Going to NBA Basketball Games... Risky?

[NewTDx]

I have tickets to a couple of Boston Celtics games in the next two weeks. I'm wondering if I shouldn't go.

I just did a little bit of research and evidently permanent hearing damage may occur at 85+ db(doesn't take too long I guess). I saw that sporting events average about 120-130 db. The ear plugs I have are have a rating of 32 NRR.

Evidently the plugs don't simply block out 32 db of the 130 db. There is a formula to use to arrive at actually how many db the ear plug is blocking(subtract 7 from the noise blocking device(in my case, 32), then divide by 2). In my case, 32-7= 25/2= 12.5.

So, I will be exposing myself to approx. 118 db for 3 hours! I'm a few weeks into this Tinnitus thing and staying quite positive about it.

But, I'm facing giving up long distance motorcycle riding(possibly selling 3 bikes) and now, looking at not even being able to go to a sporting event.

Am I being overly cautious or reasonable. Do people here with T avoid sporting events?

 

[fishbone]

I go to lakers games and wear musician style ear plugs and its ok. I am not advising anything, all i'm saying that those ear plugs and watching nba games are not a problem for me

 

[NewTDx]

I go to lakers games and wear musician style ear plugs and its ok. I am not advising anything, all i'm saying that those ear plugs and watching nba games are not a problem for me

At the recommendation of my son's drum teacher, he recommended Dubs ear plugs. They only have a 12 db NRR rating which translates to blocking out 2.5 db of the stadium noise. Am I wrong in saying that is not very useful and I'm better off with the cheap, 32 db NRR foam plugs?

 

[fishbone]

Get the best protection possible. Them games are loud, lakers games are loud and i would not go unless I had the best earplugs possible.

 

[NewTDx]

Get the best protection possible. Them games are loud, lakers games are loud and i would not go unless I had the best earplugs possible.

If you don't mind me asking, what NRR plugs do you use? I thought they only make them up to the mid-30's db.

 

[JurgenG]

I have tickets to a couple of Boston Celtics games in the next two weeks. I'm wondering if I shouldn't go.

I just did a little bit of research and evidently permanent hearing damage may occur at 85+ db(doesn't take too long I guess). I saw that sporting events average about 120-130 db. The ear plugs I have are have a rating of 32 NRR.

Evidently the plugs don't simply block out 32 db of the 130 db. There is a formula to use to arrive at actually how many db the ear plug is blocking(subtract 7 from the noise blocking device(in my case, 32), then divide by 2). In my case, 32-7= 25/2= 12.5.

So, I will be exposing myself to approx. 118 db for 3 hours! I'm a few weeks into this Tinnitus thing and staying quite positive about it.

But, I'm facing giving up long distance motorcycle riding(possibly selling 3 bikes) and now, looking at not even being able to go to a sporting event.

Am I being overly cautious or reasonable. Do people here with T avoid sporting events?

That NRR formula, is - I THINK- based on the fact that people use earplugs wrongly. If you use decent earplugs and use them all the time you get a real subtraction.
Even though there is a difference between highs and lows, for instance:
I got premolds with an industrial filter that rates as -27 dB, but actually it blocks - 30 in the highs and - 20 in the lows.
The higher freq are supposedly more dangerous.

 

[maltese]

For maximal procession choose foam earplugs. 'normal' foam earplugs are uncomfortable as ?#@!$ but they offer the highest attenuation among all earplugs.

IF INSERTED CORRECTLY

Roll them until they are a very thin cylinder, pinch and pull your ear upwards then insert them as deep as possible and held them untill they expand fully.


To get the same (or better) protection you would have to go with custom moulded earplugs that are very expensive.

 

[racerfish]

You're in an enclosed environment where sound has nowhere to go but bouncing off the walls with thousands of yelling people and lots of amplified sound. Everyone's tolerance level is different, but I personally wouldn't go.

 

[NimQ]

You're in an enclosed environment where sound has nowhere to go but bouncing off the walls with thousands of yelling people and lots of amplified sound. Everyone's tolerance level is different, but I personally wouldn't go.

I agree with this. 120 - 130 decibels is absolutely insane and no amount of hearing protection will compensate for that. Even if you can block out a tiny portion of the noise, most of it will go right past your earplugs via bone conduction. I wish there was a way to get - say - 60 dB of bulletproof hearing protection, but I guess it is impossible.

I always want to give an example of my own experience in these sort of topics, since I was pondering the same thing last year and made the wrong choice. I thought that my mild T that had remained the same for a long time would tolerate all sorts of events - as long as I'd wear earplugs. And it did, for four years. I didn't visit concerts very often and when I did, I always had a high quality earplugs in my ears. So yes, there are people saying "I go to loud events all the time, with earplugs I am fine" - I was one of those people before last September. I thought I didn't want to give up on going to these events and it would make my life miserable not being able to go.

What eventually DID make my life miserable was attending that one loud concert with earplugs on, only for a couple of hours. It gave me a new horrible nightmare of a reactive tinnitus, which I still battle with every day. Looking back, I wish I had understood that even a mild T is a sign that my ears cannot take loud noises and that it could get so much worse. It's basically a risk in which one evening fun compares against the wellbeing for the rest of your life. Quite dramatic, but that's how I feel about it now, looking back to that night in September when I decided to go to the concert and stayed there even when I realized it was very loud.

All in all, I understand that giving up things totally sucks. BIG TIME! Especially if attending sport events is important to you and usually it's a social occassion as well, and one really misses out. But then again, worse tinnitus robs even more things and that's when limitations really become a crippling burden. Some things may be that important that we are willing to take the risk, which is fine and everyone's own choice. I just wanted to bring this perspective into the discussion.

 

[NewTDx]

Thanks everyone for the input. I sold my tickets to todays Celtics game...I found this article on the web. The Dr. conveys in this article(below) that the db level at basketball games runs somewhere between the 70's-90's...hmm. May be I am being overcautious? I think I'll give Mass Eye and Ear tomorrow and see if I can possibly speak with the Dr. who I previously saw and ask him what he thinks about it. Very confusing, this stuff!


http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-05-29/news/0605280380_1_hearing-loss-decibel-level

 

[Elvira]

My son was invited to a New York Knicls Game. He has been hearing ringing in the ear for a couple of
Months now and waiting to see a new ENT. Do you think it is safe to go to the game wearing Eargasm
high Fidelity ear plugs?

 

[Stacken77]

My son was invited to a New York Knicls Game. He has been hearing ringing in the ear for a couple of
Months now and waiting to see a new ENT. Do you think it is safe to go to the game wearing Eargasm
high Fidelity ear plugs?

No, it is never safe at a place like that, especially not with high fidelity plugs. I'd say at least deeply inserted foam ear plugs, and ear muffs. But I'd never take the risk either way. Life is filled with quieter stuff that's more enjoyable, we just have to look for it.

Wish you well,
Stacken