Sometimes you may have felt that hearing a loud voice causes pain in your ears, in such a situation, many times we have to seek the help of a doctor to correct it. Today we are going to tell you about one such problem related to ears, which is known as Acoustic Trauma. Acoustic trauma is the inner injury that occurs in the ears, which occurs on hearing a high decibel voice. This injury may be due to hearing a loud sound or hearing a high decibel noise continuously.
How is acoustic trauma caused?
This condition can also arise due to any injury to the brain. In this condition, the eardrums present in the ears get ruptured or some other type of injury occurs in the ears. The eardrums protect the middle and inner parts of the ears, as well as sending the brain to the cingle for small vibrations. In acoustic trauma, these eardrums become damaged, causing loss of hearing ability of the person. Let us now know about the types of acoustic trauma.
If your doctor sees symptoms of Acoustic Trauma, they will first detect a difference in trauma caused by sudden injury or trauma caused by a loud voice. Different types of trauma require different treatment.
Who can have an acoustic trauma?
Many times your daily work is contributed to the cause of Acoustic Trauma, which is why the chances of certain people getting Acoustic Trauma are increased. Let us know which people have the chance of getting acoustic trauma.
People who work with a loud-sounding industrial equipment for a long time may have an acoustic trauma. Also, people who work or live for a long time around High Decibel Sound may have problems with acoustic trauma.
Apart from this, people who constantly attend music concerts and listen to High Decibel Sound can also have acoustic trauma. Also, moving around loudly without the necessary equipment can give you trouble with Acoustic Trauma. It is said that the sound of fewer than 70 decibels is considered safe for you to listen to.
Know that the 3 Factors play the main role in Acoustic Trauma, in which the intensity of the sound measured in decibels, the pitch or frequency of the sound and the time spent by the person with that particular sound. All these factors are considered essential in acoustic trauma.
What are the symptoms of acoustic trauma?
As we have said earlier, one of the biggest symptoms of Acoustic Trauma is hearing loss. Acoustic trauma involves injury to the inner ear level. Sensitive hair cells in the ear lose their connection, which causes hearing loss. Damage can also be seen in the ear structure due to the loud sound. A sudden sound of more than 130 decibels can damage the ear’s natural microphone, and some acoustic appliances may damage the eardrums and even the smaller muscles inside the ear.
Due to prolonged ear injury, many people first start having difficulty hearing high-frequency sound and later stop hearing low frequency. Therefore, your doctor can detect Acoustic Trauma by looking at your response to the sound of different frequencies.
In addition, and symptomatic tinnitus may occur in acoustic trauma. Tinnitus is a ringing or ringing sound heard due to injury in the ears. People who have mild or moderate tinnitus problems can feel this problem in a quiet place. You may have tinnitus due to many reasons, including the use of drugs or changes in blood vessels. But this is usually due to sudden exposure to loud noises. Tinnitus problems can be persistent or chronic, if you have tinnitus for a long time, you may have a problem with acoustic trauma.
How to identify acoustic trauma?
There may be some ways to identify acoustic trauma, in which the doctor may question you whether you have been exposed to a loud voice recently. Apart from this, more acoustic trauma can also be identified using audiometry. In this test, you hear different loud sounds and your response is noted on it.
Treatment of acoustic trauma
Acoustic trauma can be treated differently. This may require Technological Hearing Assistance. Your doctor can give you a technical assistant, which uses a hearing aid. In this, cochlear implants can be used in Acoustic Trauma in the event of hearing loss.
Apart from this, in-ear protection, doctors can advise you to use earplugs, in which your ears can be protected. Such earplugs are known as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It is used by people who work in a loud voice.
Medication can also be a treatment for acoustic trauma. Your doctor may give oral steroid therapy in case of acoustic trauma. This can be done only in certain cases. If your hearing loss is reduced, your doctor may recommend Noise Protection.
If there is hearing loss in acoustic trauma, it cannot be corrected again, so it is very important to take full care of your ears and protect your ears from loud noises.