Do you hear a clicking, thumping, buzzing, rumbling or crackling sound in one or both of your ears? Does your doctor or partner hear it too? You could be suffering from Middle Ear Myoclonus or MEM Tinnitus, a rare form of objective ringing in the ears. This condition may also sometimes simply be called ear drum spasms. Below, you will find information that will help you confirm a MEM Tinnitus diagnosis. You will also learn how you can manage and treat this annoying and debilitating form of Tinnitus.
How does MEM cause ear drum spasm that then causes Tinnitus?
Myoclonus is a word used to describe the spasming of a muscle or group of muscles. In MEM, two groups of middle ear muscles may be spasming. To understand how this can then cause ear drum spasm to then make you hear the Tinnitus you are hearing, we need to get into a little bit of ear anatomy.
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| Ear Muscle | Role | Muscle Spasm presents Tinnitus sound as |
| Tensor Tympani | Dampen your own chewing and voice sounds. Also dampens loud external noises | Thumping or Clicking sound |
| Stapedius | Dampen the Stapes which in turn control ear drum vibrations | Buzzing, rumbling or crackling sound |
Based on the information above, you can try to conclude if your MEM Tinnitus is being caused by spasming of the Tensor Tympani muscle or the Stapedius muscle. But, only a doctor can correctly diagnose this for you. We discuss diagnosis next.
How is MEM Tinnitus diagnosed?
MEM is a tricky condition to correctly diagnose, at least in a straightforward manner. It can mimic the symptoms presented by other conditions such as palatal myoclonus or patulous eustachian tube. Symptoms of typewriter Tinnitus or staccato Tinnitus also closely mimic MEM Tinnitus. Read this post about typewriter Tinnitus to see if you might have that instead of MEM, if you still haven’t visited the doctor. Typewriter Tinnitus responds well to a certain medication, resolving fairly quickly.
Coming back to diagnosis of MEM Tinnitus, an Otoendoscopic inspection of the vibrations exhibited by the tympanic membrane is the best way to confirm a diagnosis. In this procedure, the tympanic membrane is activated by eye blinking to then arrive at a diagnosis.
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Sometimes, long-interval tympanometry may also be used to correlate or further confirm a diagnosis. Your doctor might also order a brain MRI or other imaging studies to rule out pulsatile Tinnitus caused by an aneurysm.
How is MEM Tinnitus treated?
Medication
MEM Tinnitus can respond well to medication. So, the first line of treatment usually involves anticonvulsants, antispasmodic or muscle relaxant drugs to see if the ear muscle spasming will stop. If the spasming stops, so will the Tinnitus.
Unfortunately, there are many instances where MEM Tinnitus doesn’t respond to medication. In such cases, surgery might help. More on surgery below.
Surgery
Surgery usually provides a permanent and full resolution for patients suffering from MEM tinnitus. Surgical procedures usually used are called Tympanotomy, tenotomy, TT tenotomy or TT tendon sectioning. In all of these surgeries, the muscle is cut or severed to prevent spasming.
Though surgery is a safe treatment option, one must understand that it doesn’t come without risks. There is a chance that facial nerves can be cut. This is why MEM Tinnitus is usually treated with medication first. That being said, the surgery is deemed to be relatively safe, with quick recovery times.
How can MEM Tinnitus be managed?
If you are not quite ready for surgery or haven’t responded to medication, there are some alternative management options you can consider.
Applying Zygomatic hand pressure
There have been many cases where zygomatic hand pressure can relieve symptoms immediately, even if only temporarily. Since it is non-invasive and easily administered, it is a very popular remedy for MEM Tinnitus.
So, to use this technique, simply lace your fingers with your palms in front of your face, as shown in the picture. Then, focusing on the lateral (outer or side) part of your cheekbones, apply about 1 kilo (2.2 lbs.) of pressure using your palms, sustaining this pressure for 30 seconds at a time. If this technique can provide relief, you will feel it immediately. The clicking, thumping or rumbling sound can stop for several minutes to even hours at a time. This means you will have to do this technique several times a day, to enjoy sustained relief.
Keep stress and anxiety in control
MEM is very responsive to stress and anxiety levels that you are experiencing. In fact, all forms of Tinnitus usually exacerbate as a response to stress. By simply managing or keeping stress and anxiety levels down, you might allow for MEM to resolve. If not for resolution, symptoms might recede to a point where they no longer bother you.
Botox Injections
Botox injections, usually delivered to the Tensor veli palatini can help resolve MEM Tinnitus. However, relief usually lasts only about 3 months or so, which is why this treatment is described as a management technique rather than treatment.
One must also know that the use of Botox to treat MEM is in a fairly experimental or nascent stage. Though initial success has been good, there’s not a lot of historical data for one to be reassured by. Medium or long-term side effects are also largely unknown as the procedure is a fairly new form of treatment.
FAQ about MEM Tinnitus
What does MEM Tinnitus sound like?
MEM Tinnitus can sound like a clicking, thumping, buzzing or crackling sound. Please read table to see what type of muscle spasms causes what type of sound.
Does MEM Tinnitus go away?
MEM Tinnitus can go away as a response to medication, surgery or botox injections, as explained previously on this page.
How do you fix MEM Tinnitus?
You will have to visit a doctor. Once your doctor confirms a MEM Tinnitus diagnosis, he or she may prescribe anticonvulsants, muscle relaxants, botox injections or if all fails, surgery, to fix MEM Tinnitus, permanently.
Can anxiety cause Middle Ear Myoclonus MEM Tinnitus?
Yes, anxiety and stress can both cause or exacerbate Tinnitus that is caused by MEM.
Is MEM Serious or a sign of something more dangerous?
MEM is generally not a sign of a serious underlying problem. However, because it has the ability to disrupt sleep and also cause anxiety, it can lead to chronic health problems, if not attended to.
Will eardrum spasms go away?
Eardrum spasms sometimes do go away on their own. They also commonly respond to medication. But, there are instances where they don’t go away until there is a surgical intervention, as explained earlier.
