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Does your tinnitus get louder or change pitch when you clench your teeth or press on the back of your neck? That’s called somatic (somatosensory) tinnitus — and the source isn’t in your ear.
Tinnitus treatment at EastWest Physiotherapy, Burnaby: https://www.eastwestphysiotherapy.com/tinnitus-treatment/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=tinnitus-junction-box
In this episode, Mike Wong BHK, MScPT, Registered Physiotherapist at EastWest Physiotherapy in Burnaby, BC, explains the “junction box” — the dorsal cochlear nucleus in your brainstem, where signals from your jaw (trigeminal nerve), your upper neck (C2 nerve roots), and your hearing all converge on the same cells. Your brain uses this junction as a built-in noise-cancellation system, subtracting the sound of your own chewing, swallowing, and movement in real time.
When that system receives abnormal input — trigger points in the jaw muscles, nighttime clenching or grinding, stiff upper-neck joints, or compensating muscles — those cells can become hyper-excitable. Past a certain threshold, they start generating sound signals with no input from the ear at all. That’s somatic tinnitus.
This one mechanism explains three things that may have confused you for years:
Why your hearing test came back normal (the problem is past the ear)
Why clenching your jaw instantly changes the sound
Why tinnitus linked to jaw (TMJ) and neck dysfunction can respond to physiotherapy — and why progress is measured in weeks, not one appointment
If your tinnitus is recent and changes when you clench, getting assessed sooner tends to give you more options.
See your doctor or an audiologist first if your tinnitus came with sudden hearing loss, pulses in time with your heartbeat, is in one ear and hasn’t been checked, or comes with dizziness, facial numbness, or weakness.
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Bite Test: Does Clenching Change Your Tinnitus?
0:23 Why Your Jaw (TMJ) Affects Your Ears
1:01 The Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus: Your Brain’s Junction Box
2:18 Your Brain’s Built-In Noise Cancellation
3:16 How Jaw & Neck Problems Trigger Tinnitus
4:24 Why Your Hearing Test Was Normal (+ 2 More Clues)
5:35 Why Tinnitus Treatment Takes Weeks, Not One Visit
7:02 Why Earlier Treatment Works Better
7:32 Next Episode & Your Questions
Full tinnitus series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ5bHB69tQpo
Related: Neck pain treatment https://www.eastwestphysiotherapy.com/neck-pain-treatments/
Related: Headache treatment https://www.eastwestphysiotherapy.com/headache-treatments/
Now that you’ve seen the junction box, does anything about your own tinnitus make more sense? The hearing test that came back clear? Tinnitus that’s worse on the same side as your stiffer neck? Tell us in the comments — your questions shape future episodes.
EastWest Physiotherapy Burnaby
Physiotherapy & RMT * Care in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi and Bengali
Book online: https://eastwestphysiotherapy.janeapp.com/
https://www.eastwestphysiotherapy.com
604-398-2936
info@eastwestphysiotherapy.com
4388 Still Creek Dr, Unit 201, Burnaby, BC V5C 6C6
Serving Burnaby, Brentwood, Willingdon Heights, Metrotown and Hastings-Sunrise.
Subscribe for the full tinnitus series: https://www.youtube.com/@EastWestPhysiotherapy?sub_confirmation=1
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#tinnitus #TMJ #somatictinnitus #tinnitusrelief #jawpain #neckpain #physiotherapy #burnaby #eastwestphysiotherapy
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
All information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for assessment, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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