Tinnitus And You

There are many symptoms that can come from a car crash.  Many can be very painful.  Some even deadly, but there are few that can compete with the annoying level of ringing in the ears.  Ringing in the ears is scientifically known as Tinnitus.  For those that suffer from it, it can be a constant, never ending problem that doesn’t seem to have any relief in sight.

Tinnitus can be described by a low level hum to a high pitched ring in your ears that at times seems less than others, or due to your level of activity may seem completely non existent.

More serious damage that a crash victim may experience, can be temporary partial loss of hearing in one or both ears, complete permanent deafness in one or both ears, or bleeding from the ears.  All of these symptoms require a visit to a properly trained audiologist and/or ER visit.

Tinnitus from a Car Crash?

So how does that happen?  There are several different possibles.  They can range from having your head turned at the time of impact which causes your head to hit the airbag directly with your ear.  Another possible would be the intense sound of the impact, or explosion of the propellant that inflates the airbag.  Or it can also be due to the concessive force that happens with the detonation of the propellant.

A more likely possibility is with whiplash or any force to the body that causes the neck to misalign, the blood flow to the brain will be altered.  If the inner ear or hearing center of the brain doesn’t receive the proper oxygen levels due to constriction of the vertebral arteries, the brain’s center for hearing may create the Tinnitus.

Whatever the cause of the ringing, getting it fixed is the most important step to take.  To get it corrected may require a few different types of treatments and/or physicians. If the damage to ear is a result of direct impact with the air bag, or even with the concussive shock waves, then an audiologist may be the first step of correction.  If it is due to a misalignment of the spine, then Dr. Andersen and his staff have the right protocol to correct it.  It may even require a team approach to help you with the awful annoyance call Tinnitus.

If you are curious as to how your ringing in the ears may need to be corrected if you have been involved in a crash, please contact our office.  Call 435-674-7515 and we’ll take care of the rest.