Bob D wrote I have a curious ear condition that started about 20 years ago. Every once in a while I get a rapid, repeated thumping or clicking sound in one ear or the other. It was diagnosed as a 'stapedius reflex.' I guess the little bones in the ear go into jittery spasms for some reason. Luckily, this is only from time to time, and isn't too loud. I am sympathetic for people with chronic ringing, which I hear can drive a person bonkers.
*********** One curious feature of such hearing ailments is that people who hear sounds when there is no external source may be hearing them because of mechanical oscillations of parts of the ear. If the clicks you hear are due to motion of the stapes (one of the bones of the inner ear) then the sound may be audible to someone else who puts their ear next to yours. In other words, you ear acts not only as a microphone, but as a loudspeaker. This may explain why your audiologist suggested dancing cheek to cheek the last time you had your hearing checked. Tinnitus cannot be overheard this way, supporting the idea that it originates in the auditory nervous system. Gotta go, Cabbage _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
