{"id":7350,"date":"2022-01-06T17:36:28","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/?p=7350"},"modified":"2022-06-07T12:40:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T19:40:10","slug":"traumatic-brain-injury-your-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/traumatic-brain-injury-your-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"Traumatic Brain Injury &#038; Your Hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Unfortunately, it\u2019s all too easy for a friendly game of football at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tucsonaz.gov\/parks\/AnzaPark\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">Anza Park<\/a> to cause an injury. This includes a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI is a serious injury that can result in damage to the auditory system. We review this connection below.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?<img decoding=\"async\" title=\"ENT doctor checking ear with otoscope of woman patient\" src=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing2-768x512.jpg\" alt=\"ENT doctor checking ear with otoscope of woman patient at hospital. Physician examining ear of female patient with an instrument.\" width=\"242\" height=\"161\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-7352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing2-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing2-256x171.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>A traumatic brain injury is defined as a head trauma that impairs your normal brain function. You can get a traumatic brain injury even if you don\u2019t experience a direct blow to the head; if the head is forced rapidly back and forth \u2013 like if you\u2019re in a car accident \u2013 the brain can bounce or twist within the skull, resulting in chemical changes and cell damage.<\/p>\n<h2>Auditory Problems After TBI<\/h2>\n<p>Following a TBI, you can experience auditory symptoms such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/hearing-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">Hearing loss<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sensitivity to loud noises<\/li>\n<li>Decreased tolerance to specific sounds<\/li>\n<li>Fullness in the ears<\/li>\n<li>Auditory processing problems<\/li>\n<li>Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also experience vestibular symptoms such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dizziness<\/li>\n<li>Vertigo<\/li>\n<li>Unsteadiness<\/li>\n<li>Imbalance<\/li>\n<li>Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)<\/li>\n<li>Motion sickness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/headtraumarehab\/Abstract\/2014\/09000\/Trauma_Associated_Tinnitus.6.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">TBI-Associated Tinnitus<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Over half of TBI patients go on to develop tinnitus. <a href=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/hearing-loss\/tinnitus-overview\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">Tinnitus<\/a> often sounds like a ringing in the ears, but could also present as a roaring, hissing, whistling, buzzing or humming. While the sounds are subjective \u2013 meaning they are not caused by an external stimulus \u2013 the condition can be emotionally debilitating.<\/p>\n<h2>TBI-Related Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n<p>Studies show a strong link between TBI and hearing loss. One 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29506762\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">review<\/a> found that 58% of TBI patients experienced some related hearing loss, though for many it was temporary. In a 2017 <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28322446\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a> of 1.6 million people in Taiwan, researchers found that TBIs more than doubled the chance of developing hearing loss within the next decade.<\/p>\n<p>There are many reasons this can happen:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The eardrum can tear, and blood can accumulate in the middle ear.<\/li>\n<li>The ossicular bones can be damaged or dislodged, meaning sound cannot travel properly. They can also fuse and become stiff, which is known as otosclerosis.<\/li>\n<li>Brain injuries can trigger abnormal bone growth, which is called heterotopic ossification.<\/li>\n<li>Meniere\u2019s disease, caused by abnormal fluid in the ear, can develop after a TBI.<\/li>\n<li>Airbag blasts can damage the hair cells within the inner ear that convert soundwaves into electrical energy.<\/li>\n<li>Bone fractures can sever the auditory nerve.<\/li>\n<li>TBIs can result in damage to the auditory regions in the brain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Getting Help for TBI-Related Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re experiencing hearing loss after being diagnosed with a TBI, it\u2019s important to see an expert audiologist right away who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique needs.<\/p>\n<p>For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Arizona Hearing Specialists today.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"related-posts\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/thriving-in-fitness-with-hearing-aids-tips-for-active-lifestyles\/\" class=\"related-post\">Thriving in Fitness With Hearing Aids: Tips for Active Lifestyles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/presentation-by-aileen-wong-arizona-senior-academy\/\" class=\"related-post\">Presentation by Aileen Wong, Au.D., CCC-A, at the Arizona Senior Academy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/how-can-captioning-software-help-you-navigate-hearing-loss\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Can Captioning Software Help You Navigate Hearing Loss?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A TBI is a serious injury that can result in damage to the auditory system. We review this connection below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hearing-loss-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7541,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7350\/revisions\/7541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}