| Hearing problems are quite common after a traumatic | | | | trauma. The cochlea, which is the important |
| brain injury (TBI) because the inner ear is directly | | | | spiral-shaped bone in the ear, can be damaged by a |
| connected to the central nervous system. Ringing in | | | | strong blow to the head causing hearing damage. |
| the ear (tinnitus) and hearing loss are two of the | | | | Other types of membrane damage may cause |
| most widely reported side effects of a traumatic | | | | hearing loss as well as dizziness (vertigo) and nausea. |
| brain injury. Some other hearing problems that may | | | | Sometimes, surgery can correct damage to the inner |
| occur following a brain injury include hyperacusis | | | | ear. |
| (normal situations seem very loud); difficulty filtering | | | | Because hearing loss limits or takes away one of the |
| one set of sounds from background noise; and | | | | primary means we use to communicate, hearing loss |
| auditory agnosia (also called pure word deafness). | | | | has the potential to complicate many of the other |
| Auditory agnosia is a condition in which the person is | | | | side effects of brain damage, mainly cognitive and |
| unable to recognize the meanings of certain sounds. | | | | social problems. Many TBI victims already suffer |
| Following a TBI, hearing problems can occur for a | | | | cognitive issues such as trouble finding words, and |
| number of reasons, both mechanical and neurological, | | | | these problems are only exacerbated if the patient |
| particularly when the inner ear and/or temporal lobes | | | | cannot hear what is going on around him. |
| have been damaged. External bleeding in the ear | | | | Fortunately, for some TBI victims, hearing problems |
| canal, middle ear damage, cochlear injury and/or | | | | disappear a few weeks after the accident that led to |
| temporal lobe lesions can all cause auditory | | | | the patient's brain damage, but other hearing |
| dysfunction. | | | | problems will last indefinitely. Since many hearing |
| Children who suffer TBI typically face additional | | | | problems cannot even be detected by the patient |
| problems in the areas of communication, acquiring | | | | himself after the TBI, it is recommended that anyone |
| new information, spatial orientation, task completion, | | | | suffering a traumatic brain injury be evaluated by an |
| impulse control, and social conversation. | | | | audiologist, even if nothing appears to be wrong with |
| The inner ear is made up of a series of delicate | | | | the victim's hearing. |
| membranes, which can easily rupture during a head | | | | |