Burning Nerve Pain Near Cheek at Any Sound

Hi all,

I want to describe my problem, which is sound related and called hyperacusis, but the form of it is very weird.

Ok lets start...

3 years ago I had an acoustic shock on my left ear.
I was a hobby music producer back then.
I was sitting a too long in front of speakers and was listening to a higher frequency song too long.
Suddenly my left ear was cramping, it was like a sting.
Since then the left side near the ear feels cramped. Like tightened .

Every time when I hear a sound my left side of the face, underneath the cheek starts to cramp. Its like electric impulses goes through it. There is this connection between sound and cramp.
My tongue also cramps to the left side sometimes.
It feels like a burning.

The thing is the ear does not hurt itself. It guess it just sends out this signals to cramp, like it doesn't want my hearing to get worse.

When I drink a few beers, the connection between sound and muscle or nerve cramp (???) is not there anymore. And I feel better. But usually I feel very odd and not good, because of the all day cramping feeling.


Last week ago I found out, that when I open the mouth about a 1 cm the connection between sound and cramp does also not exist.

I tried to open the mouth about 10 hours by biting on a piece of cotton, to see if the ear starts to hurt, when I have a normal day with sound.

So after this 10 hours I closed the mouth and the cramps where not really noticeable and my ear did not hurt.

When I closed the mouth, the cramp started again.


Does anybody have something similar? Or any idea what I should do?


Thank you for reading anyway.

Greetings Florian

 

Your middle ear houses your facial nerve so both connected so get checked by ENT.
Love glynis

 

I suggest to consult a neurologist in case of nerve problems...

 

Thank your for your answers. I went to ENT, I have a MRT in 2 weeks and I have a appointment with a neurologist too, but after that MRT. Then I should visit my ENT again, with the MRT pictures.

I am doing craniosacrale therapie since 5 months every week one hour, which seems to press on this nerve directly and start to hurt more. My therapist said the bone os temporale (picture below) seems to be unusal thightened and somehow locked. Maybe this could block or push onto a nerve...

 

@florian_89 From the temporal the facial nerve goes to 4 branches in which two are the tongue and ear canal. This is probably why your tongue feels like it's burning. You may just have a mastoid infection which can be cleared by medication. Or it could be just a hemifacial spasm. I hope your therapy person knows what there doing because a X ray, or CT, or MRI should be done before therapy. Later if needed a ENoG or Nerve Excitability Test. Drinking cold water will help with a burning tongue along with some B12.

 

This probably has something to do with the facial nerve. And that probably being something fixable. Wooohooo *cheers*. Go to the doctor about it.

 

I have a MRI done next week, maybe something can be seen there.
But its really weird.
When I hear a sound the area around the ear starts to cramp, and the more sound the deeper is the cramp. And its purely sound related. There is a, i call it "standart-cramped-feeling" on my left side around the ear. But the painfull one comes when sound comes in. Its like my ear goes into security mode and does not want to hear a sound and starts to cramp...

I have no clue what that is, as it occured due to a acoustic trauma.
Doctors I have been couldnt help me with that so far.

 

Sounds like facial nerve or trigenimal nerve neuralgia. Possibly an element of TTTS which is common after acoustic shock. Difficult to say on a public forum so go and see a neurologist

 

I was last week at a neurologist.
He said a trigeminal neuralgia is not a permanent condition like mine. He couldnt diagnose anything, but he also requested the MRI scans,... maybe he can find a hind. Thanks anyway for your replies

 

Ah i have another symptom to add: My left side (the bad side) poops earlier then the right sight, maybe thats also a hind to TTTS?

 

Hey man!

How are you feeling now? Any updates from the neurologist or MRI? This sounds similar to my current situation. I don’t feel any pain in my ears and sounds don’t appear louder, but some sounds, like music and trebly sounds, cause pressure on my temples and cheeks and it kind of stings and burns (doesn’t hurt). Today when I woke up my cheeks are “burning” even without sound exposure.

Hope you’re feeling better!

 

Hello Shellfront,

I got the MRI results (it was loud, did a double protection with earplugs and muffs).
After the MRI the area around the cheek was really cramped.
The results show no abnormalties regading the radiologis, so no tumor.
The neurologies didnt saw anything, and he said a trigeminal neuralgy is different.

But I am pretty sure I have something with a facial nerve, I think it even bothers me more then the hyperacusis.

I feel pretty shitty today, as I can not really find a relaxing releave. When I put my cheeck in a certain position I dont feel the burning from the nerve, but as I put it back to normal position I feel the burning and cramping again. It really sucks.

I was prescriped cymbalta, but I am really afraid to take it, because its sides effects.


How is your situation? I would like to met somebody with the same issues.

Greetings Flo

 

Hi Flo!

That's fortunate though that the MRI's came back normal. Do you have H as well? In what way?

My burning/pressure sensations seem to move around my face, mainly around my cheeks, bottom lip and temples and around the ears. They're definitely triggered by sound, especially high frequency, trebly sounds. It feels like a sunburn on my face every morning when I wake up, and then I get pressure feelings around my temples from noise throughout the day. Mine also seem to ease up when consuming alcohol. I sometimes get tingling as well. I'm really scared it will start hurting eventually if it doesn't go away, and this is causing me great anxiety. I've had this for seven weeks, how long have you had yours for?

 

@Shellfront There's literally thousands of articles on facial nerves. This one may give you an idea of what's going on in your situation. https://www.aaet.info/files/documents/ce15403.pdf

There are exercises that should help you. Go to Face of Grace Message Therapy.

 

There's 2 detailed links that relates to dental, facial, jaw, throat and neck.

http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094524

https://www.gchealth.com.au/p/jaw-ear-pain

 

Yes, thats true about the results. But I thought a nerve blockage would be seen somehow. I was doing cranial sacral theraphie for a half year, every week 1 hour. My therapist said that my left side is really thightned, and that could be the problem for the nerve pain.

I have H. I experience stress when I hear loud noises, but I experience the nerve pain in my cheek at every sound. It seems like my cheek reacts to sound, but somehow its coming from my ear. When its completely silent for a few hours (at night with earplugs) I can recognise that the nerve pain goes back, but at the slightest sound it goes up again. Additionally my ear feels like there is water in, and pressure of course.

I have this since about 1 year, on some days its very strong and painful on some it is not that painful. Its just very annoying and depressing.

It is also possible that my nerve pain starts on different parts, it goes from tongue, area around the ear, cheek, and sometimes near the lowest left part of the chin.

I have it on the left side only, where my accident happened. I have one sided Hyperacusis, or whatever the Hell this is.

 

This is my story and it's rare so anyone without cervical oromandibular and lingual dystonia should just move on. It's a horror story, but I feel that it's needs to be told as I try to help others with severe physical tinnitus mostly by PM.

I got severe somatic tinnitus and hyperacusis after a dental procedure of having a lower front implant where pressure was applied to my jaw with my neck bending forward. From this I had cervical muscle spasms that straightened my c spine. This immediately caused TMD and clenching of teeth. I have several muscles within neck and face along with cranial nerves and deep filter nerves in play.

Developed facial soreness, burning tongue with uncontrollable movement. From this I have input from nerves that supply the external pterygoid muscle. My lateral pterygoid causes my tensor veli palatine to go into spasm. My facial nerve is triggered by my trigeminal nerve, but there are now other things happening that relates to the nasopharynx, mastoiditis, mandibular nerve, the zygomaticus process, buccinator muscle, the digastric muscle, alveolar bone, temporal, masseter and mandible, the incisive, mental lingual and nerve and the inferior alveolar nerve. The parotid gland, maxillary and mandibular nerve. The spinal accessory nerve from reaction of the trapezius and SCM muscles. My scalene, SCM and trapezius muscles are affecting my throat and giving me headaches.

All of the above relates to facial hypesthesia with continued clenching, no matter how little. In my situation a mouth guard isn't recommended by internet case studies for me as using one has made my conditions worse, but I'm designing a special thin mouth guard that doesn't cover front teeth that would not place pressure on my jaw. Botox in six different locations isn't recommended in case studies as in my situation it can travel to other areas.

Doctors, many doctors were of no help. Radiological testing helped me along with reading an endless amount of in depth articles and case studies. A neck brace and I have tried several helps, but with any continued use for a hour a day, things start to become worst. Advanced whiplash has extremely affected my quality of life, but I plan to at least partly beat this.

 

Dear Greg,
I don't want to blow this thread. But I didn't get your tinnitus complaints...
Do you have tinnitus complaints all the time or just at physical movements?

 

@Tinniger I have only a very small loss of hearing only in left ear which I got years ago from syringing. I didn't get additional hearing loss from physical somatic whiplash, although my tinnitus is now very severe with a very high pitch. It's more in left ear, but it can move to other ear, both ears and to head. My T relates to my spinal accessory nerve, mandibular and cranial nerves. I believe that I know the exact areas of my neuro brain responsible. My T and H will increase within minutes after I get up due to pressure from weight of my head and any movement including jaw mandibular movement.

 

I was searching a bit, after reading your post, and found this two interesting pictures.
One of these nerves must be irritated or somehow, since its sound related, and with no sound it goes back.

Could it be that the cochlea is sending out signals to effect the nerve - or is the nerve blocked somehow?

That's the page I got the information from:
https://radiopaedia.org/articles/facial-nerve

 

@florian_89 I'm in the camp where I believe that a good percentage of tinnitus has at least some connection to something physical. Many times it can just be damaged hair cells, but often it can also relate to something physical, such as a disease condition, posture muscle concerns, facet joints, TMD, ETD, ear wax, spinal accessory nerve or cranial nerve input.

Facial concerns can be primary or secondary. Facial nerves or anything facial is often caused from injury to the trigeminal nerve that can relate to dental, clenching, stress or injury that can include the cervical complex. Cervical in relation to TMD and/or facial may include the upper c spine, trapezius, scalene or SCM muscles. TMD and clenching can be brought on by dental - movement of teeth, mouth open for too long, injury to the cervical complex or stress.

Not sure, but your facial may be secondary. Facial includes the most complicated areas of the body next to the central nervous system/brain. I will never to be able to completely understand facial as it's just too complicated for me. Some things with facial do stand out, but sometimes there's other interactions such as neuro injury from psych drugs (dystonia related) which doesn't relate to you.

 

In a nutshell tinnitus can be caused by 3 things

1: Hearing loss
2: Neck/Jaw muscoskeletal disorders
3: Damage to the auditory brain

 

I have a similar issue of discomfort in my face because of hyperacusis but not as bad. Obviously there is more to hyperacusis that isn't understood considering only a handful of scientist on the planet actually research it.

It makes me suicidal knowing, no one bothers to research the mechanism's of hyperacusis because technically it's not life threatening (despite suicide) and most neurotypicals can adapt by just give up on things they use to enjoy like music, and fun that makes life worth living and wear ear muffs all day.

When I listen to music for even over a few minutes of time, and mostly with high pitch notes I start to feel right sided facial cramp, slight discomfort in my right ear and right side of my face. If I use headphones I feel discomfort even quicker. It use to feel painful several months ago, now I am seeing progressive recovery however the only thing I can accept is a full recovery not medicore life song sentence of living like this. Just thinking about how most otological disorders are disregarded by the medical community is disgusting, and how "learn to live with it" "adapt" "habituate" are the current answers makes me feel hopeless.

Most likely people who suffer worse are going to consider me selfish for wanting treatment to by definition (very mild hyperacusis) but if they can help me they can help people who are in worse shape obviously.


From what I see hyperacusis research didn't really begin until less then 5-7 years ago so that's not too promisng and the only working hypothesis is it has something to do with hearing tolerance levels dropping signifcantly with outer hair cells leaking fluid which causes a small group of nerve fibres to act as pain receptors. Obviously there might be other neurological factors at play that aren't understood and an explaniation how it cause pain/discomfort, in the face and neck, as well as people who complain of balance/vestibular issues associated with hyperacusis and it's hypothetical link to tinnitus.

Why aren't local ENT's accross America lobbying to help people with hyperacusis, this condition is sickening and not well understood? They obviously don't care, science isn't valued and suicide seems like a good option.

 

Listening to music makes my right nostril feel congested, I cannot find anyone else with this phantom clogged nose sensation. Months ago it was much worse but It got better. I strongly suspect this is related to hyperacusis because when I first had it it was accompanied by a painful sensation.


IF RESEARCHERS ARE READING THIS PLEASE HELP

 

since you got tinnitus in 2015 did you notice any improvement in the hyperacusis?

the human body is shit, you break one thing and it's permanent. no second chances

 

@Contrast - Your thoughts on physical conditions or our physical make-up leading to the tinnitus road is valid, unless just loud noise history or a single noise event is involved.

I also agree with @Dr. Ancill where she says " trying to link any medical disorder with any personality type is nonsense."

Certain physicals may bring tinnitus where for others it won't connect, unless there is a serious injury such as getting a nerve cut during dental surgery.

Grinding teeth often starts from an extreme emotional response situation. Starting to grind teeth doesn't have anything to do with a person's overall personality, but the brain will program it as a stress response. If a tooth becomes lose from grinding, then dental surgery is needed where there is a rare chance of a nerve being damaged that will cause tinnitus.

Sometimes in life we have bad habits such as too much forward head bending over years which can cause so many other physical problems that will cause tinnitus for a few.

Certain drugs can cause tinnitus that are taken for a acquired condition that may be gene related.

It's a lottery as to who will get tinnitus minus extremely loud noise, serious physical damage to nerves or arteries as two well known causes.

 

To the OP: those cramp sensations, as other posters said, are very likely related to the facial nerve.

Because alcohol acts on the nervous system, it depresses the nervous system.

What helped me to bear very bad hyperacusis: trying to accept it, a bit of exercise, being out for some time every day (this was not possible at all stages), healthy diet, stretching, physiotherapy, listening to music at low volume. The advantage of music, specially if you hear to music in a foreign language or to pieces without singing, is that your brain will no try to extract language information from it or interpret words. This is good if your hyperacusis carries distortion of sound or if you lost some hearing due to hyperacusis or other causes.

I would try not to obsess with finding answers about hyperacusis or how to fix it because it is so poorly understood, and the sucess stories are quite incidental, there is not a recognisable pattern or treatment that takes hyperacusis sufferers out of this.