How To Improve Hearing Loss Due To Nerve Damage
Once your nerve got damaged or weakened, it difficult to recover. Hearing impairment caused by the damage to the nerve that takes the signals to your brain.
Hearing devices not restore the deafness and also not heal the progress of hearing impairment. It will only help people to communicate with others. People have to motivate the patient of hearing loss. Encourage the patient to always wearing hearing aids and also tell them its not the end of their hearing.
You can purchase the latest hearing aids at a fair price through HearingSol, If you need more information or you have a query about Nerve Damage or Hearing Loss, just give us a call on +91-9899437202. We are always here to help you.
What Is A Pinched Nerve
A pinched nerve, referred to as radiculopathy, happens when too much pressure is applied to one or more nerves in the body. This pressure disrupts the normal function of the nerve. The nerves pressure can be from muscles, cartilage, tendons, or bones surrounding the nerve.
With the disruption of the nerves function, a person will experience pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or difficulty controlling specific muscles.
A pinched nerve is often at or near the root of the nerve, which is shortly outside the spinal cord.
Even though the pressure location is around the spinal cord, the pain is not felt at the exact location where the pressure is applied instead, the pain will radiate to the bodys various parts that the pinched nerve serves.
For instance, a pinched nerve root in the lower back can cause pain and weakness in the foot, while a pinched nerve in the neck can cause pain and weaken the forearm.
Likewise, a pinched nerve in the wrist can cause numbness and pain in the hand and fingers. If more than one nerve is pinched at a time, the condition is referred to as Polyradiculopathy.
A pinched nerve can occur at several sites in your body.
A herniated disk in your lower spine, for example, may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg. Likewise, a pinched nerve in your wrist can lead to pain and numbness in your hand and fingers .
What Are The Causes Of Nerve Damage In The Ear
Some of the causes of nerve damage are
Trauma: Head trauma arises from the fracture of the brain or skull which damage the vestibulocochlear nerve.
Infection: Otitis Media called Middle ear infection causes ear infection which can damage the sensory nerve called hair cells.
Excessive Noise: Excessive noise can damage the ending of the nerve which causes permanent hearing loss or tinnitus.
Tumors: Tumors in the brain can damage the acoustic nerve which is called Acoustic neuroma.
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Understanding The Cervical Spine And Hearing Loss
The neck consists of seven vertebrae, and the most common area for spinal injuries is the lumbar area. Studies have shown that abnormalities to the cervical spine, especially in the upper cervical spine, can affect the arteries and nerves connected to the ears, disturbing their functions in certain ways. For example, 60% of patients with cervical rheumatoid arthritis suffer from hearing problems.
Common causes of cervical injury include:
- Sudden trauma from accidents, sports injuries or falls
- Compression fractures from osteoporosis
- Cancer
- Inflammation of the spinal cord
Commonly, the earliest symptom of cervical spine injuries is movement limitation. Recent studies have shown that the gradual degradation of the intervertebral disk and articular cartilage causes problems with the spinal nerves. Over time, these problems will worsen and they can lead to hearing loss and tinnitus.
Sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by inflamed blood vessels and nerves, ligament injuries, and damaged middle ear bones caused by untreated cervical spine damage.
Tinnitus Caused By Cervical Spine Issues
Tinnitus is a physical condition that causes ringing or noises in the ears when there is no external source of the sound. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, and it usually goes hand in hand with an additional medical issue.
More than one in ten people who suffer from chronic tinnitus can blame their problem on a neck or head injury. Chronic tinnitus can cause awful discomfort however, it tends to lessen or disappear once the root cause of the issue has been treated.
Tinnitus caused by a head or neck injury tends to be harder to cope with than gradual tinnitus caused by other factors, meaning these patients are more likely to seek treatment sooner.
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Abnormally Patent Eustachian Tube
Patulous eustachian tube, where the eustachian tube remains open for prolonged periods of time, occurs primarily in adults. This may produce many distressing symptoms: ear fullness and pressure, a hollow feeling, hearing your own breathing and voice reverberation. It does not produce hearing loss.
The exact cause of a patulous eustachian tube is often difficult to determine. At times it develops following a weight loss. It may develop during pregnancy, or while taking oral contraceptives or other hormones.
Treatment of this harmless condition can be difficult. Myringotomy with insertion of a ventilization tube may be effective. There are a number of medications that may also help.
The Connection Between Ear And Neck Pain
Do you ever have neck pain? Ringing in ears?
It turns out that neck pain, ear pressure, and inflammation are often be closely related. The ear is innervated by the vestibulocochlear nerve, also known as the 8th cranial nerve.
Any inflammation of these nerves, its many branches, or the tissues surrounding them can lead to ear pathology.
Here are some signs of ear problems that could be related to a neck injury.
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What To Expect At Your Office Visit
The goal of treatment is to improve your hearing. The following may be helpful:
- Telephone amplifiers and other assistive devices
- Safety and alert systems for your home
- Sign language
- Speech reading
A cochlear implant may be recommended for certain people with severe hearing loss. Surgery is done to place the implant. The implant makes sounds seem louder, but does not restore normal hearing.
You will also learn strategies for living with hearing loss and advice to share with those around you for talking to someone with hearing loss.
Treatment Options For Auditory Neuropathy
There is no cure for auditory neuropathy. The variable nature of this hearing disorder means that some treatments work in some cases and not others. Unfortunately, there are no tests to predict whether a particular treatment will work or not the patient and their hearing specialist may have to experiment to find out. Treatment options for auditory neuropathy include:
- cochlear implant a surgically implanted device that stimulates the nerves of the inner ear. These implants have been shown to help many people with this condition improve their ability to understand speech
- frequency modulation systems a portable receiver and headset that amplifies sounds without the need for wiring
- hearing aids to amplify all sounds. Generally, adults with auditory neuropathy dont find hearing aids particularly helpful.
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Research On Cervical Instability And Prolotherapy A Mechanical Approach To Tinnitus
In the research above, a case is laid out for the treatment of cervical spine instability in patients with tinnitus. As pointed out, not every case of tinnitus can be attributed to tinnitus but it may be likely that more cases than are reported of tinnitus induced cervical spine instability exist. Certainly, at our center, we see many people with this connection because this is what we treat.
Above you read about cervical manipulation, physical therapy, and exercise programs for the treatment of tinnitus. In this section, I will explain our Prolotherapy program.
Medical research validating the use of Comprehensive Prolotherapy, from simple dextrose injections to stem cell prolotherapy injections is not new. There are decades years of research supporting the use of Prolotherapy for problems of the neck and head.
Caring Medical has published dozens of papers on Prolotherapy injections as a treatment in difficult-to-treat musculoskeletal disorders. Prolotherapy is an injection technique utilizing simple sugar or dextrose. We are going to refer to two of these studies as they relate to cervical instability and a myriad of related symptoms including the problem of tinnitus. It should be pointed out that we suggest in our research that Additional randomized clinical trials and more research into its use will be needed to verify its potential to reverse ligament laxity and correct the attendant cervical instability. Our research documents our experience with our patients.
Improve Hearing Loss Due To Nerve Damage
- Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is medicinally treated with corticosteroids. It is an otologic emergency. Cochlear hair cell swelling and inflammation can also be reduced by corticosteroids
- Sensorineural hearing loss arises by the leakage of inner ear fluid which can be toxic or dangerous for the inner ear. Fluid can be build-up by the sudden changes in air pressure or head injury. Immediate surgery is the solution to this type of loss.
- The bilateral progressive hearing loss is treated by medically with long-term corticosteroids and also with some drug therapy which is also called as autoimmune inner ear disease.
- Due to a low-sodium diet, diuretics, and corticosteroids Fluctuating sensorineural deafness can be treated Fluctuating sensorineural hearing impairment can occur by Menieres disease.
- Irreversible sensorineural hearing impairment most common type of deafness can be controlled by hearing aids. It treated by surgery with cochlear implants. if hearing aids not enough
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Is It Menieres Disease
This is a disorder of your inner ear that can cause permanent damage. Symptoms include hearing loss, ringing in your ears, vertigo, and a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear. It usually happens in only one ear.
Continued
The hearing loss tends to come and go at first. Eventually, some of the loss can be permanent.
Doctors arent sure what causes Menieres disease. One theory is that it may come from a large buildup of fluid in your inner ear. Reasons for this might include:
- Blockage
Treating Cervical Spine Disorders Can Result In A Reduction Of Tinnitus
The idea that treating cervical spine instability as a method of treating tinnitus, is an idea that we, as well as many researchers and clinicians, have had for a long time. Yet recent research still has to present this idea as novel or new. Henk M Koning, MD, Ph.D., whose research is presented in this article published a paper in The International Tinnitus Journal in November 2020 where he stated at the very onset Treating cervical spine disorders can result in a reduction of tinnitus.
Here are the summary learning points:
- The object of the study was to determine the benefit of therapy of the third and fourth cervical nerves in reducing tinnitus
- There were 37 tinnitus patients who were treated with injection into the third and fourth cervical nerves
- In a group of tinnitus patients, 19% of the patients reported less tinnitus after therapy of the third and fourth cervical nerves. Most of the patients had a moderate reduction of 25% to 50%.
- At 3.8 months, 50% of the successfully treated patients still had a positive effect. No adverse events of the procedure were observed.
Dr. Konings further research is presented throughout this article.
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Eustachian Tube Problems Related To Flying
Individuals with a eustachian tube problem may have trouble equalizing middle ear pressure when flying. When an aircraft ascends atmospheric pressure decreases, resulting in a relative increase in the middle ear air pressure. When the aircraft descends, just the opposite occurs: atmospheric pressure increases and there is a relative decrease in the middle ear pressure. Either situation may result in discomfort in the ear. Usually this discomfort is experienced during descent.
To avoid middle ear problems related to flying it is best to try not to fly if you have an acute upper respiratory problem such as a cold, allergy attack, or sinus infection. If you must fly, or you have a chronic problem with your eustachian tube problem, you may help to avoid problems with the following tips:
Drugs To Avoid If You Can
While there are a number of drugs that can cause tinnitus, some of the more common are analgesics like aspirin and NSAIDs .
- A 2014 article in the journal Hearing Research indicates acetaminophen or paracetamol to be a possible cause. There are antibiotics like gentamycin, erythromycin and vancomycin, which have been known to be causal.
- A 2010 study in the American Journal of Medicine gives us a clue to the type of analgesic and potential for damaging the ear with acetaminophen being the worse, NSAIDs like ibuprofen second and then aspirin. Many of these are from abuse of the drugs or high dosages, however, your doctor may be able to avoid aggravation by choosing alternative medications.
- A 2009 study in Cases Journal found a genetic susceptibility to aspartame toxicity suggesting cessation of its use may prove helpful for some. It has also been recommended that one should give up caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, soda and foods like chocolate to see if symptoms are relieved.
- An interesting 2019 study in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health found that although solvent exposure was not associated directly with tinitus, solvents with benzene, ethylbenzene, and toluene concentrations were significantly associated with high frequency hearing loss, which has been linked to tinnitus.
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Symptoms Of Severe Hearing Loss
If you lose hearing, either suddenly or over time, details of conversations may become fuzzy. Sounds will become muffled and gradually fade.
Depending on the cause of your hearing loss, you may also have:
- Pain in one or both ears
- Ringing in the ears, called tinnitus
- Pressure or fullness in one or both ears
Often, people with severe hearing loss withdraw from their social lives because they’re embarrassed to ask family and friends to repeat themselves over and over again. They might be afraid they’ll misunderstand a conversation and answer with the wrong comments. Learn more about what causes hearing loss.
Can Nerve Damage Cause Hearing Loss
Improve Hearing Loss due to Nerve Damage Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is medicinally treated with corticosteroids. It is an otologic emergency. Sensorineural hearing loss arises by the leakage of inner ear fluid which can be toxic or dangerous for the inner ear. Fluid can be build-up by the sudden changes in air pressure or head injury.
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Reasons You May Have Clogged Ear
Clogged ears can cause great discomfort and pain, and ultimately have a negative effect on your hearing. The clogged ear feeling can be a distraction to day-to-day life, and in this blog post, we explain:
- What is a clogged ear?
- What causes ears to feel clogged?
- How you can manage the condition.
At Hearing Direct, you will also find a number of solutions to manage and treat clogged ear wax.
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Many Patients Are Not Satisfied With Their Doctors Answer When They Complain About Tinnitus
As mentioned, treating cervical spine disorders is typically not the first line of treatment for tinnitus. Extensive hearing tests are. This is why a portion of tinnitus sufferers may find fault with their treatment programs. It is probably of little comfort to know that you are not alone in thinking this way, but you may take solace in that doctors are trying to figure out how to help you. Unfortunately, if you are reading this article you are likely not satisfied with your doctors answers to the problem of your tinnitus.
In October 2018, researchers at Hofstra, Yale, and Columbia Universities published a paper titled: Tinnitus: A Stepchild in Our Specialty.
They wrote: Many patients are not satisfied with their doctors answer when they complain about tinnitus, and called for a new classification system to be used to communicate with patients as well as guide future research.
- Type A itemizes the treatable causes of tinnitus.
- Type B itemizes tinnitus with a lack of medical explanation.
- Type C tinnitus is caused by diagnosable and treatable conditions, as listed in tinnitus type A, but the tinnitus persists after the successful treatment of the other symptoms.
The patient types we see are mostly from the B and C types.
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Risk Factors For Auditory Neuropathy
Anyone can be affected, but known risk factors for auditory neuropathy in children include:
- health problems in utero such as reduced oxygen supply to the fetus
- particular medications certain medications that are used to treat obstetric complications are thought to affect the inner ear hair cells in susceptible babies
- health problems at birth such as premature birth, jaundice or low birth weight
- other disorders in rare cases, auditory neuropathy is associated with other neurological disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder and Friedrichs ataxia
- other affected family members some children with auditory neuropathy have similarly affected family members. This suggests a genetic component.
The Multifactorial Pathophysiology Of Hearing Disorders
As we have seen until now, the ear alone is a very intricate complex of structures. However, the structures within the ear, and especially those within the tympanic cavity, are largely innervated by nerves other than the vestibulocochlear nerve. Often this nerve, i.e the vestibulocochlear nerve, though innocent, is blamed for aural disorders. The regulation of endolymphatic fluids and tympanic pressures are also regulated by factors that have a high potential for being influenced outside of the ear itself. Therefore, once again, the main focus in this article is to shed light on other potential mechanisms that may alter sound perception, by impairing the systems that were just discussed.
The most common explanation of tinnitus and other hearing disorders, briefly, is exposure to excessive sounds, perhaps prolonged exposure of such. It has been shown that the hair sensors in the organ of corti may be damaged excessive sounds, ototoxic drugs or similar. When they are damaged, they bend, thus preventing them from being stimulated by the tectorial membrane, and also from generating electrical impulses for interpretation in the brain. The picture below show both healthy stereocilia hair sensors, and damaged ones.
A slight digression, but it is interesting to note that dopamine has been shown to reduce susceptibility to stereocilia damage induced by excessive noise.
Fig. x
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