FAQ
Tinnitus Symptoms
Tinnitus Types
Causes
Less Common Causes
Medicinal Causes
Risk Factors
Complications
Historical Treatments
TMS for Tinnitus

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TMS for Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus affects approximately bout 15 to 20 percent of the population. Tinnitus is not a condition, itself, rather it is a symptom of an separate underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear trauma, or a circulatory system disorder.

Although bothersome, tinnitus usually isn’t a sign of something serious. Although it can worsen with age, for many people, tinnitus can improve with treatment. Treating an identified underlying cause sometimes helps. Other treatments reduce or mask the noise, making tinnitus less noticeable.

Does TMS therapy work for tinnitus?

A study published in 2016 reported that 47.8% of patients receiving TMS for tinnitus saw improvement with their condition. The most significant suppression of TMS was related to patients who met the following criteria: younger age, male gender, shorter duration of present tinnitus, centrally located tinnitus, normal hearing, and the absence of sleep disturbances. On average, TMS helped those who had tinnitus lasting less than a year by 60.2%.

How does TMS help tinnitus?

When used for tinnitus, TMS is placed over the auditory cortex part of the brain. TMS for Tinnitus uses about 900 – 1,200 pulses and takes an estimated 15-20 minutes. 1Hz TMS frequency seems to produce the best results in reducing tinnitus loudness. Though, each patient may react differently.

Symptoms

Tinnitus is characterized by the sensation of hearing sound, when no external sound is present. Tinnitus symptoms may include the following phantom noises in one’s ears:

Ringing
Buzzing
Roaring
Clicking
Hissing
Humming

These phantom noises can vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal, and may be experienced in either or both ears. In serious cases, the perceived sound can be so loud that it interferes with one’s ability to concentrate or hear external sounds. Tinnitus may be intermittent, or present all the time

2 Types of Tinnitus

Subjective tinnitus – tinnitus that only the sufferer can hear. This is the most common type of tinnitus. It can be caused by ear impairments in the outer, middle or inner ear. It may also be caused by problems with the hearing (auditory) nerves or the area of the brain that interprets nerve signals as sound (auditory pathways).
Objective tinnitus – tinnitus that can be heard by and examiner, when he or she does an examination. This is a rare type of tinnitus and may be caused by a blood vessel (vascular) impairment, a middle ear bone condition, or muscle contractions.

Causes

Multiple health conditions can cause or intensify tinnitus. Troublingly, in many cases, an exact cause of Tinnitus is never discovered.

One of the more common causes of Tinnitus is inner ear hair cell damage. These tiny, delicate hairs in the inner ear are a key structure required for the complex procedure of the brain’s processing of sound. If there is damage to these minute inner ear hairs, they can “leak” random electrical impulses to the brain, which can cause Tinnitus.

Other causes of Tinnitus include other ear impairments, chronic health conditions, and trauma or conditions that impair the nerves in the ear, or nerves in the the hearing center of the brain.

In many people, the above cause of tinnitus are most often precipitated by one of the following:

Age-related hearing loss. For many, starting around aged 60, hear deteriorates. Hearing loss can cause tinnitus. This is called presbycusis.
Exposure to loud noise. Loud noises, such as those caused by firearms, heavy equipment, jack hammers or chain saws are common sources of noise-related hearing loss. Head phones set at too high a volume for an extended period of time can also cause noise-related hearing loss. While Tinnitus that is resultant from short-term loud noise exposure like a loud music concert, usually resolves; however, long-term and short-term exposure to loud sound can cause permanent hearing impairment.
Earwax blockage. Excessive earwax causes hearing loss, and/or irritation of the eardrum, which can cause tinnitus.
Ear bone changes. Stiffening of the bones in your middle ear (otosclerosis) may impair hearing and can cause tinnitus. This condition, caused by abnormal bone growth, tends to be genetic, but can be caused by external conditions, such as ‘Swimmer’s Ear’.

Less Common Causes of Tinnitus

Meniere’s disease – an inner ear disorder caused by abnormal inner ear fluid pressure.
TMJ disorders – impairments of the temporomandibular joint, which is the joint on either side of the head in front of the ears, where the lower jawbone meets the skull.
Head or Neck Injuries – trauma to the head; these injuries generally cause tinnitus in only one ear.
Acoustic neuroma – this noncancerous (benign) tumor on the cranial nerve that extends from the brain to the inner ear. This condition generally causes tinnitus in only one ear.
Eustachian tube dysfunction. Dysfunction in the tube connecting the middle ear to the upper throat, wherein the tub remains expanded all the time. Significant weight loss, pregnancy, and radiation therapy can cause this dysfunction.
Muscle spasms in the inner ear. Spasming of the muscles in the inner ear. This can occur for no explainable reason, but it may also be caused by neurologic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

Medications that can cause tinnitus

Many medications may cause or intensify Tinnitus. Generally, the higher the dose of these medications, the worse the Tinnitus becomes. Medications known to cause or worsen tinnitus include:

Antibiotics, including polymyxin B, erythromycin, vancomycin (Vancocin HCL, Firvanq) and neomycin
Cancer medications, including methotrexate (Trexall) and cisplatin
Diuretics (water pills), such as bumetanide (Bumex), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin) or furosemide (Lasix)
Certain antidepressants, which may worsen tinnitus
Aspirin taken in uncommonly high doses (usually 12 or more a day)
Quinine medications used for malaria or other health conditions

Additionally, some nicotine, caffeine, and certain herbal supplements can cause Tinnitus.

Risk factors

Loud noise exposure
Age
Gender – Men are more likely than women to experience tinnitus.
Smoking
Cardiovascular problems

Complications

Tinnitus can profoundly affect the quality of life. The following symptoms commonly accompany tinnitus:

Fatigue
Stress
Insomnia
Concentration Difficulty
Memory Impairment
Depression
Anxiety
Irritability

Historical Treatment for Tinnitus

There is no historical cure for Tinnitus. Medication cannot resolve Tinnitus. Treatments for Tinnitus have only the hope of reducing symptoms

TMS Treatment for Tinnitus

TMS for Tinnitus at Brain Therapy TMS varies depending on each patient’s assessment. At Brain Therapy TMS, we begin by conducting a baseline EEG evaluation of the patient to determine the intensity of the treatment. An electroencephalogram or EEG is an evaluation of persons’ electrical activity, more specifically their alpha brain waves.

Alpha brain waves are those that don’t require a lot of work to emit. A perfect example of this is when you are about to go to bed or when someone is practicing meditation. These brain waves require little no effort whatsoever and they are important in planning the treatment.

TMS treatment is different for everyone depending on the patient’s severity of their disorder. On average, TMS for Tinnitus uses 900-1200 pulses at 1 Hz bursts of magnetic pulses that take roughly 15-20 minutes.

If you’d like to learn more about our treatment process, please visit our TMS Procedure page.

TMS has proved to be highly effective in demonstrably reducing Tinnitus symptoms. Our San Diego Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Center provides TMS Therapy for Tinnitus.

TMS benefits include

High Success Rate – considerably higher success rate than any other treatments
Non-Invasive – the treatment is entirely external to the body
Non-Sedative – it requires no sedation and is relatively painless
Minimal to No Side Effects – it has no side effects in the vast majority of patients

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