According to a 2022 systematic review by Jarach et al, published in JAMA Neurology, approximately 14% of the world adult population is afflicted with severe or debilitating tinnitus. If you experience constant ringing in your ears, you know how disruptive tinnitus can be. But what if the pitch or volume changes through specific movements of your neck, head or jaw?People who can change the intensity of the noise are likely experiencing somatic tinnitus.Unlike typical cases, somatic tinnitus is directly tied to your physical body. Understanding this form may lead you towards finding targeted relief.
What is Somatic Tinnitus?
Somatic tinnitus occurs when sounds are triggered or altered by body movements, touch, or muscle tension. While regular tinnitus is an internal auditory glitch, somatic tinnitus comes from the nerve network which regulates your perception of touch and movement.
The primary distinctions lie in what drives the sound and how it behaves:
- The Root Cause: Regular tinnitus usually stems from inner-ear damage or age-related hearing loss. Somatic tinnitus is linked to musculoskeletal issues like neck strain or jaw problems.
- Sound Consistency: Standard tinnitus presents as a steady, unyielding noise. Somatic tinnitus changes instantly when you perform specific physical maneuvers.
- Treatment Focus: Regular tinnitus is managed with hearing aids or white noise. Somatic tinnitus requires treating the physical body through therapy or alignment corrections.
How the body affects your hearing
From what we have learned, about somatic tinnitus, nerve fibers from your face, jaw, and neck converge with auditory pathways in a brainstem region. When you experience inflammation or muscle spasms in your neck or jaw, these physical signals “cross wires” with your auditory system. Your brain misinterprets this physical tension as an internal sound, spiking the ringing. People with somatic tinnitus often notice sound fluctuations during everyday actions:
- Jaw Movements: Clenching teeth, yawning, or moving the jaw side-to-side.
- Neck Manipulation: Rotating the head, tilting the neck, or pressing the base of the skull.
- Postural Stress: Sitting hunched over a computer or phone for long periods.
How to help yourself
Because the root cause is physical rather than purely auditory, it is necessary to treat the underlying musculoskeletal issues:
- Physical therapy to improve neck alignment and relieve upper-body muscle tension.
- TMJ treatment to stop jaw clenching and teeth grinding.
- Massage to release tight muscle knots in the jaw and neck.
If your tinnitus reacts to your movements, your muscles could be the problem. When speaking with a medical specialist about this issue, ask them if it could be somatic tinnitus.