Tinnitus, a common symptom of hearing disorders, is the constant or intermittent sound of ringing, clicking, hissing, buzzing, or roaring heard inside the ear or head. Indeed, the word itself is derived from Latin and means “to tinkle or to ring like a bell.”
It is estimated that 50 million Americans have some degree of tinnitus; approximately two million are said to suffer from such an extreme case that it interrupts their normal day-to-day activities. While tinnitus cannot be cured in the traditional sense, there are therapies available to help patients manage and quiet their condition. NYOG’s Hearing & Balance Center offers one of the very few dedicated treatment centers for tinnitus in the New York metro region. Using techniques such as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment, staff members work with patients to learn how to “neutralize” the bothersome noise. Currently, these are the most effective treatments available.
While the exact physiological causes of tinnitus are unknown, there are many factors that seem to contribute or worsen the condition, including noise-induced hearing loss; excessive wax build-up in the ear canal; ear or sinus infections; jaw misalignment; cardiovascular disease; certain types of auditory, vestibular, or facial nerves tumors; and head and neck trauma. Addressing these underlying factors can help alleviate tinnitus.
