Brain Injury Awareness Month

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, which will hopefully bring the struggles of those suffering from brain injuries to the forefront of everyone’s attention. Many brain injuries have long-lasting effects on various aspects of those who suffer the injury. One effect in particular which Hearing Associates of Las Vegas wants to highlight is the hearing loss that can happen post-brain injury.

Hearing Loss And Brain Injuries

Your hearing is highly dependent on the proper communication between your ears and your brain. When a brain injury occurs, different areas of your hearing can be affected depending on the injury.

• Ruptured eardrum – In concussive brain injuries, your eardrum can be damaged by the concussive forces. Depending on the level of damage, a ruptured eardrum can cause significant hearing loss.
• Middle ear damage – The delicate bones that make up your middle ear receives vibrations from the eardrum and send those vibrations on to the inner ear for processing. When damage occurs here, it can greatly impair your hearing.
• Tissue damage in inner ear – Whether in a concussive brain injury or one brought on by a stroke, the tissue in your inner ear can be affected. This area helps you control your balance and converts sounds impacting the ear into patterns the brain can interpret. Damage to this area can cause vertigo and difficulty interpreting sounds around you.
• Inner ear hair injury – The small hairs in your inner ears are delicate and prone to damage just from listening to loud music. If they are broken during a concussive brain injury, these hairs, which are your hearing nerve receptors, can no longer send signals as clearly to your brain.

Treating Brain Injuries And Hearing Loss

After suffering a brain injury, hearing loss is sometimes misdiagnosed as post-traumatic syndrome or other ailments. But hearing loss needs to be treated as soon as possible post-brain injury so you enjoy the highest quality of life possible. Some of the most common treatments for brain injury induced hearing loss are:

• Tinnitus treatment – Many people who suffer from brain injuries also struggle with mild to severe tinnitus symptoms. Hearing Associates offer many different types of tinnitus treatment to help you control your symptoms.
• Hearing aids – By using hearing aids, you can make up for most of your lost hearing as well as one of the ways to help you manage tinnitus symptoms. There is a large selection of hearing aid styles and technologies available at Hearing Associates.
• Regular hearing evaluations – It is important to track your hearing loss with regular hearing evaluations to ensure you are receiving the proper treatment for your level of hearing loss.

When brain injuries occur, many people focus on recovering and moving on. We are hoping during Brain Injury Awareness Month that people will understand that their hearing plays a large part in brain injury recovery. If you are concerned about your hearing post-brain injury, contact us and set up an appointment to ensure that you are operating on optimal hearing levels.