What Are The Symptoms Of Hyperacusis?

Ear Pain

Ear pain can occur with more serious forms of hyperacusis. If individuals experience certain sounds at unexpectedly loud volumes, they may experience the same kind of pain that comes from loud noise. It may feel like an aching, ringing, or vibrating deep inside the eardrum. However, some patients have ear pain that goes deeper than this. Researchers have found while hyperacusis can cause sound intolerance, it can also cause sounds to present as painful stimuli. Rather than just causing discomfort, triggering noises can cause stabbing, throbbing, or burning within the ears severe enough to be debilitating. Scientists have discovered the inner ear appears to have pain fibers that can be triggered by hyperacusis vibrations. Hyperacusis patients who have serious ear pain may struggle to improve, and the auditory exposure therapy may not work for them, since they need to build up more than a mental tolerance. Mild and moderate sounds may be intolerable. Scientists are still studying ways to help with this aspect of hyperacusis.