Being unable to escape from the constant or recurring noise in your head that happens when you have tinnitus can drive you to distraction. If you're in despair because you can't get any rest from tinnitus, ENT and Allergy Specialists of Western PA can help. Its skilled otolaryngologists determine the cause of your condition and use the most advanced treatments to help give you some peace. To find relief from tinnitus, call the practice's office in Sewickley, Beaver/Vanport Township, Seven Fields, or Ohio Valley in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, today or schedule a consultation online.
Tinnitus is a hearing issue where there are sounds in your ears, but they have no external source. You might hear ringing, roaring, whistling, or squealing that comes and goes repeatedly or is there all the time.
Some people with tinnitus get pulsing or beating noises in their ears, and in a few cases, tinnitus affects hearing. Pulsatile tinnitus is where you hear sounds in your ears that are the same as your pulse or heartbeat and could point to cardiovascular problems.
Tinnitus isn't a specific disease but a symptom of a problem with the way your hearing's working. Primary tinnitus means there's no clear cause of the sounds you hear, whereas, with secondary tinnitus, there's an identifiable problem with your ears.
There are various reasons why you might develop tinnitus, including:
Overexposure to noise, like heavy machinery or excessively loud music, is the most common way to damage the ear's sensory hair cells. Certain medications can also damage them.
Tinnitus is more likely to affect you as you get older or if you suffer from conditions such as fatigue, insomnia, depression, or anxiety.
If your tinnitus began less than six months ago, it might get better on its own. However, when tinnitus is severe or becomes a chronic problem, you should consult the ENT and Allergy Specialists of Western PA team.
They make every effort to determine the cause of your tinnitus if it's possible to do so. Treating any underlying conditions should resolve your tinnitus, so you might need to undergo earwax removal for excess or impacted earwax or take antibiotics for a bacterial infection. Small acoustic neuromas are treatable with stereotactic radiation therapy or radiosurgery.
Another possible approach to treating tinnitus is sound therapies, which use specialized ear-level maskers or background music to disguise the tinnitus noise. You might benefit from wearing hearing aids that also have built-in ear-level maskers, and should tinnitus seriously affect your quality of life, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could be helpful.
If tinnitus is causing you distress, find out how to put an end to the constant noise in your ears by calling ENT and Allergy Specialists of Western PA or book an appointment online today.
