

The most common form of tinnitus is something called subjective tinnitus. Usually, the reason for this is simply exposure to excessive levels of noise. The noise will only be heard by the person who has the tinnitus, not able to be recorded by anyone else or a professional. Subjective tinnitus can be hard to describe, but for those who experience it, it is a very clear noise that is fairly constantly there.

This type of tinnitus can also appear and then disappear quite rapidly, and it can last anywhere from around three months to a year at a time. However, for some people, it is possible that it never stops, although that is an especially severe case and quite rare.

Neurological Tinnitus

As with all kinds of tinnitus, neurological tinnitus again involves certain sounds that are heard by the individual. But whereas the subjective one doesn’t have an obvious correlation in the brain, here there is a definite and distinct cause. Neurological tinnitus is usually caused by a disorder of the brain. Commonly that might be something like Meniere’s disease, which is a disease that affects the brain’s auditory centers. However, there are many other disorders that can lead to tinnitus of this kind as well.

In these cases, it goes without saying that the treatment of tinnitus is going to require treatment of the neurological disorder, so that is going to be the main focus of any care that the individual receives.

Somatic Tinnitus

As the name suggests, this is a kind of tinnitus that is more related to the sensory system, and thus the cause is of that nature rather than neurological or being caused by exposure to loud sounds. It is usually not only caused by something wrong with the sensory system, but also exacerbated in the same way and that’s why treatment is going to center around looking at that system to ensure that it can be worked with in the best way possible.

This kind of tinnitus is again possible to treat, so anyone with it should certainly feel that there are solutions available, no matter what.

Objective Tinnitus

Despite the names, it is not that this is the only form of tinnitus that can be said to exist. Rather, it is objective in the sense that it is caused entirely by involuntary muscular movements or related deformities. And once those in particular are dealt with and removed, it means that the tinnitus itself is removed as well.

The main thing to remember about objective tinnitus is that it is incredibly rare indeed. It is also known as objective because it can be heard by an outside observer. It is also the only type of tinnitus that has a potential definite, long-term and permanent fix.

Those are the major types of tinnitus that we know about. There are also some smaller subtypes, such as musical tinnitus, which are often thought of in terms of hallucinations or musical imagery. There is also the kind known as pulsatile tinnitus, which is a rhythmic sound that matches the beat of the heart and is not yet fully understood. And there is another subtype known about, low-frequency tinnitus. Here, there is a sound of droning or deep mumbling, and it’s not always clear what is causing it.

Whatever kind of tinnitus you may have, the solution is to go and get your hearing checked out by an audiologist first and foremost. They will be able to determine what is going on with your hearing, and from there you will be able to get the help you need. No matter what kind of tinnitus you have, they can help. Check out Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids at (605) 610-3466 today.

Tags: tinnitus basics, types of tinnitus