Looking for Answers

Hello all,

I am a 25 year-old man and have had very severe tinnitus for about a month now. I have been reading up on this forum but have finally decided to post for myself. Here is my story:

I had been under stress at work for a few months, but was finally starting to get some relief. I began working out every single day, doing intense cardio and playing basketball.

One day, I pulled a muscle in my neck. I continued working out, did not take a break, and did not treat it. Six days later, while laying in bed about to sleep, I got a sudden ringing in my ear that lasted about 10 seconds then went away. I forgot about it.

The next day, I played an intense game of basketball, then lifted weights. This was exactly one week after I pulled the muscle in my neck, and I did the same exercise again thinking nothing of it.

After my workout, I sat down in a quiet room to read a book. I thought about the ringing again, and suddenly it came back only this time it did not go away. I continued to work out, but went to Urgent Care 2 days later who did nothing for me.

I went to an ENT 5 days later, who said he suspected hearing loss and prescribed me steroids for 5 days (60mg, 40mg, 20mg for the last 3 days).

He said to come back Thursday for a hearing test. In the meantime, I went to another ENT for a second opinion who gave me a hearing test and said that my hearing was completely normal. When I went for my hearing test from the original ENT, he said I had very slight hearing loss in my left ear and to just "hope it gets better".

In the meantime, I have had wisdom teeth removed, visited a chiropractor, and I have been diagnosed with TMJ.

I have also started intermittently hearing a morse code-type sound sometimes, especially when I move my neck or hear other loud white noise. I just got an MRI and am awaiting results.

No doctor can give me a straight answer. My tinnitus seems worse when I am laying down. Sometimes I can mask it, sometimes I cannot.

It also seems worse after I eat or use my jaw/neck. I am desperate for answers. Has anyone had a similar experience/have any advice?

 

So true.
The jawbone (mandible) is connected to the skull by the temporomandibular joint - TMJ.

Just behind your jaw are the upper neck facet joints. When the neck moves so does the jaw - and when the jaw moves so does the neck. The muscles that move the jaw are attached by fascial tissue to each other and to the muscles that move the neck. When neck muscles gets spasms (tension) it can pressure the neck spine and the upper part - the C1 C2 that hinges to the jaw and jaw posture is often the trigger. Often there's also tension with back (lumbar) spine muscles as well. The result is often small nerve fibers of both neck and jaw as cause of tinnitus. Occipital nerves in upper neck are often flamed. In more serious cases, neck arteries may also involved.

The actual biology involvement can differ a little from person to person as other neck and facial components can have involvement at different stages. What is important is treatment, not cause and that can vary from person to person depending on pain areas. There's no standard accepted treatment for everyone, but correct jaw posture is important as small nerve fibers beyond just jaw joints can determine level of tinnitus. Keeping head over shoulders and eating and brushing teeth not looking down is important. No clenching of teeth and twisting of jaw is important.

There's is also no standard correct treatment for TMJ/D. For me, I started with a hard mouth guard for upper teeth. Most dental researchers say this is needed at first, but longer use of several months could then increase jaw joint problems. I don't have an off-bite so I then switched to a thin softer guard that doesn't cover back molars. That only helps if I don't twist my jaw or use forward head posture during the day. There's no doubt that this is a disability with various levels of pain. Over time if jaw posture isn't controlled, teeth/oral, anything facial, headaches, ear pressures and other problems can develop.

 

There really is no basic medical advice for tinnitus. It's early and yours could fade. I would try not to do stressful things and definitely keep things on the low key until you can figure this out. Please keep your cool about it.

 

May I ask if you have had a history of loud noise exposure, loud music, loud headphones, factory work, concerts, motorcycles?

 

Your tinnitus is probably somatic.