At My Wits' End with Somatic Tinnitus — Do I Continue with Wasted Treatment Attempts?

Can I ask you what is so bad about hearing a sound sometimes? Is it so loud that you can hear it over everything?

 

Often times yes it’s that loud. Not constantly.

I have days with zero tinnitus. Loud tinnitus. Chirping tinnitus. Or all 3 in the same day. It’s confusing when which will come. That’s why it’s so upsetting to me. The loud spikes can wake me from sleep at 3 AM. I’m learning to sleep through them. It’s so difficult for me because I am a musician and mic engineer. I’m used to listening closely for sound details.

I have pretty bad neck pain. Doing the physical therapy for the first time tomorrow. I’m doubtful it will help, but who knows.

 

@Keith D Mitchell, with looking at your X rays and your member photo (self), you are placing posture pressure to your right side - to bones, muscles and nerves.

From thread page 1 discussion, your pelvis - either a concern or a receiver of this.

Any motor somatosensory actions relay to the brain by neural fibers from cell bodies located in the dorsal root ganglia or the trigeminal ganglion. Plus some of these fibers are also projecting to the central auditory system. This enables the somatosensory system to influence the auditory system by altering firing among neurons in the CN, inferior colliculus or auditory cortex. In this way, the somatosensory system is able to alter or increase the pitch or loudness of tinnitus.

Even without TMJ, jaw can develop a muscular somatosensory influence.

I would consider seeing a posture therapist and bring your X rays. Heat (warm) compresses to neck. There may be a day when you will need a mouth split if you don't correct side to side posture habit, or from a physical cause.

 

I went to the physical therapist yesterday that my ENT prescribed. He diagnosed me with this exact issue. He said I was a classic case of tinnitus caused by C1 and C2 misalignment from bad posture over years. He has assigned me to correct my posture. That was yesterday. So I will see what happens.

I can go from no tinnitus to severe tinnitus to mild tinnitus. All in one day. He said this is not random and that I was lucky I was sent to him as he is one of the few people that does what he does in the country. He said most ENTs don't send people to doctors like him because it's not profitable and the science isn't on the forefront of most ENTs minds after they work for 20 years. They are just following the motions.

 

Let us know how your treatment progresses.

 

Will do! I’m working first on acceptance of tinnitus. And my backup plan is this treatment. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst ya know

 

How did you make out? I'm still in the same place, wiht multiple docs trying to push Nortriptyline on me. I had one give me Cabramazepine for 5 days, which was barely enough time to see if it worked, but it seemed to help calm my ear down. But they won't give it to me again, Nortriptyline is what they want me to take.