Somatic Tinnitus

Hello everyone,

I am just wondering if anyone has similar symptoms of tinnitus where you can push your jaw left and right and other directions and moderate the sound?

If so, have you tried a chiropractor or other treatment? Have you had any success?

Hope you are all okay

James

 

If I clench my jaw and push my lower teeth forward against my upper teeth my tinnitus gets significantly louder and more shrill. Anyone know what that means?

 

My tinnitus started after an ear infection in left ear, a week or two later went to right ear too. Tinnitus in both ears but when I try to pull mucus from my sinuses to spit it out it spikes or modulates the tinnitus 10x in my left ear. Same as when I twist my neck to the right only, press on my sinuses and top of head, and yawn.

My tinnitus wasn’t a random onset as it began with a cause but now I’m curious, does anyone else have somatic symptoms with tinnitus but not a somatic root cause?

Can anybody modulate their tinnitus or just people with TMJ or neck problems? Thank you

 

That is the 100,000$ question!
I often suspect that my somatic phenomena and observations probably already existed before I got my hissing tinnitus.....
Note: I cannot improve my tinnitus by somatic influence, - only worsen it.

 

Hello all. I may be confusing myself on a topic so I wanted clarification.

My tinnitus started exactly months ago now. It is around the 14000 Hz range in the left ear. I can modulate it by moving my jaw in various ways along with moving my neck. My OAE was referred at 6 kHz and 8 kHz but my word recognition was perfect and all results were the same for both ears.

My question or confusion is this. Can you have acoustic or hearing loss type of tinnitus and it also be somatic? Mainly if your hearing is due to some traumatic acoustic event, can it be somatic?

For the record I never was able to lock down why I have tinnitus.

Thanks as always!

 

Thank you very much for linking to this PDF.

I'm having a sternocleidomastoid muscle that's either bruised or torn a little off.
Is there anyone who could maybe answer my question?
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...have-a-torn-sternocleidomastoid-muscle.28749/

 

When I tighten the muscles of my neck, it makes me hear my tinnitus louder. It also happens when I open my mouth wide.

Does it happen to you too? Do you have any information about it?

I'm 20 and I don't know why I have tinnitus (I woke up one day with a wax plug and tinnitus, but I also have a cervical contracture since some years) so I would appreciate your answers.

 

So just like everyone here I am also poking and moving body parts to see what modulates my tinnitus. I recently discovered that pushing my forehead up and down modulates my tinnitus. I also noticed that when I push on my cheek on the side where my tinnitus is I can modulate it.

This in addition to being able to modulate it by moving my head / neck.

I guess I am just surprised with my new findings and kinda looking to get others experiences with it.

Thanks!!!

 

I can modulate tinnitus by massaging my forehead.

 

There's a number of different conditions of the ears, head, jaw and neck that can connect to forehead modulation. Most of the time it's dehydration that can go hand in hand with understandable hypertension. Other reasons are sinusitis or a common cold. For older people it may be associated with tight neck muscles, aging disc or dental which will happen with age. Modulation of the forehead is more connected to middle or older age.

A test is to drink a recommended amount of water and to eat (some) food that contains iron. Overall there usually isn't much to worry about by being able to modulate the forehead. Yearly blood work should be a consideration for red blood cell analysis and vitamin levels for all adults.

 

@annV

Hooray...another person who can do the same !!!
Not mentioned this to date as it seemed a bit odd.
When mine is hissing if I massage the skin on my forehead and scalp it changes both the pitch and volume.
I can get it whizzing around like an annoying wasp.
No idea what it means ??
But always bee sure mine is jaw and neck related.

 

I get enough water that’s for sure. It’s all I drink.

I have been seeing a chiropractor but also starting acupuncture and massage therapist (w/ reiki) to focus on my neck etc as it’s gets tight frequently due to sitting at a desk all day.

 

The confusion lies in that, generally speaking Tinnitus is either Somatic or Non-Somatic in origin, which is separate from being able to be influence it from the somatosensory system. You can absolutely have hearing loss related T, yet be able to modulate it through your somatosensory inputs. All this means in reality is that additional sensory inputs impact your T. That is pretty much it.

 

When I go to crack my neck, you know bending it to each side, my tinnitus changes and gets louder for that brief moment. What's up with that?

I do have messed up shoulders, neck and jaw...

 

This is common, mine does the same thing and I wish I knew why. Seems like some wires are crossed. I can actually make mine stop for a split second turning my head to the side- it quickly resumes though

 

@JuneStar you may want to look into physical therapy for your neck issues. After a few sessions with a qualified therapist the symptoms lessen quite a lot. As a side note do not mention tinnitus if you get a referral from your doctor which should make your health insurance pay for the treatments.

 

@JuneStar Hi June, glad to know that you improving, told ya would.
You're just getting gas bubbles in your facet joints that release sounds. Probably from ligaments and tension because your muscles are too tight. If there's no pain then don't worry.

 

I see a chiropractor (she's also a friend) who is excellent and the last treatment I had she really helped. She said my neck and shoulders are messed up and my jaw is so tense!

 

so weird, right?

 

it is, but SOOOO slowly. I went to Walmart and didn't hear it at all. I did, however, hear the sound of my soul being sucked out of my body. (cause....Walmart)

 

@Greg Sacramento I did not know that fact. Thanks.

 

same with me, it also makes it louder when I open my jaws wide.

 

Since there is no "somatic tinnitus" topic in the Research News section, I posted this article in this thread.

Diagnostic Criteria for Somatosensory Tinnitus: A Delphi Process and Face-to-Face Meeting to Establish Consensus

Source: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2331216518796403
Or see attached file

 

My theory: this is caused by the location of the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII) next to the facial nerve (VII).




Then the facial nerve passes very close to the hinge of the jaw.




There are many other nerves in this area also, but I think symptoms of somatic tinnitus (jaw movement) are electric punctures between facial nerve and damaged vestibulocochlear nerve because only they are placed next to each other (trigeminal is also near VII but not as VII.


Who agrees?

 

All these pictures and information.. I think I'm in heaven.

Gives me so much hope, that there might be something to reduce the volume.

Maybe even eliminate it. You never know do you?

My tinnitus has all kind of jaw/face/neck contortions that affect it. Recently I have found a massage therapist that really knows what she is doing and specializes in it. She does a lot of intra oral work and work on my SCM. I have been going for a month and my tinnitus has never been at such as sustained low. I live in the Boston area, I'd be happy to refer anyone. I just found them through trial and error searching. I am hopeful for once that I may have found something that works for me

 

I have tinnitus that is affected by all kinds of contortions and pressure. I recently found a massage therapist who really knows how to treat it and have been having some excellent sustained results. She focuses on the intra-oral and SCM trigger points. It's very specific and usually painful, but I have had several week now of the lowest sustained tinnitus since I developed it more than a year ago. Although i have regular massage for sports type stuff, this is very specialized. I have been trying dozens of therapists and this one really seems to understand the musculature and how to treat it. I'd say my perception of the sound is about half on average, sometime receding to almost nothing.

(as always, time will tell, but even if I only had a month of placebo benefit, I'll take it)

 

Me too. I think it's so common it's normal for people with T

 

Hello,

I have tinnitus at my left ear (acoustic trauma, gun shot). But when I turn my head left my tinnitus increases. Not when I turn my head to right, only happens when to left.

Why could it be? Does anyone have any idea?

Thanks.

 

You mean the left hand side of your head. Think it's somatic (?) tinnitus.

Best advice? Possibly because it's all wired up to your nervous system etc so Don't push the left hand side of your head.

 

Mine is the same. Try not to do what I did and become obsessed about changing your T by clenching your jaw or pushing on your head. I do this all the time to try and get my T to stop and have become a bit OCD about it