Searching for the Root Cause of My Tinnitus Which Started After Putting Pinky in My Ear Canal

Hello,

I make this topic to try and list everything I possibly can to determine the root cause of my tinnitus and hopefully prevent worsening it or even get rid of it.

My tinnitus started three weeks ago. I put my pinky in my ear canal to slightly move it to relieve itch. Upon doing that and removing it, I was welcomed with a high pitch tone that felt coming slightly above my ears, inside the temporal area. I closed my other ear and realized it is happening on both ears. It has not went away, it has not increased in intensity, it slightly decreases during the day.

Facts before the incident: I have been abusing q tips. I have never had my ears wax removed since my teenage years. My ear canals have been itching a lot. I would rarely have very mild liquid coming out of my ear canals. I have had discomfort on my jaw, especially right under my zygomatic arch and I’m diagnosed with TMJ with no cartilage wear. I have had slight discomfort of aural fullness, mostly when sleeping. Morning dizziness for a few seconds, a lot of neck discomfort, shoulder discomfort and a general intolerance to very loud sounds, specifically motorbikes and forks/spoons hitting together. I had two incidents of tinnitus for one-two seconds upon abruptly leaning my head on the side, a loud pitch noise. I have not had any pain.

Facts after the incident:

1) ENT tests were performed and show zero hearing loss, almost equal ability to detect sound on both ears on various frequencies, slight hyperacusis on higher frequencies, double the desired pressure in my middle ear, very clean nostrils, ear drum slightly tired but healthy, assuming no ear damage whatsoever.

2) Medications were used at the end of first week, cortisone pills for a week, three pills a day for two days, then two a day for two days and then one a day for two days. There was no alteration in tinnitus.

3) Physiotherapy sessions were done, from the end of week one till now. One physiotherapist performed treatment on my neck, traps and shoulders using mostly lasers. They seem to slightly alter the pitch when placed on my c1 and c2. Another physiotherapist performed manual release on the back of my c1, c2, lower jaw and mandible. The tinnitus was completely gone for a few minutes. Slightly opening my mouth and pushing my jaw to the left for fifteen repetitions results in my Eustachian tubes popping upon opening my mouth wide, when they previously wouldn’t.

4) MRI was done on my neck, showing three slight herniated discs but no c1 or c2 issues and no atlas dislocation or something severe. I’ll upload everything later.

5) MRI on my head is not done yet but I have it planned to show a clearer image of the Eustachian tubes, pinched nerves etc because one physiotherapist claims it probably is that. Upon lying in bed turning on my right side caused the tinnitus to disappear for a minute. Lying in my bed on my back, depending on my neck position, I had two incidents of a much louder, high pitch ring that went away in a second, one incident of a weird hollow sound and one where my ear drum felt like a constant spasm, all went away within two seconds.

6) I have read that tinnitus can result from a plethora of reasons. From hyperacusis itself, from ETD itself, from TMJ, cervical issues, muscle issues, ear infection and of course more severe cases from noise-induced and tumors. I try to rule out each so that I can narrow it down to one.

Mine seems to be somatic as I have no hearing loss or an incident of trauma. I do have ETD which has greatly improved after I stopped clenching, keeping my tongue up to my palate and eating soft foods. I do have TMJ, which seems to be influenced by certain movements, certain release but not all and it also influences my tinnitus. I do have a straight neck with certain complications and it seems to influence the tinnitus pitch. My SCM does not seem to influence it directly but neck movements result in slight pitch alteration stemming more from a change in aural fullness than actual pitch. In fact it feels like blood circulation change and so does the tinnitus at that particular moment. Pressure in the occipital area has been greatly reduced as well upon resting more and using neck support in the form of a yoga roll in my lower neck when asleep. It has not changed the tinnitus. I have had slight pain inside my ears during the first days with more profound ETD, as ETD has decreased the slight pain has also disappeared. ETD seems to be influenced by my neck position and gravity, also the tension under my zygomatic arch and the mandible does the same. If I put muscle tension on my ears to create a hollow sound / sensation in my ear drum, it feels better or worse depending on my Eustachian tube fullness and position (worse when lying down).

I read that tinnitus from an ear infection with or without pain can happen and last weeks, with cases or even temporary hearing loss. I read that cases of a perforated ear drum can cause tinnitus, itch and fluid coming out, until the ear drum heals itself and tinnitus is gone. I also read that hyperacusis and TTTS both go hand in hand and can be the cause of tinnitus, where you need to have a quick and careful rehabilitation to sounds in order to heal, plus if left untreated you can face noise-induced trauma. I’m reading up on TMJ which seems to be a tricky one, I have an appointment with a neurologist, neurosurgeon and physiotherapist.

Below I post some links I came across and found useful, hopefully some can relate to my story, some benefit, who knows.

TTTS

Tonic tensor tympani syndrome in tinnitus and hyperacusis patients: a multi-clinic prevalence study

Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Tonic tensor tympani syndrome (TTTS)

Acoustic Shock Disorder (ASD) and Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS) - Guide for Medical Practitioners


TMJ

Physiopedia - Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD)

Earaches/Tinnitus (Ringing)/Itch

TEMPORAL MUSCLE SYNDROME, TMS - step.es

TMJ and posture, yes it’s all connected: the chain theory of body linkage

Imaging of the temporomandibular joint: An update

Imperfect bite may cause tinnitus

Portland TMJ Clinic - TMJ Symptoms

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs): Dx, Rx, Tx, & Px

Signs and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders Related to the Degree of Mouth Opening and Hearing Loss

Association between Ear Fullness, Earache, and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders in the Elderly

Muscle Fatigue in the Temporal and Masseter Muscles in Patients with Temporomandibular Dysfunction


ETD

Eustachian Tube Problems

Middle Ear, Eustachian Tube, and Otomandibular/Craniofacial Pain

Chapter 122: Otalgia and Otorrhea

Ear Congestion Feelings

An Overlooked Cause of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJD)

Anatomy, Head and Neck, Ear Eustachian Tube


TONGUE (mewing)

Tongue dysfunction screening: assessment protocol for prescribers

The assessment of resting tongue posture in different sagittal skeletal patterns


NECK

Contribution of Cervical Spine in Temporomandibular Joint Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

Atlas Misalignments – An Overlooked Cause of TMJ Dysfunction

Is it TMJ or Upper Cervical Dysfunction?


SOMATIC TINNITUS

Somatic (somatosensory) tinnitus

Somatic Tinnitus - Dizziness & Balance.com


OTHER

10 Causes of Ear Fullness: What You Should Know

Can Digging in Your Ears Cause Tinnitus or Damage?

Why Does Amplification Sometimes Exacerbate Tinnitus?

 

I have narrowed it down to one issue and two complimentary ones. The main issue is TMJ and cranial misalignment caused by “mewing”.

The jaw issue is that by manipulating the upper palate, I created a bigger gap in my teeth as we go back to molars, which forces my teeth to close with a faulty jaw position, or not meet when the jaw position is correct. This led to muscle imbalances and pressure near my ear, also causing trouble to the Eustachian tube function. I realize it because for the past days I have been relaxing my jaw with soft food and slight manual exercise and the tubes begin to function much better. I read online that a lot of people have their tinnitus start from jaw misalignment and occlusion and get worse if left untreated, also hypothesizing that the trigeminal nerve may play a part.

The complimentary issues are stiff neck, traps and shoulders, which I take promote poor posture, further worsen the muscles in the face and under the ear, thus playing a small part in worsening or alleviating tinnitus (which would explain why somatic tinnitus sufferers mention movement as a way to manipulate their pitch). I read that unless someone has an issue with their c1 and c2, then the tinnitus isn’t caused by nerves on the neck, as the nerves don’t travel that low, so that may exclude it. I’m taking care of my shoulders and neck through electro therapy, laser and trigger point manual therapy which does help in general, I think to not aggravate it.

The second complimentary issue I think is cranial change. I know for a fact this can be done in adults, either from teeth or tongue or even posture. I did that with mewing, which I abandoned later on but the damage was done. I assume there is no way to revert things but the initial pressure it caused from bone remodeling is gone now. The skull does seem to be returning to a more “relaxed” state, especially in the forehead, slightly less in the temples and the masseters. I keep my tip of my tongue behind my upper front teeth as suggested to be the correct position and my mouth closed.

I read online that people who have successfully treated their TMDJ have reduced their tinnitus by a lot, there are discussions on Reddit, lost in time. I do not know if the trigeminal nerve plays a part and if an MRI on the head can shed light on ETD, nerves pressure / pinch or TMDJ muscle imbalances. I assume one would need to have one where they also open their mouth wide and move it, I don’t know if such a scan exists.

I realize what I have is mild tinnitus. I know that perspectives are different and that a chronic patient of severe tinnitus is looking at me right now thinking “can you just... please...” but I’ve experienced other injuries before. Unrelated to tinnitus and ears and what that taught me is that the sooner you fix it the better. I’ve read that when somatic tinnitus is due to TMJ and ETD, you need to take action or it will definitely worsen with time, which makes sense. This thing has taken away my sleep (and a few pounds) and while I understand the importance of making peace with it (for my own sanity), I still want it to know that I’ll try to get rid of it.

 

While you were putting the finger in, did you create too much air pressure (as if someone slapped you directly on your ear) and while you were pulling it out did you create vacuum/suction (as if someone kissed you directly on your ear)?

 

Exactly...

 

Q tips only do one thing: help pack ear wax deeper into the ear. They weren't designed to clean the inner ear. The only thing a person should put in their ear is their elbow.

 

Only do the head MRI if vitally needed.
Severe and intrusive tinnitus sufferer speaking.
Don't play with these things, they are loud, especially head MRIs.
Even with double protection.

 

As far as sticking your pinky in your ear is concerned, the suction created can cause a fracture of the malleus, one of the three small bones in the middle ear, which can cause various auditory issues, including tinnitus. Granted, this injury is rare, but, since the eardrum remains intact, it is easily overlooked upon routine inspection, suggesting that it happens more often than is reported.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2570479/

 

Wouldn’t that mean tinnitus only in that one ear though? Because mine happened instantly on both ears, same pitch. Plus the ENT tests showed no hearing loss at any frequency. Scary thing if it happens...

You’re right man... I had one last Friday for my neck. 30 minutes, ringing was the loudest afterwards but not louder than day one.

 

That would be easy to rule out on audiogram as your study said they had air bone gaps and evidence of conductive hearing loss.

 

Hello Greg and thank you for the reply. Yours and many other members’ posts have been eye-opening. I have been reading a lot every day.

My tinnitus is somatic. I read online that we can modulate it, so I tried today: opening my jaw as wide as possible slightly worsens it. Leaning forward a bit stretching the back of my head and turning to the left does nothing. Turning to the right worsens it substantially to a volume not worse than day one (which was the worst). Lying down to sleep on my back slightly worsens it very very slowly. I use a roll on the end of the pillow case to provide some stability and relief for my neck, it works. If, however, I force too much of an elevation and a curve there, tinnitus worsens to the worst level of day one. Before tinnitus I used to do that every night because it gave me relief, otherwise I would sleep on my stomach with my head turned and switch sides during the night, as that gave me relief too (probably due to stretching).

So, modulating tinnitus and worsening it by turning your head I read it means misalignment. Which I think I have lol.

I’m uploading my results of X-ray and MRI of the neck and the translated results, hopefully they will be of some use.

 

These are the hearing tests, one with the red line shows the pressure in the middle ear if not mistaken, the red line - according to the doctor - is where it normally should be. That was when my ET were in a bad state.

 

And holy sh*t... I had a spike an hour ago that just went away, in my right ear, the side that aggravates it as I mentioned. It went full loud siren, could hear over the tv etc. It was exactly as loud as it was the first night.

Yay, my first spike

 

It's appears that neck muscle spasms straighten your C spine and all your problems mentioned in MRI is a result from this. Progression of your straighten neck and association to your MRI notes, may indicate that a single event is responsible, but you may had back, shoulder and neck spasms beforehand. Possible actual event as cause: Lifting head from dental headset. Medical procedure or from physical therapy very possible. Jerking of head - whiplash - even minor from pulling on something - possible.

Jaw itself is probably not cause and not diseased. 60% can modulate somatic tinnitus by jaw movements. 20% from this is the jaw itself. 80% is a combination the "hanger system" of neck and jaw, but with most of this 80%, the neck primary started problems.

Some have somatic tinnitus - upper neck - C1 or with nerve fibers that enter the brain stem. Some have lower neck problems - sternocleidomastoids often have involvement, but you do have transverse process modulation noticed by turning head. I think that any SCM trauma or soft molecule tissues have healed.

I would say that this is cause of tinnitus - right transverse process of the A6 vertebra that has effect on modulating and turning head that reflects to the accessory nerve.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_nerve

Treatment: Trauma may greatly improve on it's own.
The use of moist warm and/or cool washcloth compresses behind ear, not on ear, may help.

 

Thank you Greg. I’ve been working out for the past few months, doing bench pulls, pull-ups etc, my neck was stiff, my traps would get sore and I would resort to stretches. I had an instance of tinnitus for 5-10 seconds few weeks prior, where I made a sudden neck movement to the right while lying down on my side, as if I let my head drop. It made my right side warm, gave me tinnitus in right ear. I would also get tinnitus sporadically upon stretching or sometimes randomly on both ears but I would simply close my ears with my fingers and quickly release, and tinnitus would just dissipate and go away instantly. For the past few years, due to imbalance caused by an abdominal injury, my neck felt like doing all the work. When I would get up from bed or as you said a doctors table, I would lift my head putting pressure on the back of my neck to stabilize. I think progressively that messed me up.

I’ll get right to it.

 

Lol, I’m sitting in my bed in a certain position as I’m writing this and I have absolutely zero tinnitus (ears closed, only the tunnel/silence sensation). I was on my phone, with a 10* degree of my neck to the right. It has come back now with a slight discomfort at the start of my neck / end of my upper back, as a mild hiss. I’ve noticed when I wake up I tend to have very mild tinnitus, was wondering if it’s because I don’t move my jaw, maybe because my neck’s rested for hours? This is puzzling.

Hell, I even came across an article that said a patient had tinnitus because of eye problems and never cared to wear glasses (I’m also in that boat, don’t want to wear any even though I have myopia and my eyes are in deep pain and pressure if I stay in front of a phone or computer for long).

 

Okay, I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this but I can modulate my tinnitus from a high pitch of mild nature down to nothing (and I mean nothing) by closing my ears and opening them again (using my finger to push the skin, not poke inside) quickly and repeating it a few times (which funnily enough was my way to shut tinnitus down back when it would appear for 1-2 seconds randomly on the same pitch, which no one thinks twice because they think it’s just a temp noise).

I’ve tried this a few times already. The tinnitus obviously returns in a matter of 5-10 seconds but during that time, with my ears closed in a literally empty and quiet room, it’s pure silence. Tried this standing up and lying down. I’m not hallucinating (yet).

 

I honestly have a hunch that the somatic tinnitus of many people is simply the middle ear pressure buildup that the malleus, incus and stapes are translating to that stupid same high pitch static and occasionally they will give a few different tones that subside since the pressure fluctuates despite the ET not working properly. Since most people with somatic tinnitus report no hearing loss or fluid buildup or inner ear infections but only an inexplicable ring, I think that’s the cause. In simple terms, it’s ETD and as I’ve seen through my case, someone can have it with clean nostrils and a clean Tube entrance from the nose. Whatever the cause is, it lies on the other end of the ET and the reasons behind it can be many.

I guess a test would be to try and elevate outer ear pressure to equalize with middle ear pressure and see if tinnitus goes away. I tried that and it works, for a brief moment of course and the aural fullness sensation is far from good.

I think this is closely linked to hyperacusis too.

 

@Greg Sacramento you know your stuff. Anything you can share on ETD, I’d be happy to read.

The neck issue I’m taking care of. I’ll take care of the entire core and spine too.

The jaw / muscle / ET issue though is what bothers me. I’m just guessing so far. I did one session of manual therapy and TECAR on the SCM and around it, it was awfully stiff. Tinnitus remains, doesn’t worsen, slightly better but still there.

Middle ear pressure still double what it should be, unable to pop ears when I open my mouth wide or yawn. I’m reading up on some older posts, people mention an elongated styloid process pushing the nerves, scary. I want to make a list of necessary tests to perform (MRI on head, MRA on head / inner ear, some scans for the jaw/teeth) and make a list of things to mention for them to check out (such as the styloid process one). I read about ET function tests and seems that MRI is best, including movements of the mouth while on the MRI.

I read about ET and there are two portions, one inside the bone which remains open all the time and it’s where the pressure is, and one other part that is fibrous and cartilage. Since my nostrils are clean and ENT confirmed that the entrance of the ET was clean, I assume it’s a mechanical issue, however an MRI will solve most of the questions.

There are a lot of muscles that seem to influence ET directly or indirectly by influencing the muscles responsible for its proper function.

Any help is appreciated.

 

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/styloid-process

I had talked to one person in private communication, at least a thousand times day/night for over a year. This person had everything going on and more problems were developing almost everyday. Went thru the entire list in this link, but always had the second branchial arch in mind. Finally, I mentioned to this person to talk with doctor about getting a 3D CT in a mid body area. Exam was done and a single cause with infection was found. Person then had an outpatient procedure and ET, sinuses, ear problems, jaw problems, TMJ/D, locking jaw, moving teeth, throat, neck muscle problems and severe tinnitus and hyperacusis disappeared.

Physical causes of tinnitus can be complicated and often one problem can cause others. Radiological testing, on hands tests and blood work is needed.

Radiopaedia - as in link is an excellent source for what radiological tests are needed for specific examination. The problem is that CTs have radiation and MRIs are loud. Tobhiba now has some silent MRI machines.

Most doctors, even specialists don't know how to do hands on testing with a stethoscope to listen to blood flow and sounds within veins, arteries and organs. A small stethoscope is needed and often the bell needs to be on side. Blood pressure exams need to taken in different areas of the body for comparison readings. These exams can take hours.

Get your MRA. I can only guess as to what may be your problem. Guess is leakage from herniated disc's. Or it may be your ears - from compacted wax with self treatment - Q tips. I had given you two short link articles explaining both. Did your ENT suggest a tympanometry?

 

I had a neurosurgeon and two physiotherapists look at my MRI and they all said nothing of leakage and also the neurosurgeon said that there is no way nerves are involved (trigeminal, accessory etc) as they are too deep. He said that my neck is fine, that I don’t actually have hernias but pseudohernias and that the only issue is the slight reverse curve on the top of the neck that seems to be forming and I have to fix that for preventing future problems.

ENT did a tympanometry (I assume it is), checking the ear drum and middle ear pressure. Ear drum was moving and he said no fluid is present. Pressure is double what it should be, both at the start of tinnitus on my first ENT visit and the one I made 2 days ago. Hearing was also checked, no loss at all. He checked my nostrils again and the entrance of the ET on both sides, perfectly clean. I have no pain in my ears except for a very VERY mild pain sensation sometimes inside my ear canal and slightly downward direction, kind of like a pressure related pain, it occurs if I do the Valsalva technique (which I do very lightly and tend to avoid tbh). I uploaded the tympanometry test, same results on both occasions (blue mark is where pressure should be).

I assume since the ET has a bony part, it can’t be that. I have a feeling a muscle is blocking it or the way my jaw and muscles move, the ET just doesn’t function enough. I can feel the drainage mentioned, going from ET to my throat (whenever it happens and I can force it too) so I guess my ET “kinda” work.

I’ll keep you updated and I’ve gathered all the links and info to pass on to my physiotherapist.

 

Anthony - the written notes of your radiologist include small central projection hernia of the intervertebral disc. Degeneration of the intervertebral discs. Straightening of the AMSS.

So it looks like they disagree with your radiologist. I don't have the MRI views needed to see.

As your tinnitus is mild to silent depending on movements, it could be ET process related. Or ear or anything else.

 

Yes, f*ck that neurosurgeon.

I’ll do the MRA, fix the neck per your advice and rule out things one by one until I get to the bottom of this. I’ll keep you updated and thanks for being so patient and helpful with my case. I’m reading your older posts too using the search function now

 

Came back home, had some sandwiches outside with a few friends. Bread was hard to chew. My jaw has no pain but my god the discomfort is insane, from the ear to the zygomatic down to the lower jaw as if it’s gonna explode. Tinnitus slightly up. ETD worsened slightly, can’t pop when I yawn which pisses me off and I tried a few neck+head positions to see if they pop and stretching the SCM seems to work. This is definitely gonna be annoying af to figure out. The jaw muscles and ETD are definitely a major part of this stupid ringing.