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Comment by deadbolt | Hacker News Reader

There's a trick which I can't recall the name of, which involves thumping your fingers across the back of your neck, which temporarily resolves tinnitus in some people. I have very mild tinnitus, and have noticed that that does quiet it.

This is a question for everyone I suppose, but does anyone know why that works? Could it be possible to develop an implant or something which generates the same effect?

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Your tinnitus is likely being caused by tight sternocleidomastoid muscles (SCM). I would look into stretches to resolve that.

I will absolutely be looking into those! Thank you!

I thought that works because it creates a complex of sensations that overload your audio “tract”. For example if I do the described trick without isolating/covering my my ears with palms, it does nothing. The difference is not in pressure, but in the fact whether I can/can’t deep-hear the punches that my fingers create. Not a doctor, but something tells me there’s more to that. All scans shown that I have zig-zagged vessels in my neck, but within what they see as a “norm”.

It works for people that have tinnitus due to tight neck muscles. Tinnitus due to damaged ears is a whole different beast.

I went to a lot of loud concerts when I was younger and just assumed that I had tinnitus from those, and until now, I had no idea there were multiple causes of tinnitus.

I had assumed this was incurable but if my tinnitus is from tight neck muscles, that seems fixable. I'm going to reach out to my doctor about this. Thank you, I think you might have just greatly improved my life.

When you twist your head around, do you hear a grinding noise? For me, it’s almost like a cardboard box being dragged across a sandy floor. It is a real noise because I’ve been able to record it with my phone.

I also have tinnitus. I wonder if it’s all related?

In your case, it might just be. Tinnitus due to TMJ, tight neck muscles, etc is very common, and in all those cases it is curable by treating the underlying mechanical issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yDCox-qKbk

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