Tonegenerator positive sound generator#

Sound therapy performed through the HA combined with a SG has been gaining prevalence in auditory health services, Thus, it is of fundamental importance to carry out evaluations of speech recognition in this population, making possible the improvement of this ability concomitant to the treatment of the symptom. To achieve habituation, noise should not mask the tinnitus instead, both sounds must be perceived: the sounds of noise and tinnitus itself.Ī study on plasticity indicates that the increase of the auditory stimulus provided by sound amplification can lead to secondary plasticity, contributing to the reduction of tinnitus discomfort and favoring speech recognition throughout the acclimatization period.Īcclimatization refers to the phase that follows the adaptation of HAs, when there is a progressive improvement of hearing abilities and speech recognition resulting from the new clues available to the user of sound amplification.

The masking level is a key difference among sound therapies. Sound generators produce neutral sound stimuli that should be audible and comfortable to the patient. The proposal is the adaptation of a combined device: amplification and SG. The SG has been used in tinnitus intervention when it is not attenuated with the use of HAs alone. Thus, auditory stimulation has the capacity to interfere in the central auditory representation of tinnitus, diminishing its perception. Sound generators, associated or not with auditory amplification, may be used at low intensity to avoid tinnitus, providing a reduction in tinnitus perception.

The process of habituation of tinnitus through sound therapy consists of stimulating the ears with the presence of constant and neutral noises to reduce their hypersensitivity in silence.

Tonegenerator positive sound generator#

Tunkel et alĬite several therapeutic proposals such as: hearing aids (HAs), sound generator (SG), biofeedback, nutritional guidelines, and electrical stimulation, among others. To heal the complaint of tinnitus, various forms of interventions are used to minimize the occasioned uncomfortable feeling. It is a very prevalent complaint, affecting ∼ 10 to 15% of the world population, influencing the quality of life.ĭue to the difficulty in measuring and treating tinnitus, some evaluations become important in establishing parameters, such as acuphenometry, the use of the visual analogue scale (VAS) and questionnaires of impacts on a patient's quality of life, such as the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI). Tinnitus is defined as a conscious perception of a sound in the ears or head without stimulation of an external sound source. The present study made it possible to conclude that the four noises were equally effective in relieving tinnitus, with no statistically significant differences between the analyzed groups. However, in the comparation among groups there was no significant difference. In the case of the HINT, only pink noise presented a significant difference. The procedures were performed prior to and after hearing intervention, and after 3 months of use of HA and SG.Īll groups presented a statistically significant difference for the THI, VAS, and HINT pre and postintervention. All patients were subjected to the following procedures: audiological diagnosis, acuphenometry, tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), visual analogue scale (VAS), and hearing in noise test (HINT). In group 1 (G1), the white noise stimulus was applied, in group 2 (G2), pink noise was applied, in group 3 (G3), speech noise, and in group 4 (G4), the high tone was applied.

All groups underwent HA and SG adaptation, being regulated in the combined mode (HA and SG). The participants were 35 individuals with tinnitus and mild and moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, divided into four groups. To analyze the effectiveness of four masking noises in relieving tinnitus in individuals with mild and moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and their influence in speech perception. Sound therapy performed through hearing aids (HAs) with integrated sound generator (SG) is one of the forms of tinnitus treatment. Tinnitus is a disorder that affects 10 to 15% of de world's population.