What is tinnitus?

The word tinnitus refers to any sound that a person hears without it coming from a sound source outside of their body. Some noises originate in the patient's body and are then often perceptible to the examiner. In the vast majority of cases, however, tinnitus occurs in the inner ear or in the area of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for speech analysis. Other people cannot hear this tinnitus.

I have a ringing in my ears, am I sick?

Many people can hear a whistling sound or something similar if they focus on it. However, over 90% of them do not perceive the noise in everyday life. The remaining 10%, however, are sometimes significantly restricted in their quality of life by the noise. Especially in quiet surroundings, e.g. B. when falling asleep, those affected are prevented from falling asleep by the noise. Whether someone suffers from tinnitus or not depends on whether the tinnitus affects their attitude towards life or not.

Should I be concerned if I have a ringing in my ears?

Every newly occurring tinnitus must be clarified by an ENT specialist. Various hearing tests and balance tests are necessary for this. These should help us to distinguish the almost always harmless tinnitus from certain diseases of the auditory and vestibular nerves. In certain individual cases, we also refer the patient to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). So you don't have to worry too much, but every tinnitus should be examined thoroughly at some point.

How can tinnitus be treated?

Essentially, these are treatments that try to get the affected person used to the tinnitus. New approaches are trying to reduce tinnitus, such as the music therapy app "Tinnitracks" from Sonormed.
You can find more information about Tinnitracks here.

After a thorough examination, we can advise you on all treatment options.