One of our most valued senses is our hearing. For most of us, it is fundamental to our communication, the way we appreciate music and how we sense our environment. Addressing problems without delay and limiting exposure to excessive noise will go a long way toward protecting our hearing and preventing hearing loss.
How We Hear
The hearing system has 3 areas: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Any damage or blockage along this chain can affect how we hear. Sound passes through the ear canal as air; this air moves the eardrum, which moves the bones in the middle ear and stimulates the fluid in the inner ear; the fluid moves along the nerve in the cochlea (the organ of hearing) and stimulates the nerve, sending the signal to the brain.
Factors of Hearing Loss
The Outer Ear and Middle Ear
The outer ear includes the ear itself and the ear canal. This area can be blocked with wax or a foreign body, or can be swollen with an infection.
The middle ear contains the middle ear bones and is an air-filled cavity with the same pressure as the air around us. We depend on equalizing the middle ear when confronted with altitude changes, such as when flying or diving. The middle ear can contribute to hearing loss if it contains fluid, which can build up if the pressurizing mechanism is not working properly. Individuals can damage the middle ear bones or eardrum itself with trauma or infection.
The majority of injury or other issues affecting the outer ear and the middle ear are fixable, and when addressed, can bring hearing back to a normal range.
The Inner Ear
The inner ear contains the nerve and organ of hearing and balance. Damage to the hearing nerve is not repairable and thus needs to be avoided. We unfortunately can do little about our genetics and our family predisposition to hearing loss, if it exists. We can, however, protect our ears from excessive noise damage.
Protect Your Hearing
Excessive noise exposure is found in many workplaces, and we can bring it on ourselves by listening to excessively loud music or participating in certain high-volume activities, like shooting guns at a range, without ear protection. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires ear protection in the workplace (at construction sites, airports, etc.), we still see workers using jackhammers without covering their ears.
The hearing nerve will eventually be damaged by volume and exposure time, or how loud for how long. A loud blast from a grenade or a gun immediately adjacent to the ear can cause permanent damage to the hearing. Loud music exposure all day for years can also damage hearing. We are seeing younger and younger people with permanent hearing loss due to continuous exposure to excessively loud music.
Moderation is important in all aspects of life, and this definitely applies to noise exposure. Once the hearing nerve is damaged and hearing is lost, it will not come back.
To find an excellent doctor who is right for you, please call our Physician Referral Service at 866.804.1007.