Pain in relationship to Tinnitus and Hearing Loss.

INTRODUCTION

Cervical and lower back pain are noteworthy in the manner of development of tinnitus.

OBJECTIVES

The focus of this research was to indicate the consequence of the severity of neck pain and pain of the lower back and/or lower limbs in tinnitus patients.

DESIGN

A retrospective analysis of 61 patients with tinnitus as main complaint during a three month period.

RESULTS

In this study, we found two groups of tinnitus patients defined by the existence of postural instability. Patients with tinnitus and postural unsteadiness were characterized by predominant female, self-perceived hearing loss, a higher intensity of tinnitus, cervical pain, and pain of the lower back and/or of the lower limbs, and more hearing deficit from 250 Hz to 4 kHz.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with tinnitus one should be aware that hearing loss can be a consequence of high intensity cervical pain. Stimulation of the proprioceptive input pathways due to cervical pain can result in a higher intensity of tinnitus and a hearing loss in the range of 250 Hz to 4 kHz.