Can Bone Conduct Sound from One Ear to the Other?

[Padraigh Griffin]

Will keep it simple. I have myogenic tinnitus. I had both tendons cut in one ear and it resolved issues.

However, it 'feels' like sound is travelling through my chin/cheekbones to the other ear.

I know for sure my ossicles are vibrating in the unoperated ear.

My question is simple and I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge to share.

Can constant vibrations creating sound in one ear be conducted through the skull to the other ear where the cochlea can pick it up?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Padraigh Griffin]

Anyone? I've answered tons of questions on here but never seems to get opinions on mine?

 

[GoatSheep]

Will keep it simple. I have myogenic tinnitus. I had both tendons cut in one ear and it resolved issues.

However, it 'feels' like sound is travelling through my chin/cheekbones to the other ear.

I know for sure my ossicles are vibrating in the unoperated ear.

My question is simple and I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge to share.

Can constant vibrations creating sound in one ear be conducted through the skull to the other ear where the cochlea can pick it up?

Thanks in advance.

While this paper is not directly related to your condition, as it's on Ménière's, it discusses the tensor tympani and stapedius. The abstract states:

"These muscles, the tensor tympani and the stapedius, have generally been seen as serving only a secondary protective role in hearing, but in this paper they are identified as vigilant gate-keepers – constantly monitoring acoustic input and dynamically adjusting hearing sensitivity so as to enhance external sounds and suppress internally generated ones."

Middle Ear Muscle Dysfunction as the Cause of Meniere's Disease

The full paper is available as a free PDF. Hope that helps.

 

[Padraigh Griffin]

Thanks.

 

[GregCA]

Can constant vibrations creating sound in one ear be conducted through the skull to the other ear where the cochlea can pick it up?

It's not impossible for bone to conduct from one end of the head to the other: a typical bone conduction transducer setup at an audiologist consists of setting the vibration source to your forehead (another setup connects it with the mastoid part of the temporal bone, behind your ear).

 

[Padraigh Griffin]

It's not impossible for bone to conduct from one end of the head to the other: a typical bone conduction transducer setup at an audiologist consists of setting the vibration source to your forehead (another setup connects it with the mastoid part of the temporal bone, behind your ear).

Thanks. I pretty much know it's possible because when I induce rumbling of my Tensor Tympani it rumbles my whole head and particularly along the jawbone weirdly enough and the sound is picked up in the operated (lasered Tensor Tympani) ear.

I'm just looking for more information as I feel my Stapedius is constant spasm and I'm hoping that severing it will reduce the burden in both ears. I believe lasering the Stepadeius in operated ear resolved pulsatile tinnitus. The Stapedius was rhythmic in that ear and constant in the other. I will see on Wednesday next as getting second ear operated on.

I did find info from cadaveric studies online since that showed vibrating ossicles sending sound well up into the temporal bone. So all in all I guess case closed.

Thanks for replies.

 

[Matchbox]

Was your Stapedius cut too? This might also play a part.

Sound through bone can be heard in the other ear. Through air, such as a fluttering ear drum, doesn't make so much sense.

 

[AbeS]

I have no knowledge whatsoever on this, but I can share my personal experience.

I used to listen to podcasts with an earbud in only one ear and the other ear which didn't receive any sound would twitch/spasm rhythmically to the voices.

I guess I damaged my hearing in some way much earlier than I thought, as this was since like 2014.

 

[Stacken77]

I used to listen to podcasts with an earbud in only one ear and the other ear which didn't receive any sound would twitch/spasm rhythmically to the voices.

This has kinda been my experience too. While the symptom is unilateral, what can trigger the spasms can work bilaterally. I personally believe these spasms are a sign of a centralized drop in tolerance to sound. For me, if I cover either ear and listen to an uncomfortable sound, my right ear won't spasms, but if I listen with both ears, it will. It's almost like two ears is double the stimulus of one, and that's what pushes the reaction over the edge and causes a spasm.