Head Injuries & Hearing Loss

In a report to US Congress, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that there are an estimated 1.5 million cases of traumatic brain injury per year resulting in hospitalization, and approximately 3 million cases of head injury annually, accounting for mild concussions.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs most in males between the ages of 18-35 years old. This is believed to be the case due to the large likelihood of risk-taking behavior and participating in contact sports. Football players, specifically, were in the spotlight several years ago due to the concern regarding long-term effects of traumatic brain injury acquired from contact sports. Studies are still demonstrating the lasting, negative impact on concussions caused by football, which demonstrates that more care and attention need to be paid regrading players sustaining mild concussions.

What Is a Concussion? What is a TBI?

A concussion is a temporary unconsciousness cause by a blow to the head and can be considered a form of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The Mayo Clinic defines a concussion as follows:

Traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. An object that penetrates brain tissue, such as a bullet or shattered piece of skull, also can cause traumatic brain injury. 

Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More-serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death.

A Concussion’s Effect on Hearing Loss 

Head trauma can cause damage to not only the outer ear, but also the hearing organs by potentially altering the auditory pathway to the brain. This can be reversible damage, but often it is irreversible: when the ear drum ruptures; the small ossicle bones of the middle ear dislocate; tissues and membranes can be damaged; or ischemia (inadequate blood supply) to the cochlear nerve can occur.

Various auditory and vestibular manifestations can be the result of these anatomical disturbances, including:

• Difficulty processing auditory information in the auditory cortex, concurrently with background noise particularly
• Difficulty locating the source of sounds
• Trouble maintaining balance and coordination
• Vertigo and/or nausea
• Tinnitus (a constant ringing, buzzing, clicking, etc, in the ears)
• Hyperacusis (an oversensitivity to sound, wherein everyday sounds can be irritating to the ear; often people with hyperacusis also suffer from tinnitus)
• Conductive or sensorineural hearing loss

Treatment Methods of TBI Hearing Loss  

There are various ways to help a loved one who is experiencing a hearing loss due to traumatic brain injury. Making accommodations in social settings to better facilitate communication is one of them. Make sure to eliminate any superfluous background noise like music or a loud television before starting a conversation. If you are in a group, have one person speak at a time so that your loved one can receive information clearly.

Another way to accommodate hearing loss associated with TBI is to face someone when you are speaking. Your loved one may use lip reading or may be reading your body language—or both—to help them better understand and contextualize conversation.

These and other strategies can be discussed with an audiologist. They will also have resources to share about assistive listening devices which may help improve communication. These may include hearing aids, amplifiers, cochlear implants and others.

Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss 

Millions of Americans experience traumatic brain injury each year and many of them suffer from hearing loss as a long-term result. The rehabilitation of such an injury can take time and can also involve other health care professionals, like an audiologist. An audiologist can assess damage done to the outer and inner ear, test for hearing loss, and make recommendations as a part of rehabilitation.

Though some damage done to the fragile auditory system is irreversible, an audiologist can work with you toward better hearing with the help of hearing aids and other assistive listening devices. Scheduling an appointment with your audiologist or hearing health care professional is an important step in your rehabilitation from traumatic brain injury. Hearing aid technology exists, for example, that can combat tinnitus, and there are hearing aids with directional microphones, too, if that will best suit you. There are even devices, like the ReSound LiNX 3D, which can filter out background noise. Whatever your needs, FitHearing has affordable hearing aids for you. Take these steps with your audiologist as a part of your rehabilitation from traumatic brain injury.