Tight neck muscles may cause pulsatile tinnitus in some cases. However, the most common causes are vascular, meaning they relate to problems with the blood vessels.
Pulsatile tinnitus is a
The most common cause is unmanaged high blood pressure. However, muscular and skeletal problems such as an uneven bite, temporomandibular (TMJ) disorder, and muscle tension are also potential causes.
This article explores how tight neck muscles might cause pulsatile tinnitus, signs that muscle tightness could be causing the condition, and what might help.
Yes, tight neck muscles
Tinnitus refers to a constant buzzing or ringing in the ears. While nonpulsatile tinnitus is fairly common, pulsatile tinnitus, which is intermittent, is rare. One of the most prevalent causes of pulsatile tinnitus is high blood pressure.
When a person has high blood pressure, their blood travels with force through their blood vessels, which may lead them to be able to hear their pulse.
Because pulsatile tinnitus can have vascular causes that require treatment, it is important that people seek a diagnosis from a doctor.
What is somatosensory pulsatile tinnitus?
Somatosensory pulsatile tinnitus is when a person only experiences rhythmic ear ringing or whooshing in response to certain stimuli,
- track something with their eyes
- move their head or neck a certain way
- touch certain points on their face
There is no way people can be certain that tight muscles are causing their pulsatile tinnitus without a diagnosis from a doctor.
However, tight muscles could be responsible if:
- a person only notices tinnitus when they are tense
- straining their neck makes it worse
- muscle relaxation or neck massage makes it better
Doctors group the potential causes of pulsatile tinnitus into vascular and nonvascular categories.
“Vascular” means the symptoms occur due to a problem with the veins or arteries, with arterial causes being the
“Nonvascular” includes all other explanations.
Vascular
The vascular causes of pulsatile tinnitus include:
- high blood pressure
- things that cause an increase in circulation, such as:
- plaque in the carotid artery
- narrow blood vessels
- intracranial hypertension, or high pressure in the head
- paragangliomas, which are tumors that form near blood vessels that can affect blood pressure
- arterial venous malformations, or atypical connections between blood vessels
- natural variations in where arteries are in the neck
- rarely, fibromuscular dysplasia or Takayasu disease
- aneurysms
Nonvascular
Nonvascular causes of pulsatile tinnitus include:
- damage to the ears
- conditions that affect the structure of the ears
- TMJ disorder
- a misaligned bite
- certain medications, such as aspirin, chemotherapy drugs, or certain antibiotics
- involuntary twitching in the mouth or ear
- cervical spine misalignment
- neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis
Diagnosing pulsatile tinnitus and its underlying cause is essential.
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First, the doctor will take a person’s medical history. They
- symptom onset or frequency
- what makes the symptoms worse or better
- whether the tinnitus affects one or both ears
- what medications a person takes, if any
- whether they or their family members have had previous ear or hearing problems
Physical examinations of the head and neck may help identify any signs of muscle tension, TMJ disorder, or structural problems with the neck.
The doctor will also examine the ear using a magnifying device known as an otoscope. They may carry out a tuning fork test, an audiogram, or both. These tests can detect hearing loss.
If these examinations do not reveal a cause, the doctor may run cardiac tests to determine if the tinnitus is in time with the heart and whether there is any underlying cardiovascular condition.
The cause of pulsatile tinnitus will inform which treatments and strategies work best to ease the symptoms. If the cause is neck tension, the following may help:
Muscle relaxation
Relaxing tense muscles may help ease pulsatile tinnitus in some cases. A
However, the research to date has been inconsistent and primarily focused on small groups of participants.
Electrical stimulation
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) involves using a device to deliver small electrical pulses through electrodes that sit on the skin. In tinnitus treatment, the electrodes sit around or behind the ears and neck.
The tiny electrical pulses may influence the nerves connected to the auditory system, allowing the brain to respond differently. This may lead to the suppression of symptoms.
The 2017 review highlights previous studies where larger groups of people with tinnitus found benefits in TENS therapy. However, the research has had mixed results. In some studies, most participants reported improvements, but only a few found their symptoms completely resolved.
The response people have to TENS therapy may depend on what is causing their tinnitus.
Somatic modulation therapy
Somatic modulation is a type of physical therapy that focuses on improving tinnitus intensity through movement.
Repetitive training maneuvers involving head and neck muscle contractions may have a positive effect. However, the 2017 review suggests there is currently very little scientific evidence to support this idea.
Tight neck muscles may cause pulsatile tinnitus, but neck tension is
If tight neck muscles are the reason a person has tinnitus, a doctor may suggest muscle relaxation, physical therapy, or electrical stimulation to reduce the symptoms. However, research into tinnitus treatment is still ongoing. A person may need to try several approaches to find what works for them.