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Tympanophony can be heard only by the patient who suffers from it and nobody else. This disorder is accompanied by enormous psychological stress on the patient. They complain of  worsened quality of relaxation, sleep and concentration, as well as suffering physical and social problems and a decline in social life. Another frequent accompanying physical symptom is hearing loss.

Those who have not experienced this condition can hardly imagine it. Tinnitus (from the Latin tinnio = tinkle, or tympanophony is an acoustic sensation appearing with no triggering impulse and is perceived as constant ringing, clicking, whistling, rumbling, buzzing or hissing in the ears.

There are many reasons for the condition as well as treatments for it. Nevertheless, the trouble only completely disappears when the real reason is truly found. And to discover the true cause, one examination is not usually sufficient.

Excessive noise is not the only cause
When we go to a concert where very loud music is played, we might not even realize the risk we are taking - the same risk we run by shooting without ear protection, listening to loud explosions caused by fireworks, etc. A loud noise damages capillaceous cells in the inner ear, specifically in the helix (cochlea). When sound waves cannot be transformed properly into nerve impulses, a defective reaction occurs and tympanophony appears.

Other reasons for the condition include a blocked ear canal, viral infection, ear injury and bleeding as well as tumor, toxic damage to the ear, problems with the cervical vertebrae and also diseases affecting the hearing apparatus directly.  Prolonged stress with increased production of adrenalin leading to an insufficient supply of blood to the inner ear can also be a triggering factor for the occurrence of tinnitus. Tinnitus, therefore, is not by any means a problem affecting only older generations.

With older people the difficulties are preceded by otosclerosis. This occurs when hearing is permanently damaged as a result of ossification of the stirrup connecting the middle and inner ear brought on by advanced age. Hearing loss in this case, however, can be remedied by an operation.


The symptoms are very diverse
Tympanophony can be heard only by the patient who suffers from it and nobody else. This disorder is accompanied by enormous psychological stress on the patient. They complain of worsened quality of relaxation, sleep and concentration, as well as suffering physical and social problems and a decline in social life. Another frequent accompanying physical symptom is hearing loss. Severe cases of tympanophony lead in 90% of cases to temporary or permanent loss of hearing. In this connection it is interesting that patients suffering from tinnitus are advised not only to avoid excessive noise but that total silence is not the best for them either because they then perceive the murmur in their ears even more intensely.

Therapeutic possibilities
Before any treatment begins it is necessary to do a detailed ORL examination. Neurological, internal, stomatological or other examinations often turn out to be necessary as well. Since tympanophony has various causes, there is also a range of therapeutic possibilities. Nevertheless, there is no sure-fire method available and the variability of treatment methods is unfortunately connected with a certain therapeutic quandary.

As a result, the patient is usually warned right at the beginning that it is not good to “fight” the tympanophony and that it is necessary to accept it as a part of the self because often the only feasible solution is that the unbearable ear murmur becomes a little bearable.

Principles of prevention:

•    Music we listen to should not be too loud; if it is, we should not stay too long at loud concerts or discos.
•    It is important to spend time in nature where we perceive pleasant natural sounds.
•    When shooting or spending time in noisy working environments, we follow safety measures.
•    We do not get close to fireworks, for instance at New Years’ celebrations
•    The most effective prevention is singing. It is very relaxing for our hearing system and its effects are overall very favourable.

A new rehabilitation method introduces training combining distraction and relaxation. It was discovered that emotional stress and psychological tension increase tinnitus. It is also known that the patient’s difficulties are more bearable if his/her attention is distracted by something else. That is why distraction training is combined with relaxation.

A well-known music treatment involves incorporating a disruptive signal of the same frequency as the ear noise into a favourite melody. When trained, the patient hears them less and less often.

Source: www.klinikazdravi.cz