Tennis with Tinnitus

Anyone else here play? I can't wear ear protection, it screws up my game, I feel clumsy and out of it.

Question is...is it too loud? When I hit the ball hard, it makes a pop sound that is painful to my ears, it seems to make my ear muscles tense up and get full. Is this doing damage? I don't know what I can and can not do as far as doing further damage.

Or maybe there is a ear plug that offers protection but not to the degree of of foam plugs so I can hear what is happening?

I am frustrated, I want to play sports more now than ever now that I have T but not being able to hear the game seems impossible.

 

If you have bullet shaped ear plugs such as Hearos, cut the back end approx. 3/4 off and stick the remaining cone shape tip into your ears. That should provide plenty of protection from the 'pow' sound the ball makes hitting the racket, while still giving you enough hearing to keep you balanced.
I know, it sucks to no end.
I don't think it cause "damage" to your ears, but it hurts 'cause we have hyperacusis.
A friend of mine also recommended these babies;
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032BYCWG/?tag=tinntalk-20

 

I dont think tennis should do any damage.. Maybe put cotton in your ears?

 

Hey Dan. Thanks for the tips...I actually have those exact plugs. They work great except for sports, they seem to come loose when I start to sweat.

 

Yeah I think I might try cotton, just worried about pieces coming off and getting logged in my ear. And I'm not sure they would stay in. Guess I will have to try.

Thanks

 

i say go with half plugs

 

I would love to hear if Dr Nagler has heard of these high impact exercise issues.

I have read recently that if you are doing jumping jacks, running, tennis, or bouncing your head in any way as part of your workout you should probably stop doing that because you are creating infrasound waves inside of your cochlea that could be causing more damage to your delicate cilia cells. Wearing earplugs evidently makes the infrasound worse. Infrasound occurs when the cochlea is shaken repeatedly for long durations. Normally, ears detect a noise vibration and the brain interprets the vibration as sound. However, with infrasound there is no noise stimuli. It is the fluid in the cochlea being moved back and forth due to being shaken repeatedly.

Some medical providers do not know about the infrasound phenomenon and so they generally recommend cardiovascular workouts for tinnitus patients....not sure what to think but I have quit tennis until I hear otherwise.

I have also heard for some, the bouncy, jolting movements can disrupt otoconia crystals in the inner ear, leading to ear damage such as hearing loss or tinnitus. Some exercises to avoid are football, soccer, running and volleyball.

 

Thank you for this post...I have worried about this as well. I am a big person and I can hear/feel the affects of stomping around, especially with ear plugs in. My gut has been telling me to quit even though it kills me to do so.

Very informative. Thank you again

 

Yes I hear it too when stomping or running around and it freaks me out a bit, but I still would love to hear this from a reliable source before I quit totally.
Here is a link to it

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/06/us/inner-ear-may-take-beating-from-high-impact-aerobics.html

"You might be surprised to learn that certain exercises can cause or worsen tinnitus. Through a research study, Dr. Michael I. Weintraub of the New York Medical College discovered that there may be an association between high-impact aerobics and hearing dysfunctions. The jarring of the head that occurs in high-impact aerobics causes the otoconia, calcium crystals in our ears, to be jarred out of their normal places, causing inner ear problems. If you have tinnitus, you should avoid any exercises that involve jarring movements and a lot of jumping. High-impact aerobics, running, basketball, football, soccer and volleyball should be done in moderation, if at all."

 

Tellis, I have taken the foam 3M plugs, and I cut them in half - lengthwise - so that I have two "half cylinder" ear plugs. I use them when I am on the treadmill. Not full protection, but enough to deaden the sound of a loud treadmill. Might be enough for the tennis noise.