Ear Ringing and the Middle Ear

To get a better understanding of tinnitus, why it occurs, and how it can be treated effectively, knowing the basics of the human ear and hearing can be beneficial. This second article in a three part series introduces the basic anatomy of the middle ear, what it does, how it can go wrong to give rise to tinnitus, and how it can be treated. The other two articles focus on the outer ear and the inner ear and tinnitus. Having said that, let's get right to the middle ear.

The tympanic membrane or ear drum marks the division between the outer ear and middle ear. The outer surface of the eardrum is considered part of the outer ear, while the inner surface of the eardrum is part of the middle ear.

As sound waves travel through the outer ear the energy quickly hits what we commonly call the ear drum. The ear drum constantly responds to changes in the air pressure surrounding us. When a sound wave moves through the ear canal and strikes the tympanic membrane, a chain reaction is set in motion, which is a purely mechanical reaction.

The eardrum, consisting of a taut, specialized membrane of skin, vibrates in accordance with the various characteristics of the sound, such as pitch and volume. The membrane vibrates quickly in reaction to a high-pitch sound, and vibrates more slowly for a low-pitch sound. The energy of a loud sound will impress the eardrum more deeply, while the softest detectable sound of a healthy young adult moves the membrane only about 1 millionth of an inch Truly a marvel!

The process that transforms sound waves into information that the brain interprets as the sounds we hear begins with the tympanic membrane. Under most circumstances, we receive energy from multiple sound waves at the same time. For example, think of speaking with a friend at a restaurant. The eardrum responds by helping you filter out most of the restaurant sounds so that you can focus on what your friend is saying.

Up to a certain point, the eardrum will also protect you from loud and harmful sounds. The tympanic muscle will actually contract in reaction to a very loud sound, and not vibrate in the normal way. Thereby it reduces the amount of energy that will reach the brain, protecting you. Of course, that does not relieve us of our own responsibility to protect our ears from excessively loud sound.

The sound levels that we are often subjected to in our modern, industrial societies are relatively new on the evolutionary scale. Our ears haven't had time to evolve or adapt enough to protect us from the loud sounds and noises now produced in today's world. Whether it is the constant noise of a machine shop, or the excessive volume of an over-charged car stereo, exposure to such high level sounds is clearly known as the most common cause of hearing loss and tinnitus.

As remarkable as the protective mechanism of our ear drums might be, it can protect us from the sound volumes we experience in nature, not the volume and intensity of sound that we experience when standing 100 yards from a pile driver on a construction site. So, it's really up to us to protect our ears from such excessively loud sounds.

Having issued that caution, let's go deeper within the middle ear. Up to this point, we have traced the movement of sound waves through the air, then gathered by the pinna, funneled through the auditory canal, at the end of which the sound energy caused the eardrum to vibrate. From there the middle ear functions to amplify the sound, so that when it is transferred to the inner ear, which is fluid filled, the sound will carry properly through the denser medium. In order to move through the denser medium of the fluid-filled inner ear, the sound really needs the kick of amplification provided by the middle ear. The way by which the middle ear amplifies and focuses the sound energy can only increase our appreciation for our ears and how they work.

Inside the usually dry inner chamber of the middle ear we find the ossicles. The literal meaning of the word ossicle is "tiny bone," and the ossicles are indeed the three smallest bones found in the human body. The sound vibrations of the eardrum are transferred directly to the malleus, the first of the three ossicles, which is attached directly to the eardrum. The malleus then transmits the vibrations to the next ossicle, called the incus. The incus then transmits the vibrations to the third ossicle, called the stapes. Then the stapes, which is attached to the inner ear, transmits the sound energy to the cochlea of the inner ear.

It is an incredible mechanism, and mechanism is the right word for it, because our sense of hearing is a mechanical process, as opposed to our senses of sight and taste which involve chemical processes. Hearing is a mechanical operation.

The ossicles, working like levers, increase the mechanical power of the tympanic membrane, focusing the energy force from the larger membrane to the smaller oval window of the cochlea of the inner ear. The result is an amplification of the sound energy, because the ossicles, those three tiny bones, are perfectly designed to work together to pass on greater, more compacted energy to the cochlea of the inner ear. As stated before, because the inner ear is fluid-filled and denser, the kick of amplification that the ossicles leverage is necessary for overcoming the greater inertia of the inner ear's medium. Is it not fantastic?

The final part of the middle ear that needs attention is the eustachian tube which connects the dry chamber of the ossicles with the throat. Most of us who have experienced a common cold understand that the ears, nose, and throat have common connections. The eustachian tube provides the ear connection.

The eustachian tube keeps the air pressure on either side of the tympanic membrane equal. It also serves to drain any fluids from the middle ear, thus helping to prevent middle ear infection.

Anyone who has flown in a plane or driven in the mountains probably has experienced the sensation of unequal pressure on either side of the tympanic membrane. Maybe you yawned or made a chewing motion or swallowed, and heard a popping or clicking sound that was accompanied by a sense of relief. That was the eustacian tube functioning to keep the air pressure on either side of the eardrum equalized.

When ringing in ears arises within the middle ear, it is most commonly when the eustachian tube becomes stopped up from inflamed, swollen tissues due to sinusitis, rhinitis, or an allergy episode. When the eustachian tube stops up, it can trap fluid within the middle ear which can then become a breeding ground for bacteria or viruses, leading to otitis media, or inflammation or infection of the middle ear, which can engender tinnitus symptoms. While proper treatment of the infection and inflammation usually resolves the tinnitus, chronic sinusitis or allergies can lead to chronic tinnitus. For such a case, a good holistic tinnitus treatment regimen such as Tinnitus Miracle affords the best opportunity for a lasting cure.