Laying in bed last night I realized that if I squeze my jaw real tight and strain my neck muscles, my tinnitus changes it's pitch. So this afternoon I did a search on tinnitus and vein pressure; here's the first definition I read on the web of Objective Tinnitus...
I've always had a minor TMJ issue back as far as I can recall, so I remember atributing my ringing in the ears to this when first researching it online.Objective Tinnitus
The rarer form, consists of head noises audible to other people in addition to the sufferer. The noises are usually caused by vascular anomalies, repetitive muscle contractions, or inner ear structural defects. The sounds are heard by the sufferer and are generally external to the auditory system. This form of tinnitus means that an examiner can hear the sound heard by the sufferer by using a stethoscope. Benign causes, such as noise from TMJ, openings of the eustachian tubes, or repetitive muscle contractions may be the cause of objective tinnitus. The sufferer might hear the pulsatile flow of the carotid artery or the continuous hum of normal venous outflow through the jugular vein when in a quiet setting. It can also be an early sign of increased intracranial pressure and is often overshadowed by other neurologic abnormalities. The sounds may arise from a turbulant flow through compressed venous structures at the base of the brain.
I don't think this is simply a coincidence... how can these not be linked together?
Mike