I had/have a similar low frequency tinnitus that began in 2009 during a period of stress. It was so loud that it made it coloured every day sound including speech and music, and made sleeping a nightmare.
I eventually worked out a correlation to muscle tension in the muscles in my shoulder on the same side as the effected ear.
I worked a programme for muscle improvement through strengthening, stretching, and relaxation techniques, which alleviated noise almost completely, although occasionally I still get it a little, at a very low level.
Any more detail? I have had quite variable tinnitus for three years now on one side and am beginning to suspect it's related to muscle tension in that shoulder.
As child comment mentions, do get this checked by an ENT who will check for a few things, including tumours. I went to two, neither of whom were able to help much, but it is important to check.
Personally, there was mystery for a long time, but rather than trying to solve the mystery fully, I tried to be pragmatic and do what helped.
I found that my range of motion turning my head one way was less than the other, having become restricted physically and psychologically, in a feedback loop.
I eventually went to a dentist who specialises in fascial pain who put me on muscle relaxants. These helped a little, but did not solve my issues. However they were a clue that some of my symptoms related to muscle tension. I was also experiencing increasing amounts of physical pain in my neck and face during this time.
Look into muscle shortening. It can be cumulative, as the pain caused by shortening causes the muscle to react more to strain, by shortening further.
I tried to compare my range of motion and both sides, and gradually try to match them through gentle stretching.
You could look into these things, and also trigger points. I can't say that my exact set of issues will be the same as yours, but feel free to contact me on Twitter if you want to chat. @paulbyrne
My sister had progressive severe hearing loss, severe vertigo, and tinnitus. She resisted any treatment until she was completely incapacitated. Friends dragged her to an ER where she was scanned for tumors. Follow-up visits to ENTs (ear, nose, throat) confirmed substantial hear loss, but could not identify a cause. Despite skepticism, she went to a chiropractor and has started recovering her hearing (measured by ENT as 30 decibel improvement) and balance. About a week ago, she was adjusted and within 2 minutes noticed her hearing improve. She still has a long way to go though.
Thanks for the info! I've been to the ENT and had an MRI to make sure it's not anything more than tinnitus. Most of the time I'm fine with it, but sometimes it gets quite loud and it tends to be when I'm stressed. Which makes me more stressed!
I have the same thing. I'm almost certain the sound is associated with shoulder/jaw tension on my left side. I can raise the sound frequency by jutting my jaw forward.
Quite often the ringing is worse after a day of sitting at work and typically reaches a veritable crescendo by Friday afternoon.
Likewise the onset of my tinnitus correlates with a period of stress and long hours at work sitting down.
Yeah, I've had an MRI and was told there was nothing obvious and to habituate it, which by then I already had. However it varies quite a lot and am beginning to notice it tends to be a lot worse when I'm stressed or my shoulders feel tense.
I eventually worked out a correlation to muscle tension in the muscles in my shoulder on the same side as the effected ear.
I worked a programme for muscle improvement through strengthening, stretching, and relaxation techniques, which alleviated noise almost completely, although occasionally I still get it a little, at a very low level.