I’ve had tinnitus for many years but I’ve noticed how loud it’s become over the last couple of years. I wonder how much covid has got to do with it (first time of having covid - followed by 6 months of long covid - in March 2020 and second time April this year).
Apart from that, I’m also suffering with very bad neck pains for which I see an osteopath once a month. She always notices how tense my neck and upper back feel. I suffer from stress too but I can manage it most of the time.
My question is: is there a link between tinnitus and neck tension? My tinnitus is mainly a loud hissing sound in both ears, sometimes a high pitched sound in one ear that only lasts a few seconds and sometimes like the roaring of a motorbike… But the main noise is the constant hissing made worse by stress and fatigue.
Written by
Mimine
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I definitely have a lot of neck and shoulder pains since my tinnitus became constant. But might of been from not wanting to sleep on my ears, so i was sleeping in funny postions and on my hands.
as far as Covid goes, if you access the British Tinnitus Association website and put ‘Covid’ into their search box at the top of the page you’ll find research results.
similarly, there’s thought to be a link between some neck joint pain and tinnitus - put ‘neck pain ‘ into the search box.
Other than the BTA’s search box, the charity has lots of useful information and guidance on tinnitus. Including for the stress that tinnitus sometimes induces.
Thank you for your reply and all the info. I’ll look into it. I don’t feel stressed with the tinnitus, it’s more the other way round. I think my tinnitus is louder when I’m stressed about other things.
Hi! I’ve had almost exactly the same symptoms over the years, especially the last 5 years. Although I’ve had T for about16 years.
My answer is YES. A long time ago I noticed the correlation that exists between the pitch of T and neck problems, better said cervical spondilosis.
I do gymnastics for neck almost every morning. I have cervical massage done by a specialist once a week. And I massage from time to time around the ears with diclofenac or any other ointment for pain.
I even think that there is a correlation between atmospheric pressure and T.
Thank you for your reply. What kind of exercises do you do for your neck? It’s interesting what you said about the change of atmospheric pressure as our weather changed quite drastically recently in the UK and I sort of felt a difference in my tinnitus.
Hi! You can find this kind of exercises on You Tube( Cervical spondilosis). But first of all it would be better to have an X-ray done for that zone.
In America a chiropratic gave me a booklet with these exercises.
I advise you to be very careful with those exercises that ask you to rotate your head. If you suffer from vertigo, better ask for medical advice.
Doctors in Romania where I live prescribe Magnesium to be taken for a short period of time( for ex. 3 months a year).
I also suffer from Vit D deficiency. The endocrinologist prescribed a higher dose of Vit D3. Since I started to take it, I have noticed a slight improvement in the intensity of my T. But please, ask you GP first. As for me, I always ask for doctors’ advice.
I purchased a "neck cloud" from Amazon and use it daily as well as a neck pillow. When walking during the night T was so loud it would prevent getting back to sleep, but ATM, not as loud and get back to sleep quickly. So I don't know if also getting a better night's sleep is helping? There is also sound therapy all night too.
My T is constant, both sides with different frequencies, and for a number of years. Sometimes incredibly upsetting and sometimes just getting on with it.
Thank you for your reply. I have a neck pillow too and I thought it was making a difference to my neck pains but I’m not so sure. I’ll look into getting a neck cloud. Did it make a difference for you?
Hi Mimine, I too have neck stiffness and pain at times which moved into upper shoulder area especially o my right side which is the side I have constant tinnitus loud ringing 24/7. I tend to get worse neck pain while in bed. I asked my consultant to check my jugular veins so he did a MRV scan which shows my right side is very narrow and the left side is much larger. Obviously the jugular veins are the main blood fluid draining veins for the head and brain so I am waiting for neuro surgoen team to comment on the scan result. I have read research that stenosis of the Internal Jugular Veins can cause tinnitus, head ache, dizziness, puffy face and eyes and head pressure with neck pain. I will post when I have more info from the medical team. But this might be worth checking for you. Take care and Happy Christmas!
Thank you for your reply. I haven’t been to the doctors about my tinnitus yet but I think I should. Looking forward to reading more about your findings.
hi Mimmie. My Tinnitus drove me to my doctors after every Covid jab / booster…. He put me on antidepressants which I didn’t take but rode out the storm ….. My wife got really bad shingles on her face because of the vaccine also…. Notice the TV information on shingles lately ? Well Tinnitus may be up there shortly related to the vaccine. Other factors for me that make my T spike is , Malaria tablets…… Alcohol ……. Flue……..Airtravell….. Choping logs for my wood burner without my ear defenders . Hope this helps.
Thank you for your reply. I can’t blame the vaccine for my tinnitus as I made the choice not to be vaccinated. Loud noise (I work in a primary school and it can be very noisy) trigger my tinnitus badly though. I wish I could use ear defenders at times!
Hi. I know how you feel. My long term tinnitus, changed to pulsatile tinnitus after first jab, also my blood pressure spiked. ENT consultant confirmed this and advised against any further jabs. He also said hes seeing a lot more patients having issues after vaccine. Worse descision I've ever made to have this.
Hi, I’m sorry you’re feeling so unwell after getting the jab. I haven’t had it but had covid twice and as I said in another post, I can’t decide whether my tinnitus has been made worse after having had covid. So many different things seem to make it worse. Sometimes, depending on my posture, I seem to get pulsatile tinnitus. It’s so debilitating…
I know my tinnitus is made worse by my neck problems. I do a lot of crochet and I can really tell if I've done too much as my tinnitus really ramps up.
Thank you for your reply. I do a lot of cross stitch and it could be that my neck pains are due to poor sitting when I do it although I still suffer even when I don’t…
Mine's definitely worse after doing too much crochet which my audiologist said it could be a postural problem. I have to weigh up my love of doing something that helps me take my mind off T or pay for it the next day!
Hi Mimine, I see that I am not the only one with tinitus both ears and neck pain on the left. Also pressure sensation in left ear coupled with noise distortion, then throw the daily headaches into the equation after taking Betahistain 16mg tablets three times a day. All I got out of the QA hospital Portsmouth ENT Surgeon was that I needed hearing aids. Well I knew I needed hearing aids anyway. QA ENT wanted to see me a month after they perscribed Betahistain, that was five months agao, never did hear from them again. Then its lets phone QA Hospital Out patients to see whats going on only to be sat by the ringing phone for two hours daily with no one bothering to answer the phone. Frustrating or what. Good luck to you. 😉😉
Thank you for your reply. Poor you, that sounds really frustrating. I hope you get the help you need. And no, you’re definitely not alone. I’m glad I reached out to fellow sufferers as I’m finding it more and more difficult to live with at times.
Cheers Mimine hope things get better for you. It's a hidden ailment which no one can see so it's a what you can't see doesn't matter to other people. I tried to explain that to my family, only the wife understands what we are going though, she's an ex nurse. If one sees a a blind person walking down the road, people can see that they are blind and respect that. All we get is: "It's what it is, live with it" Easier said thadone eh. Merry Christmas Mimine and a Happy New Year. 😏
Thank you for your reply. I see an osteopath once a month and she’s started working on my neck and upper back. I’m not sure yet whether that’s going to be enough to sort my tinnitus out. I long for a day, an hour or even one minute when the hissing can just stop!! It’s literally such a pain in the neck but I live in hope…
I have I have similar symptoms and have intermittent neck pain which I have had fro much longer than the T but I find that if I tense my neck or jaw muscles the T increases in volume which made me think their was a connection between the two .following discussion with audiologists they say it’s due to the cluster of nerves that run via the neck and behind the ear being stressed when I tense 🤔😀🤪☹️
Hello, I have the exact same condition. Gabapentin seems to help some with the symptoms as it works to reduce nerve pain. I also have rice pack warmers that you heat up in the microwave and put on top of the shoulders/around the back of my neck. Trigger point therapy with consistent stretching is also a tool for me. Take care, Rich
Hi Mimine - this pretty well illustrates my own experience with T, although I've had neck (and other back problems) for many years more than T. What I have noticed recently is a pins and needles feeling in my neck, but I'm not sure if this is related to T or other causes (perhaps Covid or flu jabs???). I tend to have T on my left side, but the neck feelings are on the right side. I'm intending to visit my osteopath in the new year and see if this indicates any relationship between the two. Have a good Christmas... L
Hi and thank you for your reply. I sometimes get a burning sensation in the neck but it’s the tension that is the worst. I haven’t had the vaccine but I’ve had covid twice and I’m trying to think whether my tinnitus is worse since having it.
I've said this before on here, and again I've to say there's no solid science behind my own personal experience, but I do believe the neck pain, stress, tension, anxiety all these things are related and I do believe causal. Brief as I can: I worked in a very stressful job, hunched over a computer. Had to take early retirement Ménière's became a problem. Problem didn't end immediately but lessened. Then, no idea why, but I was stressing, got had again. Eventually saw a physio and she gave me neck stretching exercises, saw tightness in right hand side. Brilliant! Saw an instant result. Reduced dizziness, reduced headaches and different tinnitus/deafness, reduced noise etc. Then I took on a voluntary role as treasurer at our local sports and social club. Stress returned, but time, didn't have time to do my exercises neglected myself. Result: every symptom returned. Every sinew in my neck was screaming in pain and causing my Ménière's symptoms; dizzy, headaches, migraines, nausea increased tinnitus etc etc. I got back into my neck exercises routine and slowly but surely I've reduced the symptoms, and am still doing stressful stuff. Where is the research into these connections? Shouldn't expect anything much as these Tories are intent on destroying the NHS and privatising it anyway. Look after your neck, relax, meditate and distress.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I too believe stress heightens my tinnitus because when I’m stressed (I live with a stressful person so that’s a lot of the time) my tinnitus is very loud. I work in a primary school which is a noisy environment and it’s not doing my T any favours either! I practise meditation and mindfulness daily and I try to be aware of the tightness in my shoulders and neck and relax them when I feel tense. I’ll carry on looking into exercises and treatment.
Relaxation, doing things you enjoy, being kind to yourself, and the wandering Vagus nerve, in fact there are 2, one each side of the neck and very much related to the digestion.Overtime I have learnt that the NHS cannot deal with any health condition out of the ordinary. I agree that we are moving towards private healthcare, my gp hinted as such, so there will be a big divide between the haves and have nots. OK if you can afford it, but what if your health problems are so rare that only the NHS can help!
I recently got a hearing aid (left side only) to help with dizziness and vertigo but the T is reduced too. Not provided by the NHS!
Thank you for your reply. I try to use relaxation etc… and I know for a fact that my T is badly affected by loud noises and voices. Unfortunately I live with a someone who talks loudly and is often stressed and negative and I know this is having an impact…
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I can’t take my tinnitus no more..
Tinnitus
Tinnitus has got worse 
Louder tinnitus in one ear
