The onset of tinnitus is provoked by a combination of factors. The most common causes include noise exposure, genetic factors, and inevitable depreciation of hearing caused by aging. While many hearing centers solely offer hearing aids and other “band-aids” for treating tinnitus, we are committed to helping our patients through Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and other comprehensive tinnitus solutions. Over time, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy can help lower the perceived intensity of tinnitus and can make managing tinnitus much easier.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) was developed in the late 1990s. Over the course of the past two decades, TRT has proven to be very effective with individuals living with clinically significant tinnitus.
Long-Term, Lasting Relief
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy will be a little bit different for each patient but will usually take place over the course of 12 to 24 months. Depending on the individual, the relief offered by TRT can be immediate or more gradual over time depending on numerous factors, such as tinnitus triggers. Part of the TRT process is working with an audiologist trained in the directive counseling process who helps to discover these “triggers” and determines how best to avoid them with the patient.
Sound Relief is committed to using evidence-based treatment models. The usefulness of TRT has been demonstrated by numerous double-blind and randomized studies conducted around the world. Individuals who experience TRT are the most likely to report lasting relief many years into the future.
Leveraging Experience with Personalized Treatment
Having once worked with the original developer of TRT (Dr. Jastebroff), Dr. Julie Prutsman is an expert with how to effectively administer TRT. She is also a proud member of the TRT Association, which has helped her continue contributing and learning about the best practices in the industry.
According to Dr. Julie, “Tinnitus became a passion for me early on in my education. I met with so many different patients when I was in the graduate school clinic at CU-Boulder. Every day people were coming in complaining of tinnitus. And we were just like everyone out there, telling them: ‘I don’t know what to do for you. You have hearing loss; let’s try hearing aids.” And that was it.
However, Dr. Julie was committed to finding better solutions for those living with this debilitating condition, and thus she sought out an elective during her doctoral program on tinnitus, which eventually led her to a TRT training at Emory University in Atlanta. While there, she studied alongside Dr. Pawel Jastreboff, who developed Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and thus “developed a strong foundation and [learned] the best ways to help people that are living with this [condition].”
What Does Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Treatment Look Like?
At Sound Relief Hearing Center, intensive, approximately 90-minute evaluations are necessary in order to cater to the proper course of sound therapy to your personal case of tinnitus. During your evaluation, your audiologist will walk you through a series of tests and questions to determine your optimal treatment plan.
The first step is to get a reading of your general hearing, measuring the softest levels you can hear. Next, audiologists will try to isolate the pitch and intensity of your tinnitus. Finally, all of the compiled data will be considered in conjunction with your complete medical history to see which tinnitus treatment will best match your needs and lifestyle
One of the questions your audiologist will ask you is, “When is your tinnitus most bothersome?” For some people, it’s all the time, meaning you will need to incorporate a sound therapy signal for full-time use. For other people, tinnitus may only persist while sleeping, and thus, there are options to use sound therapy exclusively at night.
Sometimes tinnitus treatment is based on how long a person has experienced tinnitus. If it’s a fairly recent onset, your audiologist may decide on a different therapy than they would for someone who has had tinnitus for 10+ years.
There are a lot of factors that go into determining the ideal treatment plan for each individual. During your evaluation, you will engage in thorough testing and review your complete medical history in order to arrive upon your optimal treatment plan.
Discover the Sound Relief Difference
Sound Relief helps more people with tinnitus each year than any other practice in the United States. With TRT and other treatment options, managing tinnitus is possible. If you are currently living with tinnitus and are struggling to find relief, there is hope for you.
Find the help you need and the relief you deserve by scheduling an appointment.
To learn more, please explore the following links:
The Vicious Cycle of Tinnitus | Tinnitus FAQs | Treatment Options
