Can These Jaw and Neck Muscles Make Your Tinnitus Way Worse?

[Sodlin]

Hi! I have had tinnitus for around 15 years. Over the years, I have noticed that it varies between a high pitched "IIIIIIII" sound and a hissing sound. I also experience other sounds, like a more monotone "EEEEEEEE," which I can reduce for about 30 seconds if I yawn excessively. Yawning seems to spike the "EEEEEEEE" while I yawn, but when I stop, it more or less disappears for about 30 seconds.

Here is my question! If I take my knuckles and press on the blue area right behind my earlobe, the hissing completely stops, and I hear a loud "IIIIIIII" instead. When I release the pressure, the "IIIIIIII" goes away, and the hissing returns. The same thing happens if I move my jaw forward, the hissing gets louder, or if I move my jaw inward, which makes the hissing disappear but causes the "IIIIIIII" to intensify.

Looking at a muscle diagram, I can see that both the jaw muscle and the neck muscle connect at the exact point I can manipulate my tinnitus.

I just wanted to share this in case anyone has had a similar experience or found something helpful. I can also manipulate my tinnitus by "looking over my shoulder," which causes the "IIIIIIII" to get louder while the hissing disappears. Similarly, stretching my neck by pressing upward under my jaw makes the hissing louder.

 

[faithup]

Hello,

Last week, I was testing to see if my tinnitus could be classified as somatic tinnitus. During this process, I discovered a specific area where I could reduce the sound of my tinnitus. I believe my ringing has two layers: one caused by noise exposure damage and the other likely related to somatic factors.

I found two helpful videos on YouTube by Dr. Jay Hobbs, where he explains somatic tinnitus and demonstrates how to test for it by pressing on certain muscles. According to his research, if the sound is reduced by applying pressure to these areas, it indicates somatic tinnitus.

I hope this information helps.

Best regards,
Alex

 

[Sodlin]

Hello,

Last week, I was testing to see if my tinnitus could be classified as somatic tinnitus. During this process, I discovered a specific area where I could reduce the sound of my tinnitus. I believe my ringing has two layers: one caused by noise exposure damage and the other likely related to somatic factors.

I found two helpful videos on YouTube by Dr. Jay Hobbs, where he explains somatic tinnitus and demonstrates how to test for it by pressing on certain muscles. According to his research, if the sound is reduced by applying pressure to these areas, it indicates somatic tinnitus.

I hope this information helps.

Best regards,
Alex

Yes, I know I have some "damage" (even though hearing tests don't show it) since I developed tinnitus and made it worse through some acoustic traumas. However, because I can modulate it so much, it feels like there's also a significant somatic component to it!