Factors at Play in Tinnitus from Acoustic Trauma?

So, with acoustic trauma or loud noise exposure with minimal hearing loss, I have read that persistent tinnitus can fade or resolve anywhere between 1.5 to 10 years. Perhaps even go away after 2-3 years (obviously this may not be the case for many people.)

So, I just wanted to see what people's ideas are for this:

• Is it that the hair cells need time to fix themselves if the weren't too badly damaged--can they repair eventually and go back to normal if simply affected by a loud noise? Or can the hair cells actually heal--albeit extremely slowly?
• Is there some sort of nerve damage that occurs? (I have read that a bruised nerve can take over a year to heal.)
• Is there some type of "synapse damage" which causes a problem with the brain interpreting what the hair cells transmit to the brain? (which may resolve after a year or two.)
• Is habituation or neuroplasticity able to filter out the noise effectively?
• Are audiograms just not helpful in portraying hearing loss?

Since doctors don't know, what are your guesses?

 

I’ve heard some doctors say the hair cells get bent/damaged but are not dead so overtime they can straighten themselves out. Not sure if that’s true or not.

 

As a follow up, this is based on what I have read online (including this forum.) I'm curious as to what others think may be going on in our ears or what went right for people who have more or less recovered. There are no wrong answers.

 

I would like to know too.