JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a phantom perception of sound in the absence of overt acoustic stimulation. Many patients indicate that the perception of their tinnitus is not constant and can vary from moment to moment. This tinnitus fluctuation is one of the diagnostic criteria for somatosensory tinnitus (ST), a tinnitus subtype that is influenced by cervical spine or temporomandibular dysfunctions. Although various factors have been reported to cause fluctuations in tinnitus, such as: stress, anxiety and physical activity.

Objective:

The aim of this study was twofold: first to investigate the presence of physical symptoms in a large group of participants with tinnitus and second to investigate if these physical symptoms are more frequently present in a subgroup of participants with ST.

Methods:

An online survey, questioning the presence of physical symptoms in participants with tinnitus was launched on the online forum Tinnitus Talk, managed by Tinnitus Hub. After a general analysis of the physical symptoms, present in our survey population, we further analysed the group op participants who were diagnosed by a physician (n = 1262). This subgroup was divided into two groups, one group diagnosed with ST and another group diagnosed with other types of tinnitus.

Results:

In total, 6115 participants with a mean age of 54,08 years (SD: 13,8) completed the survey. Physical symptoms were frequently present in our sample of participants with tinnitus: 69% reported some form of neck pain, 7% was diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders, 44,6% indicated they have bruxism and 14 to 23,1% was able to modulate their tinnitus by voluntary movements. ST was diagnosed in 17,7%. Symptoms referring to the known diagnostic criteria were evidently more present in the ST-group than in the non-ST-group. Additionally, participants with ST more often indicated a negative effect of a bad night’s sleep and light intensity exercise.

Conclusions:

Physical activity and movement (disorders) frequently affect the tinnitus severity. Head-neck related symptoms are more frequently reported in the ST-group, as is the ability to modulate the tinnitus by head or jaw movements. Additionally, participants with ST more often report fluctuations of their tinnitus and reaction to sleeping difficulties and low intensity exercise.