Is This Hearing Test (Air Conduction / Bone Conduction) Risky for People with Tinnitus?

[Jon R.]

I asked a local audiologist about having a hearing test. They said they offer a basic and full one. Below is what they replied. What concerned me was the term "air conduction" and "bone conduction", hopefully this isn't any sort of Tympanometry or LDL test?

"A screening test is 4 frequencies via air conduction/ headphones on each ear . A full hearing test is all 8 frequencies via air conduction and then bone conduction on 3 or 4 frequencies as required so if there is a hearing loss we can tell if sensory neural or conductive."​

Anyone know if this test is safe for tinnitus?

Thanks.

 

[Matchbox]

Yes, imo it's very safe. An Acoustic Reflex test is NOT.

 

[Jon R.]

Thanks. So bone conductive and air conductive tests are okay?

Any idea what "all 8 frequencies" means?

 

[Kriszti]

Any idea what "all 8 frequencies" means?

During a standard pure tone hearing test not all frequencies are tested, only certain ones up to 8000 Hz. Your hearing at 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz are normally examined. With bone conduction, probably less. You will hear pure tones in each of your ear and you have to show by raising your hand or by pushing buttons when you start to hear the tone. I consider it safe. Avoid reflex test and be careful about loudness discomfort test.

Air conduction testing is carried out by a headphone placed on your ear, with bone conduction one a headphone like device is placed on a bone behind your ears. Audiologists look for conductive or sensorineural or mixed hearing loss.

Conductive means that a problem is in your outer or middle ear, sensorineural means that probably your inner ear or your auditory nerve is affected. (Correct me if I'm mistaken.)

I would avoid any loud testing, but this one I consider pretty safe.

If you are interested, you can search the forum or Google for audiograms to see how they look like.

 

[Jon R.]

Thanks. Just to clarify. If I have a bone conductive test and it is very different from my air conductive test, that means I have an inner ear or auditory nerve issue? I presume it is worse to have an issue with the nerves/inner ear?

Below is the air one done the other day, they didn't do a bone one sadly.

 

[Matchbox]

Thanks. Just to clarify. If I have a bone conductive test and it is very different from my air conductive test, that means I have an inner ear or auditory nerve issue? I presume it is worse to have an issue with the nerves/inner ear?

Below is the air one done the other day, they didn't do a bone one sadly.

View attachment 45509

It isn't great but it isn't bad eiter, looks like you have a noise notch and normal losses in high frequencies.

Without more tests or bone conduction this says you can hear.

Pretty much anything with inner ears, conductive or not, tends to be bad unless there was a clear traumatic event that made an air bone gap, those are more successful.