The Outer Ear In Relation to Tinnitus

To understand tinnitus better, what causes it, and what can be done to stop ringing ears, it helps to know something about our hearing and how it works. This article is the first of a three article series that deals with tinnitus and the three major parts of the human ear, the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. This first part focuses on the outer ear, how it works, what can go wrong to engender tinnitus, and what can be done to resolve it. With no further ado, let's get a look at the outer ear.

When someone mentions ears, we usually think of the outer ear, the external part that we can see, which is called the pinna or auricle. Pinnae or auricles come in all manner of shapes and sizes, but certain characteristics are shared by them all. Consisting of cartilage, they all have curves and folds that function to collect sound waves and channel them into the auditory or ear canal. Before going further, let's review the basic mechanism of sound.

Sound, as we hear it, is provided by vibrations of air molecules that travel as small waves of pressure through the air at approximately 740 miles per hour. The waves of sound act something like ripples on the surface of a pond spreading out after a stone has been thrown in. When the sound waves reach the outer ear, the energy is funneled through the ear canal to the ear drum which vibrates according to the energy of the wave. The vibrations of the eardrum are transferred to the middle ear and the inner ear, and finally to the brain for interpretation. With that big picture in mind, let's go back to pick up more details.

After the outer ear gathers the energy of the sound wave, it is funneled through the auditory canal. The auditory canal, which measures about 1 inch long by 1/4 inch in diameter, channels the sound energy gathered by the outer ear to the ear drum or tympanic membrane. There the pressure of the sound wave will press upon the eardrum according to the intensity of the vibration. The auditory canal is cleverly shaped as a funnel to focus the wave vibrations. Shaped well for sound transmission, the auditory canal also slopes to keep water from settling against the tympanic membrane under usual circumstances. The form and dimensions of the auditory canal are just right for transmitting sound and for keeping outer ear infections to a minimum.

The inner boundary of the outer ear is the external side of the tympanic membrane. This ear drum is a thin, skin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear. It is shaped like a flat cone, and it functions to transmit sound vibrations from the air to the ossicles of the middle ear. The tympanic membrane has amazing sensitivity. The energy of the slightest detectable sound moves the ear drum only about 1 millionth of an inch. Try to imagine dividing an inch into 1 million equal parts, and you'll begin to imagine just how amazing, how marvelous, our sense of hearing really is.

Cerumen or earwax plays a vital role within the outer ear. Cerumen is produced in the external auditory canal by wax producing glands. Cerumen lubricates and cleans the interior auditory canal, and provides a protective coating that helps to keep the canal from becoming infected. Caution should be observed when using cotton swabs or other tools around the ears. Neither should be inserted deeply into the ear canals. Earwax can become impacted when swabs are pushed deeply into the ear canals, while other objects can abrade the thin layer of skin that lines the canals, exposing them to inflammation or infection. Generally, it is best to leave earwax inside the ear canal to serve its purpose. It is there for good reasons, and for most people cerumen migrates continually toward the ear opening, sweeping the ear clean of dirt and dead skin cells.

For some people, however, this self-cleaning function of the cerumen fails, especially in later life. In that case, periodic cleaning by a physician may be necessary. But, for most of us, most of the time, only the outermost part of the canal needs cleaning. If you are using cotton swabs to clean your ears, please exercise caution.

At least two common causes of ringing in ears can arise within the outer ears: impacted earwax and otitis externa, or inflammation or infection of the outer ear, sometimes referred to as swimmer's ear. Both of these tinnitus causes can be identified easily and can be treated by the methods of conventional tinnitus treatment . For tinnitus that arises from other causes, a good holistic regimen such as Tinnitus Miracle is recommended.