Tinnitus is, medically speaking, a fascinating condition, because everyone who experiences it experiences it differently: different frequencies, different volumes, ringing, buzzing or whistling—the variations of tinnitus are seemingly endless. We can broadly sort tinnitus into a few different subtypes, which can help narrow down the cause and best course of management for each case. Here are those subtypes.
Subjective Tinnitus
By far the most common type, subjective tinnitus is when you are the only person who can hear the noise in your ears. This happens because your brain is generating the sound itself, rather than perceiving it from elsewhere. There are many reasons your brain may perceive noise that isn’t there, but the most common reason is that it knows it should be receiving more auditory information from the ears, but isn’t, so it’s attempting to fill in the gaps.
There are a few specific types of tinnitus that fall under the “subjective” category.
Sensory Tinnitus
Sensory tinnitus can occur with certain neurological disorders that may impair the auditory system. Sensorineural hearing loss and Ménière’s disease are the two most common of these neurological disorders that are associated with sensory tinnitus. Given the prominence of both sensorineural hearing loss and Ménière’s disease, it follows that sensory tinnitus is the most common subtype of subjective tinnitus.
Somatosensory Tinnitus
Also known as somatic tinnitus, somatosensory tinnitus is associated with body movement and touch. Since this is a type of subjective tinnitus, the noise is generated within the brain, and it is triggered when you move, touch or otherwise influence certain parts of your body. For example:
- Moving your eyes
- Working your jaw
- Flexing your fingers
- Touching your face
- Pressure or pain in your neck
- Temperature changes
Musical Tinnitus
While tinnitus is most often thought of as “ringing in the ears,” some people experience musical hallucinations, a form of tinnitus where one hears melodies, music or songs that aren’t present. This type of tinnitus is rare, but it does give a whole new meaning to “I have a song stuck in my head.”
Objective Tinnitus
Unlike subjective tinnitus, objective tinnitus comes from a sound that does have a physical source, although it would probably require a stethoscope or other medical instrument for someone else to hear it as you do. The sounds of objective tinnitus are generated inside your body, usually related to the muscular or vascular (blood) systems. Some things that may cause objective tinnitus include:
- Aneurysm
- Muscle spasms
- Circulatory issues such as high blood pressure
Pulsatile Tinnitus
Pulsatile tinnitus is a specific subtype of objective tinnitus where the sound you hear is in time with your heartbeat. You’re hearing the sound of blood pumping through the arteries in and around your ear. Pulsatile tinnitus is often described as a “whooshing” sound. This type of tinnitus is closely associated with cardiovascular and circulatory system conditions.
Diagnosing Which Type of Tinnitus You Have
Determining the cause and subtype of your tinnitus is the main goal of a tinnitus evaluation. Your audiologist will ask you various questions about your medical history, lifestyle and other auditory symptoms to assess which subtype of tinnitus you may be experiencing. They’ll also perform some auditory examinations to view the inner structures of your ear, as that could also help indicate which type of tinnitus you have.
Knowing what kind of tinnitus you have can inform the cause and how you treat it, so knowing the subtype is critical. If you’re ready to take action on your tinnitus, call us today to make an appointment.