Tinnitus and the Vascular System?

Hi Dr Nagler!

I know that the auditory system is highly vascularized... with that being said, I think I may have had an acute vascular insufficiency two weeks ago from some intense stretching and I've had tinnitus ever since. Does the theory of the cause of my tinnitus sound plausible? Is there anything I can do now about my tinnitus besides habituation, masking, etc? Thank you so so much for your time! I look forward to hearing back from you.

 

Hi Ashley. Thank you for your question.

It is hard for me to make an argument for acute vascular insufficiency as an etiology for tinnitus in the absence of other significant neurological symptomatology.

Since you have had tinnitus for two weeks now, I think your first step should be to see an ENT or otologist to see if a likely cause can be identified and addressed.

I think it is premature to be thinking in terms of habituation-based approaches. Regarding your sound environment, try to avoid the extremes - silence and loud noise. No need to purposely mask your tinnitus, but keeping some softer sounds in the background can help take the edge off while your brain is trying to figure out what's what.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Stephen Nagler