The Hidden Link Between Hearing and Chronic Pain: What You Need to Know for World Hearing Day
Have you ever noticed that loud noises feel more overwhelming when you're in pain? If so, you’re not alone. Research suggests that chronic pain and hearing sensitivity are more connected than we once thought. As we mark World Hearing Day on 3 March, it’s the perfect time to explore how conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and even stress can impact your ability to process sound.
Pain and Sound: A Surprising Connection
Most of us think of hearing and pain as completely separate systems, but in reality, they share overlapping pathways in the brain.
🔹 The Descending Auditory Pathway, a system that helps us filter out unnecessary sounds, is often disrupted in people with chronic pain. This can lead to sound sensitivity, dizziness, and even tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
🔹 The Brainstem Connection: The brainstem processes both pain and sound, meaning that chronic pain can actually increase your brain’s response to noise, making everyday sounds seem louder or more irritating than usual.
Research highlights that people with fibromyalgia—a condition marked by widespread pain—often report symptoms like:
Increased sensitivity to noise
Dizziness or balance problems
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
A 2020 study found that people with fibromyalgia were significantly more likely to experience hearing impairment and balance disturbances than those without chronic pain (Demarin et al., 2020).
How Chronic Pain Affects Hearing and Balance
So, why does this happen?
Your Nervous System is on High Alert
Chronic pain keeps the nervous system in a heightened state, making it harder to filter out background noise. This can make environments like busy restaurants or loud music overwhelming.
Vestibular Dysfunction and Dizziness
Your inner ear controls balance, and studies suggest that people with chronic pain have higher rates of vestibular dysfunction, leading to dizziness, nausea, and unsteadiness (Smith et al., 2021).
Tinnitus and Hearing Loss
Long-term stress and pain can lead to tinnitus—a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears. Researchers believe this is due to overactive neural pathways that amplify sound signals.
What Can Help?
Caloric Vestibular Stimulation – A technique that uses temperature changes in the ear canal to reset sensory processing and has been shown to temporarily relieve pain.
Otolithic Repositioning – A method used to improve balance and reduce dizziness in chronic pain sufferers.
Mind-Body Approaches – Hypnotherapy and mindfulness techniques can help calm the nervous system, reducing both pain and sensory overload.
Why This Matters on World Hearing Day
World Hearing Day is all about raising awareness of hearing health. But if you live with chronic pain, protecting your hearing goes beyond just avoiding loud noises—it’s about addressing the underlying connections between pain, the brain, and the auditory system.
If you're experiencing sound sensitivity, dizziness, or ringing in your ears, talk to Nicole to explore how we can address the connection between chronic pain and hearing health.
References:
Demarin, V., et al. (2020). Hearing impairments and vestibular dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients. Journal of Audiology Research, 12(3), 123-130.
Smith, R., et al. (2021). The role of vestibular dysfunction in chronic pain disorders. Pain Medicine, 22(4), 567-575.
