Earache and Tinnitus

[Roseanna H]

Hey everyone,

Still pretty new to the whole tinnitus thing. Was just wondering if anyone gets ear ache from time to time with their tinnitus/hyperacusis? Keep getting this dull ache, just wondering if this is simply part of it. Almost like their tired of sound or something?

 

[Champ]

My left ear has had this since a week before I even got tinnitus. It hasn't left me either. Mine is caused by a jaw issue where the jaw bone is poking out slightly (my dentist suspects its because the muscles have tensed up) causing it to interfere with the eustachian tube and middle ear. My dentist isn't sure is fixable without extreme means either.

I am very sure that my tinnitus is related to it (even though I got tinnitus through noise exposure). My right ear has improved a bit but my left ear has gotten worse.

 

[Themoon]

Hey everyone,

Still pretty new to the whole tinnitus thing. Was just wondering if anyone gets ear ache from time to time with their tinnitus/hyperacusis? Keep getting this dull ache, just wondering if this is simply part of it. Almost like their tired of sound or something?

Hi, this is a symptom of hyperacusis. It means you have to avoid loud sounds, and protect them whenever you face them. Some rest (at home, walking in the nature, some massages...) in a quiet environment to rest your ears. Do not neglect them and avoid bars, headphones, clubs, loud music, firecrackers, siren alarms etc... Keep your plugs everytime with you in your purse or your pocket and even some muffs (you have some light ones with a 21 db reducion, they are not too heavy). Take care.

 

[BuzzyBee]

@Roseanna H I'm so glad you posted this because I've been wondering the same thing. In the 6 months I've had tinnitus, I've noticed I get earaches which come on after I've been exposed to more noise than usual. For instance, I went to a choral event last night that lasted 2 hours. It wasn't super loud, but it was a louder environment than usual and sustained. Plus there was a lot of applause between numbers, and I'd cringe whenever the clapping started. I came out of the show with a very sore left ear, and it's still sore today. It also feels "tight" if that makes any sense.

This soreness happened to me a few months ago when I attended a similar event, but that time I wore earplugs and thought the earplugs had caused the soreness. So this time I had the same soreness, but with no earplugs.

I came across this link which says its caused by contraction of the tensor tympani and that just the anticipation of a loud noise or THINKING about a loud noise can cause this contraction for some people, therefore my stress and worry over being at the concert could have caused the contraction and thus the pain. Or that's how I'm interpreting this. But my big question yesterday and today was how can noise cause physical pain? And it's not like a bomb went off next to me -- it was just a choral show.

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/anatomy/ema.html

 

[Roseanna H]

@Roseanna H I'm so glad you posted this because I've been wondering the same thing. In the 6 months I've had tinnitus, I've noticed I get earaches which come on after I've been exposed to more noise than usual. For instance, I went to a choral event last night that lasted 2 hours. It wasn't super loud, but it was a louder environment than usual and sustained. Plus there was a lot of applause between numbers, and I'd cringe whenever the clapping started. I came out of the show with a very sore left ear, and it's still sore today. It also feels "tight" if that makes any sense.

This soreness happened to me a few months ago when I attended a similar event, but that time I wore earplugs and thought the earplugs had caused the soreness. So this time I had the same soreness, but with no earplugs.

I came across this link which says its caused by contraction of the tensor tympani and that just the anticipation of a loud noise or THINKING about a loud noise can cause this contraction for some people, therefore my stress and worry over being at the concert could have caused the contraction and thus the pain. Or that's how I'm interpreting this. But my big question yesterday and today was how can noise cause physical pain? And it's not like a bomb went off next to me -- it was just a choral show.

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/anatomy/ema.html

Yeh, it is such a strange thing, this ear problem. It has alot of ups and downs and twists to it. It seems so unpredictable. And because it is, i can get awfully worried about it. The earache has gone off again now. It comes and goes. It must be due to my hypercausis, as my ears find alottt of sounds uncomfortable alot of the time, so i guess they get tired of it after a while and so they ache yeh 6 months, your pretty new to this too, how was yours caused? Thanks for the reply

 

[BuzzyBee]

I'm new to the joys of tinnitus, but the fullness and fluid-filled-feeling started about 10 years ago. The doctors couldn't figure out what it was, but thought maybe it was due to a perforated eardrum which I'd had since I was a kid. I went in to get the perforation closed (routine typanoplasty) and they found a giant cholesteatoma wrapped around the incus and malleus. Two surgeries later, they took out the cholesteatoma and two ear bones. The doctor also did what's called a radical canal wall down mastoidectomy which opened up the ear canal so that the doctors can watch for regrowth in routine office visits. So now I have to keep the ear dry and get it cleaned by an otologist every 6 months. Despite all that trauma, the hearing loss never bothered me. It wasn't until 6 months ago when I got a little ear infection that the tinnitus started. I was also getting a dental implant at the time and for the past 2 years have had a lot of tooth and mouth pain, so who knows? Maybe it's actually TMJ.

But doctors still haven't explained to me that icky fullness feeling. Even after the cholesteatoma was removed, it still comes and goes. I also feel like my middle ear is full of fluid sometimes.

 

[SilverSpiral]

Hey everyone,

Still pretty new to the whole tinnitus thing. Was just wondering if anyone gets ear ache from time to time with their tinnitus/hyperacusis? Keep getting this dull ache, just wondering if this is simply part of it. Almost like their tired of sound or something?

Since you describe as a "dull ache" it may be symptomatic of whats more commonly called ear fatigue, or hearing fatigue, and it is increased by lowered tolerance to sound from hyperacusis.

 

[Roseanna H]

Since you describe as a "dull ache" it may be symptomatic of whats more commonly called ear fatigue, or hearing fatigue, and it is increased by lowered tolerance to sound from hyperacusis.

Yes, i would say they do feel kinda fatigued. Increased by lowered tolerance? Not sure if i could have lowered my tolerance to hypercausis. Can that happen? I thought things could only get better over time with hypercausis?

 

[SilverSpiral]

Yes, i would say they do feel kinda fatigued. Increased by lowered tolerance? Not sure if i could have lowered my tolerance to hypercausis. Can that happen? I thought things could only get better over time with hypercausis?

I just mean that people with hyperacusis have a lowered tolerance to sound, so they get ear/hearing fatigue easier, and sometimes pain.

 

[Oabmarcus]

I find that a warm press and/or infra-red light that warms the ear helps me to soothe the pain.