DEFINITIONS
TINNITUS
"Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source. ... Tinnitus can be persistent and bothersome. The quality of tinnitus can also vary, with ringing, buzzing, clicking, pulsations, and other noises described by tinnitus patients" (Tunkel, et al., 2014).
In other words:
Tinnitus occurs when there is no sound present in the environment.
Tinnitus can sound like ringing, buzzing, clicking, pulsations, among others and change in volume and pitch.
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HEARING LOSS
There are three main types of hearing loss, conductive, sensorineural and mixed hearing loss. For the purposes of this website, the primary focus will be on sensorineural hearing loss which covers the sub-categories of music-induced hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss happens after damage to your inner ear hair cells and is irreversible.
You may have difficulty:
Hearing high-pitched sounds (e.g., women's and children's voices, bells, whistles)
Hearing soft sounds
Understanding speech in the presence of background noise
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For more information on hearing loss and the different types, click on the button below.
NOISE-INDUCED HEARING LOSS
This type of hearing loss is preventable and can be permanent after multiple exposures.
NIHL is a hearing deficit that begins in the higher frequencies (pitches) and develops gradually as a result of chronic exposure to excessive sound levels. (Rabinowitz, n.d.)
If you...
Have trouble understanding what people say, especially in crowded rooms;
Need to turn the volume on the TV higher, to a point that is too loud for others in the room;
Have to ask people to repeat what they said;
Are unable to hear high pitched tones (e.g., bells);
Have a history of being exposed to loud sounds (e.g., music, rock concerts, high-level amplifiers, firearms, etc.)
Then it is possible that you have a noise-induced hearing loss. With any hearing loss, it is recommended to see your Audiologist for a complete test of your hearing.
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MUSIC-INDUCED HEARING LOSS
Music Induced Hearing Loss is a type of sensorineural hearing loss resulting from damage to the hair cells within the inner ear. Once these hair cells are damaged from repeated exposure to loud sounds, they cannot "fixed."
It is important to use effective HPD's to help reduce the likelihood of early-onset MIHL.
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HEARING PROTECTION
Hearing protection devices (HPDs) can include custom earplugs created by an Audiologist, foam disposable plugs, reusable plugs, and earmuffs.
There are specific HPDs recommended for musicians to help minimize the impact on the tonal quality of music.
The golden rule is that any hearing protection is better than no hearing protection.
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Citations
Rabinowitz, P.M. (n.d.) Adapted from the American Family Physician by the American Academy of Family Physicians by Dr. Predrag M. Maksimovich, Ear, Nose and Throat - Head and Neck Surgeon. Retrieved from: http://hannaziegler.tripod.com/ent/varia/rabinowi.pdf
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Tunkel, D., Bauer, C., Sun, G.H., Rosenfeld, R.M., Chandrasekhar, S.S., Cunningham, E.R., Archer, S.M., Blakley, B.W., … Whamond, E.J., (2014). Clinical practice guidelines: tinnitus. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 15,(2S) S1-S40.