@Sydnears, I've made significant progress in understanding my tinnitus. I may have had an underlying ear infection, or possibly C1 to C3 cervical spine degeneration. However, I think the main triggering factor for me is neck strain. Specifically, I believe strain of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the right side, along with the upper trapezius muscles from forward head tilt, is causing inflammation and sending abnormal nerve signals into the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN).
As I understand it now, my tinnitus is:
130 Hz low-frequency unilateral hyper-reactive tinnitus with residual inhibition, stemming from cervical, TMJ, and SCM muscle strain, as well as other somatic causes of DCN overstimulation.
The hyperactive part means that after I hear low-frequency noise—whether it's from the car engine or the shower—my tinnitus spikes for about 5 to 10 minutes afterward. This isn't the cause itself, but a trigger. If you experience this after driving, try opening the windows during the same drive and see if the effect changes.
This hyperactive component is documented in some of the research I cite below.
The reason I know (or think I know) so much now is because I've been using artificial intelligence to help diagnose and manage my tinnitus, specifically Grok.
Here are some of the articles it recommended:
- The Role of Somatic Inputs from the Temporomandibular Joint and Cervical Spine in Tinnitus Perception, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2019
- Low-Frequency Noise Exposure and Its Impact on Somatic Tinnitus in Patients with Cervical and Temporomandibular Dysfunction, Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 2020
- Clinical Outcomes of Neck Stretches in Somatic Tinnitus, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 2019
- Cervical Traction Effects on Somatic Tinnitus, Spine, 2016
- Inflammation and Tinnitus Severity, Otology & Neurotology, 2018
- Stress and Cortisol in Tinnitus Aggravation, Frontiers in Neurology, 2018
- Forward-Head Posture and Somatic Tinnitus, Frontiers in Neurology, 2020
- Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Fasting, Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2018
- Postural Correction and Tinnitus Reduction, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 2019
- Eustachian Tube Dysfunction in Tinnitus Patients, Otology & Neurotology, 2019
If you have something similar and make further progress, please post back here and let me know. I also tried making another post on my profile, but I'm not sure I did it correctly. Maybe we can figure this out together. Good luck.
This regimen is working for me. After swimming, I usually get between 4 and 6 hours of quiet on average. I've been tracking this for the past 30 weekdays, with the exception of the last two days where I may have had some extra neck strain.
"Regimen" Cure:
As I understand it now, my tinnitus is:
130 Hz low-frequency unilateral hyper-reactive tinnitus with residual inhibition, stemming from cervical, TMJ, and SCM muscle strain, as well as other somatic causes of DCN overstimulation.
The hyperactive part means that after I hear low-frequency noise—whether it's from the car engine or the shower—my tinnitus spikes for about 5 to 10 minutes afterward. This isn't the cause itself, but a trigger. If you experience this after driving, try opening the windows during the same drive and see if the effect changes.
This hyperactive component is documented in some of the research I cite below.
The reason I know (or think I know) so much now is because I've been using artificial intelligence to help diagnose and manage my tinnitus, specifically Grok.
Here are some of the articles it recommended:
- The Role of Somatic Inputs from the Temporomandibular Joint and Cervical Spine in Tinnitus Perception, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2019
- Low-Frequency Noise Exposure and Its Impact on Somatic Tinnitus in Patients with Cervical and Temporomandibular Dysfunction, Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 2020
- Clinical Outcomes of Neck Stretches in Somatic Tinnitus, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 2019
- Cervical Traction Effects on Somatic Tinnitus, Spine, 2016
- Inflammation and Tinnitus Severity, Otology & Neurotology, 2018
- Stress and Cortisol in Tinnitus Aggravation, Frontiers in Neurology, 2018
- Forward-Head Posture and Somatic Tinnitus, Frontiers in Neurology, 2020
- Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Fasting, Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2018
- Postural Correction and Tinnitus Reduction, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 2019
- Eustachian Tube Dysfunction in Tinnitus Patients, Otology & Neurotology, 2019
If you have something similar and make further progress, please post back here and let me know. I also tried making another post on my profile, but I'm not sure I did it correctly. Maybe we can figure this out together. Good luck.
This regimen is working for me. After swimming, I usually get between 4 and 6 hours of quiet on average. I've been tracking this for the past 30 weekdays, with the exception of the last two days where I may have had some extra neck strain.
"Regimen" Cure:
- Keep your head up—don't look down at your phone, even briefly
- Maintain good posture throughout the day
- Do neck stretches to loosen muscles
- Do neck exercises to strengthen muscles
- Massage the neck, shoulders, and jaw
- Chew only on the left side
- Swim regularly (40 laps a day)
- Use a sonic toothbrush
- Take Magnesium, CoQ10, multivitamins, and Vitamin D
- Take cold showers
- Practice fasting (avoid chewing and looking down at your plate)
- Follow a low-carb, low-sugar, low-sodium, low-gluten, low-fat diet
- Include garlic, ginger, and turmeric in meals
- Drive with the car window down
- Extremely limit phone use
