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What Causes Whooshing Sound In Ears?

Posted on Mon, 10 Feb 2014

Question: Hello, I have a whooshing sound in my left ear. It's not constant but only when I turn my neck to the right ( max) or I bend forward ( then very short) which means I have a muscle tension.. Or it disappear when I go back to normal neck posture. When I wake up in the morning my ear ( sometimes ) feels heavy and like there is some pressure on it. It stops when I squeeze my scm muscle or I touch infront of bottom of the ear. Like the picture shown. It's now there for months and sometimes it's worse sometimes is better ( worse when tired ) I have been to ENT and provided hearing test and looked. so he said I have some hearing loss because of loud voices.. He said it might be the reason. But I don't believe it's that because it stops when I squeeze that muscle or touch that point. I also have been to physiotherapy and he said I have some muscle spasm. Is this the reason of my tinnitus you think ? I know there can be many other scary reasons but I mean why it does stop in cases I mentioned?

Answered by Dr. Prahlad Duggal (34 minutes later)

Brief Answer: A vascular cause of tinnitus can be there Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for the query. The description you gave can be explained by a vascular cause of tinnitus and the pressure changes on the vessels in relation to the vertebrae though vascular causes are not that common a cause of tinnitus. This can explain all your things except hearing loss which you state is noise induced. Please consult an orthopedician or Neuro to get an xray cervical spine done. This will give some idea about the osteophytes which usually can press upon the vascular structures. Then the consulting doctor can decide on the need for a scan/angiography. Apart from this, the sensori neural hearing loss which you are having, is many a times associated with tinnitus. As nerve deafness is due to some problem with the nerve, the same problem can lead to tinnitus also. So, your ENT is right if your neck bony structures are normal. Relaxation exercises do help in reducing the stiffness of neck and thus can help in solving the problem but not much. Avoid using NSAID analgesics as these can lead to tinnitus and hearing loss. Feel free to ask another query. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Prahlad Duggal (9 minutes later)

Thanks doctor for this very fast answer. My cousine who is ETN in sweden said that it might be tensor tempany syndrome.. Just to confirm i can summerise that my problems is my muscles ( neck muscles ) for a reason like the vertbrae of the neck. I really dont think its my heatloss as it changes by the things i mentioned. Am i kind of right?

Answered by Dr. Prahlad Duggal (31 minutes later)

Brief Answer: investigations can put more light on the issue Detailed Answer: Thanks for the query. In my opinion, your description does not fit in tensor tympani syndrome. Your postural relation of the problem is suggestive of the problem related to neck muscles and vertebrae. Rest, investigations can put more light on the problem. Feel free to ask another query. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Prahlad Duggal (3 minutes later)

Thank you. And i find myself more in your opinion

Answered by Dr. Prahlad Duggal (6 minutes later)

Brief Answer: It was a pleasure answering your queries Detailed Answer: It was a pleasure answering your queries. Regards

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar