Applying Pressure on My Cheek Reduces 80% of My Pulsatile Tinnitus

[nuno1976]

Hello,

If I apply a little pressure on my check, my pulsatile tinnitus reduces something like 80%.
This is illustrated in the picture.

I get the same effect if I clench the teeth on the same side.

Being very practical there is some kind of apparel I can use to automatically apply this pressure?
Obviously nothing permanent, but at least something to help me out on the worse moments.

 

[ScoutLee]

Hey there,

I have this happen, too!

I only get pulsatile tinnitus on my left side, but when I clench my teeth or hold my jaw, it reduces greatly.

Not sure what it means to be honest. I am still having tests done, and am seeing an ENT in a few weeks.

Have you had tests yet to investigate?

 

[Valp]

Why is it always left ear?? Mine is the same, i can also turn my head a certain way to quiet it some. Stress makes it louder too

 

[nuno1976]

Hey there,

I have this happen, too!

I only get pulsatile tinnitus on my left side, but when I clench my teeth or hold my jaw, it reduces greatly.

Not sure what it means to be honest. I am still having tests done, and am seeing an ENT in a few weeks.

Have you had tests yet to investigate?

Hi Scout,

I am sorry I missed your reply.
So you have the same somatic sympthoms I have, since you can reduce alot your PT cleenching teeth.

I have done different kind of audiograms, but they are not 100% conclusive. They show some hearing loss on high frequencies but nothing radically different from what you observe at my age (40y old). At least they are not typical audiograms from noise trauma.

My ENT also checked for Eustachian tube problems. I asked for a nasal endoscopy which she did, but she couldn't find any obvious problem.
Besides from that, I went to a facial maxillary surgeon, who checked for TMD symptoms. According to him, there isn't anything bad with my jaw. He just noticed I have a not so perfect mouth occlusion.

I am also taking Ginko for abouth 1 month, without any visible effect.

Not sure how to proceed, but I really have the impression, it must be a way to improve significantly my T, since it is so somatic in nature (at least the Pulsatile portion) and it flutuates alot.
Tomorrow I am going to some kind of chiropractic.
Next on the agenda will be acupuncture.
I know no one will cure me 100%, but I really think this crap could be manageable with the right treatments. But I still didn't found what it works for me.

What about you? Any progress?

 

[nuno1976]

Why is it always left ear?? Mine is the same, i can also turn my head a certain way to quiet it some. Stress makes it louder too

On my case is the right side.
Have you made any progress?

 

[reeax]

Does your tinnitus get louder when you open your mouth very wide (ex. yawn) ?

 

[nuno1976]

Does your tinnitus get louder when you open your mouth very wide (ex. yawn) ?

Yes it does.
But that is something pretty normal, I think.
Being able to almost cancel the T, clenching Teeth or pressing the cheek is more unusual.

 

[reeax]

You probably have the same stuff as me, as I have the exactly same symptoms. It is very funny to eat when you can stop tinnitus when clenching teeth by the way.

 

[nuno1976]

You probably have the same stuff as me, as I have the exactly same symptoms. It is very funny to eat when you can stop tinnitus when clenching teeth by the way.

Hello,

You mentioned Tinnitus should also get louder when you pull head backwards.
That also happens with me.
Is also your case?
What have you done to manage this Pulsatile Tinnitus?

 

[reeax]

Yes also the same, when you pull your head backwards (looking up) the movement compresses your artery a little bit more so you can hear your tinnitus louder.

For me, I think that it is (too much) high intensity bodybuilding workouts that created some terrible muscle spasms in the upper back / neck. By the way it is still pretty much painful when I rotate my head in some specific directions. If it is muscular for you, you should feel it - and your head will skip / change these exact directions to avoid pain. These spasms are partially maintained by the fact that I work a lot on a computer 8+ hours of bad posture (and I do workouts again, but much lighter, more cardio).

For me, chiropractor worked terrific when PT was high-intensity. By the time you come home, it was 50%. Stretch your neck & back and do painful stuff. When it hurts, you found it.

 

[nuno1976]

Hi reeax.

I don't feel any pain on my neck, but I know I have lots of tension around my shoulders. I know that because I make a massage once per month, and the girl always says I have something like little rocks around the shoulders.
Just like you I work 8 hours per day on front of a computer.

How many sessions have you made with your chiropractor? It's still improving? How is your PT nowadays?

Thanks and have a quiet day.

 

[JudyLV]

Hello,

If I apply a little pressure on my check, my pulsatile tinnitus reduces something like 80%.
This is illustrated in the picture.

I get the same effect if I clench the teeth on the same side.

Being very practical there is some kind of apparel I can use to automatically apply this pressure?
Obviously nothing permanent, but at least something to help me out on the worse moments.

View attachment 15253

Thank you for posting this! I've had my PT since November of 2017. Recently went through 2 MRI's and an MRA as well as the nasal flush thing. All of those turned up normal. My ENT now wants me to take a balance test and have me fitted for an ear device that is suppose to block out/mask the PT noise. Am waiting to hear if my insurance covers that.
While my PT started originally in my left ear, it is now in my right ear too, just not as loud. Tried your pressure on the check and it did give me some relief! That's more than my ENT has been able to do!
Thanks Again for posting that! Am thinking at this point I may have to find another ENT that might be a little more knowledgeable on helping patients with PT.

 

[Proteo]

Hi, I read the post where you mention the exotosis removal surgery you had.

Here's my hypothesis: you have a series of scars too small to show up in scans, which are generating what would normally be pain signals, but because the inner-ear is the recipient of these signals somehow, they are appearing to you as sound. And just as a cut in the arm can be made to feel better by bending the skin the right way, the "pain" you have can be relieved with the pressure you apply on the cheek, until you let go and the scars are stretched out again.

I've put this hypothesis to the test in my case and drastically reduced my chewing so that if there really are scars, they can have a chance to heal, and the results are so far quite promising.

 

[melbournejeremy]

I have this same high pitched PT that jaw movements can reduce/increase the volume. Pushing in front of my ears makes it squeal louder. If any of you guys ever get to the bottom of this with some sort of useful treatment would love to know!

 

[nuno1976]

I have this same high pitched PT that jaw movements can reduce/increase the volume. Pushing in front of my ears makes it squeal louder. If any of you guys ever get to the bottom of this with some sort of useful treatment would love to know!

I have done 4 weekly sessions of tmj physiotherapy, which I think helped a little bit.
At least I had 3 or 4 calm days after the sessions.
However after a while it seems everything backs to the original baseline.

This is my sensation, but as you know all this Tinnitus thing is not black or white but more a matter of perception.

 

[melbournejeremy]

I am not sure if it applies in your case. But inexplicably it just seems to go away for a few hours of the day, generally toward the end of the day and then like clockwork begins to build up over the day peaking in the afternoon. No idea what diurnal pattern it follows. The high pitched ching ching ching from the PT is extremely distracting. I could deal with the normal T hiss but the PT really gets me. Lately I have been wondering if my over-sensitive teeth somehow have had their pain receptor nerves replaced by sound via the trigeminal and DCN somatic thing.