Can Massage Help With Tinnitus?

Written by: Deneice Arthurton

Tinnitus is a distressing condition that causes the sufferer to experience ringing, buzzing, humming or a wide range of other types of noises in the ears or head.

Its exact causes are not known which makes treatment difficult. Sufferers will often turn to alternative remedies to address the problem and whether or not massage can help is one of the options tinnitus sufferers are exploring.

Possible causes of tinnitus

Tinnitus is sometimes associated with hearing loss or reduction brought about through exposure to constant high noise volumes.
It can also be found to have links with injuries to the jaw and head or infections of the ear and sinus areas.

Medication and cardiovascular problems have also been used to explain the incidence of tinnitus.

In much rarer cases patients consulting their doctor with tinnitus symptoms have been found to have severe underlying health issues such as brain tumours and blood pressure abnormalities. In the majority of cases the cause for the condition is never pinpointed.

Treatments for Tinnitus

Where tinnitus can be linked with a specific problem, for example a head injury, treatments to address the problem can prove successful. However, in the majority of cases, the causes remain a mystery and no cure is available.

Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and herbal supplements have been explored as possible treatments.

Tinnitus support groups and organizations are fairly unanimous in their verdict that, in the majority of cases, massage alone will not alleviate the symptoms of the condition. However, massage may be able to play a significant part in other methods that have been known to have marked improvements for the sufferer.

Massage for Tinnitus

For many tinnitus sufferers the most effective form of treatment involves ‘training’ the patient to learn how to mask the noises or reduce the impact that they have on their day to day lives.

The continuous or intermittent noises associated with tinnitus can lead to depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation. Studies have shown that learning to relax and ‘mask’ the noises by pushing them into the background can significantly reduce the knock on effects of the above named symptoms.

This is where massage comes in. Massage can be used effectively to help bring about this learned attitude change by helping to relax and de-stress the patient. Massage can also be used to aid better sleep.

The general opinion amongst professionals seems to be that it is worth exploring different options for symptom alleviation, massage being amongst them. The advice from support groups and official tinnitus organizations is to try different avenues. It is possible that one of the many different types of massage available could help.

Massage can help tinnitus sufferers. Even where the ringing, buzzing or clicking is not stopped, massage can be a useful tool for relaxation and learning to cope with the condition which in turn may be the path to less suffering.

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