Is There Any Relation Between Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Ear Pain?

[bwspot]

Hello,
Thx again for all the support. I hope you are doing well and happy again after the recent spike you experienced.

This Friday it will be exact 1 year since my tinnitus started. Somehow I survived but I wish it would be gone. I am slowly realizing that this is for life.

Over that one year period I noticed that when my ears are stimulated by sounds in the range where I have 30db loss in high frequency (12khz) I feel little pain or pinching like sensation in my bad ear. It usually goes away after few days or when I rest my ears in quiet places. The music I listen to is not loud. (60-70db or less). I don't know if it is me searching for the high frequency sounds that causes the pain or this is normal and expected behavior of tinnitus? I feel like the ear is struggling to receive the sound and it sends me a signal to stop listening. Sorry if this does not make sense but I would like to hear your opinion.

Does tinnitus causes any ear pain? Can hearing loss be perceived as pain when ears are stimulated by frequency where there is hearing loss? Is the perceived pain just a phantom pain?

Thank you

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Thx again for all the support. I hope you are doing well and happy again after the recent spike you experienced.

I'm just great. Thank you for asking. Somebody recently corrected me in that what I had been calling a "spike" was actually a permanent increase in my tinnitus. But I very rapidly habituated to it as I discussed at:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/follow-up-on-techniques-protocol-you-used-to-re-habituate.8724/

This Friday it will be exact 1 year since my tinnitus started. Somehow I survived but I wish it would be gone. I am slowly realizing that this is for life.

Well, even if you have tinnitus for life, you do not have to suffer for life. I sure don't. I used to, but I don't any more.

Over that one year period I noticed that when my ears are stimulated by sounds in the range where I have 30db loss in high frequency (12khz) I feel little pain or pinching like sensation in my bad ear. It usually goes away after few days or when I rest my ears in quiet places. The music I listen to is not loud. (60-70db or less). I don't know if it is me searching for the high frequency sounds that causes the pain or this is normal and expected behavior of tinnitus?

I have learned over the years that there really is no such thing as the "normal and expected behavior of tinnitus." Indeed, the only predictable thing about tinnitus is its unpredictability.

Does tinnitus causes any ear pain?

No. Tinnitus is a sound. And moreover, it is a sound that cannot possibly be loud enough to cause pain. It can be incredibly loud, no doubt, but it cannot be loud enough to cause pain.

Can hearing loss be perceived as pain when ears are stimulated by frequency where there is hearing loss?

No.

Is the perceived pain just a phantom pain?

That would depend on the cause of the pain, but - as I mentioned above - tinnitus does not cause pain. If you have tinnitus and pain, then in my opinion, you should have a thorough evaluation to identify the cause of the pain ... because it isn't your tinnitus.

Thank you

You are most welcome.

Dr. Stephen Nagler