Lubbock, TX Tinnitus Specialists You Can Trust

“The constant ringing in my ears is driving me out of my mind!” Is this something you’ve said or thought about?

You’re not alone: an estimated 50 million Americans experience some degree of tinnitus.

The majority only experience temporary tinnitus after being in a noisy stadium, a loud concert, a night in a club, discharging a firearm, or after an explosion.

The 25% (12.5 million) of Americans that experience continuous ringing in one or both ears 24/7 often struggle to concentrate while working or studying, find it difficult to relax, or can’t get a good night’s sleep due to the debilitating effects of the condition.

Our audiologists understand your struggle and are proud to be the tinnitus specialists, Lubbock, TX, and Snyder, TX rely on for tinnitus treatment and management.

Great place. I have been going here since I moved to Texas 3 years ago and can’t say 1 bad thing about this place. Thank you for all you do and going out of your way to provide services.

– Roger B.

Schedule Your Tinnitus Assessment

Courtney Arnold Au.D., Tinnitus Specialist at Cornerstone Audiology

What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a neurological disorder similar to “phantom limb” experienced by many amputees. It is the perception of sounds that are not really there, or a “phantom” perception generated somewhere along the auditory pathway or in the auditory processing center of your brain.

Each person’s tinnitus is unique. It may present as a continuous tone or a pulsating sound, and tinnitus can be subjective or objective. Subjective tinnitus is only heard by the person with the condition, but objective tinnitus can be heard by others, has a known cause, and can be treated with surgical or other medical therapies.

Conditions that are often present with tinnitus include:

Hearing loss
Exposure to loud noise (Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NIHL)
Head and neck injuries
Ototoxic drugs
Meniere’s disease
Acoustic neuroma
Hyper/hypothyroidism
Abnormal growth of bone in the ear
Tumor on the cranial nerve
Stress
Depression
High blood pressure
Impacted earwax

Relief for tinnitus symptoms is a complex issue that requires ruling out certain causes while trying to communicate the intensity, type, and effect of subjective symptoms to your tinnitus expert.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tinnitus

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#1 Can tinnitus cause hearing loss?

There is little to no evidence that tinnitus impacts hearing loss, but many people with hearing loss are also affected by tinnitus, which is why our audiologists conduct a comprehensive hearing assessment when evaluating tinnitus.

#3 Can tinnitus cause dizziness?

Tinnitus does not cause dizziness or vertigo, but it can be present along with tinnitus, possibly as an accompanying symptom of Meniere’s Disease.

#2 What does tinnitus sound like?

Most people describe the sound of their tinnitus as a ringing sound or the high-pitched squeal (feedback) emitted by a poorly setup sound system, but it can also be described as hissing steam, rushing water, chirping crickets, bells, breaking glass, or even a chainsaw.

#4 Can tinnitus cause migraines?

Though tinnitus does not cause migraines or headaches, it often accompanies these other symptoms of conditions like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and carotid artery dissection. In addition, tinnitus symptoms can contribute to increased stress, which is a contributor to migraines and headaches.

#5 What happens if you don't treat tinnitus?

Untreated tinnitus can have a broad range of effects on your overall health, decrease your productivity at work and cause you to isolate yourself from friends, family, and coworkers, because it’s more comfortable to stay home where it’s quieter. Consequently, people with tinnitus often experience loneliness, depression, anxiety, and high levels of stress.

Additionally, many of the same underlying problems that contribute to tinnitus also lead to hearing loss or other physical health issues, which might include blood pressure or vascular problems, infections, ototoxic medications, or various destructive lifestyle choices.

#7 Can you relieve tinnitus?

Since a specific cause for tinnitus has not been identified, there is no identified cure, but a variety of therapeutic technologies and techniques can help reduce tinnitus, making it easier to cope with.

#8 What are some ototoxic drugs that contribute to tinnitus?

Since ototoxic drugs are a contributor to both acute and chronic tinnitus, it’s good to know which drugs to watch out for. They can be divided into three groups:

Group One includes aspirin at high doses as well as other salicylates like: Amikacin, Amphotericin B (Fungizone), Bumetanide (Bumex), Carboplatin (Paraplatin), Chloroquine (Aralen), Cisplatin (Platinol), Ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), Furosemide (Lasix), and Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil).

Group Two includes the analgesic Ibuprofen (Advil) and the tricyclic anti-depressant Imipramine (Tofranil), along with Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin), lead, and quinine sulphate.

Group Three includes alcohol, toluene, and trichloroethylene, as well as Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Chlorhexidene (Phisohex, Hexachlorophene), Ampicillin, Iodoform, Clemastin fumarate (Tavist), Chlomipramine hydrochloride (Anafranil), and Chorpheniramine Maleate (Chlor-trimeton and several others).

#6 Can tinnitus be cured permanently?

The main distinguishing factor between acute and chronic tinnitus relates to whether the ringing in your ears is ongoing or comes and goes. Acute tinnitus is associated with a single event where loud noise is a contributing factor, such as a major sporting event, a live concert, shooting without ear protection, or an explosion, but chronic tinnitus never goes away.

#9 Do hearing aids help with tinnitus?

Hearing aids are only used in the treatment of tinnitus if you also have accompanying hearing loss. They do tend to decrease the intensity of tinnitus and many of today’s models come with the capacity to be programmed with tinnitus masking to help manage symptoms.

Doctor helping a male patient with tinnitus assessment in Lubbock, TX

How is Tinnitus Treated at Cornerstone Audiology?

To zero in on your unique type of tinnitus, we begin by ruling out any medical causes and/or hearing loss. We’ll lay the groundwork for your treatment by conducting a thorough tinnitus assessment, which includes:

Your case history.
A complete hearing evaluation to determine if your condition is associated with hearing loss.
Completion of our tinnitus questionnaire, tinnitus evaluation, and tinnitus handicap inventory (THI).
Discussion of appropriate treatment and therapy options.

Testing by an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist is sometimes necessary in order to rule out suspected vestibular or vascular medical conditions that are known to cause tinnitus symptoms. Surgical or other therapeutic medical procedures as well as evaluating medications that might cause tinnitus symptoms might provide relief.

When no underlying causes can be eliminated, there are proven tinnitus management technologies and techniques available to help you cope with the condition. Audiologists, scientists, and doctors have discovered several tinnitus management options that decrease the debilitating effect of your condition, including:

Hearing Aids (dual benefit of correcting hearing loss and masking)
Sound Maskers and other Tinnitus Treatment Technology (helping decrease sound awareness)
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)

While we use various forms of sound masking and hearing aid treatment options, our primary treatment option includes tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). Often referred to as habituation therapy. This treatment method involves retraining your brain to perceive the ringing in your ears in a different way.

Our behavioral therapy approach provides you with the necessary coping skills to deal with emotional difficulties like depression, stress, or anger, which tend to make tinnitus worse. Ongoing maintenance, managing associated lifestyle or health problems, relaxation techniques, and various sound and hearing aid therapeutic options round out the complete program offered by our tinnitus doctors in Snyder and Lubbock, TX.

Schedule a Tinnitus Assessment at Cornerstone Audiology

Our ringing in the ear audiologists are aware that each case of tinnitus has a different impact on every individual, which is why our personalized approach to tinnitus treatment is the best way to help you manage the ringing in your ears and improve your quality of life.

If your tinnitus symptoms are making it difficult to concentrate, relax, or get a good night’s sleep, your first step toward finding relief is a tinnitus assessment at Cornerstone Audiology.

To get the help you need from our tinnitus clinic in Lubbock, TX or our tinnitus specialist in Snyder, TX, submit the adjacent form to schedule a tinnitus assessment and start to take your life back from the ongoing frustration of tinnitus.

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