When exploring the topic of deafness, you might come across information for varying forms of hearing loss. These conditions take away or diminish someone’s hearing, but they impact people in different ways and require differing treatments. Because of that, it’s crucial to make distinctions between them.

Conductive hearing loss, while rarer than sensorineural hearing loss, can affect anyone. While many cases are temporary or completely curable, some result in lasting damage and permanent hearing loss.

Before we discuss the symptoms and treatment of conductive hearing loss, we must understand what it is and how it can occur.

 

What is Conductive hearing loss?

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound cannot reach the inner ear. This can be caused by a blockage, damage to the eardrum, or a narrowing ear canal.

This condition is usually divided into two groups: inner ear and middle ear hearing loss. The outer ear consists of the opening and ear canal, while the middle ear includes several small bones. As sound passes through the ear, it moves through these areas to the inner ear, where the cochlea processes the vibrations into sound.

When this process is hindered or blocked, it’s called conductive hearing loss. Ear infections and earwax buildup cause most cases of conductive hearing loss, but many other factors can lead to this condition.

Causes of Conductive hearing loss

As mentioned before, conductive hearing loss can occur in two areas. Common afflictions of the outer ear include:

• Earwax buildup and impaction
• Swimmer’s ear or otitis externa
• Exostoses, which are small, abnormal growths within the ear canal
• Foreign objects in the ear

Problems with the middle ear can also lead to conductive hearing loss. These problems include:

• Ear infections, or otitis media, which leads to a buildup of fluid in the middle ear
• A burst or perforated eardrum, which can be caused by loud noises, injuries, rapid altitude changes, and ear infections
• A hardened/thickened eardrum, also known as Tympanosclerosis
• Issues with the eustachian tube, or the middle ear’s passage to the throat
• Abnormal middle-ear growths or tumors
• Breakage of the middle-ear bones, known formally as ossicular chain discontinuity
• Otoscelerosis, a hardening/freezing of the middle ear bones

Conductive hearing loss can also occur at birth, usually caused by afflictions like microtia (an underdeveloped ear) and stenosis (a narrow ear canal).

Swimming in cold water frequently can also lead to Exostoses, the hard protrusions in the ear canal. This condition is also known as “surfer’s ear”, not to be confused with swimmer’s ear, a temporary infection.

 

Symptoms of Conductive hearing loss

The ultimate sign that you’re suffering from hearing loss is a lost or diminishing ability to hear. However, conductive hearing loss has a few symptoms that are more specific.

• Problems hearing or understanding speech
• Unclear or muffled noise
• One-sided hearing loss, or the ability to hear better out of one ear than the other
• Pressure or pain in one or both ears
• Issues keeping your balance
• A feeling that your voice sounds strange, or louder than usual
• Strange odors or fluids leaking from the ear — which is typical of conductive hearing loss caused by infection or impaction

Conductive vs Sensorineural hearing loss

Unlike sensorineural hearing loss, which often causes issues hearing certain pitches, voices, or consonants, conductive hearing loss usually muffs sound in general.

Sensorineural hearing loss is always permanent, while conductive hearing loss can usually be cured with procedures, surgery, and antibiotics. While some cases of conductive hearing loss are incurable, many can be cleared up with proper medical care.

However, these conditions are not mutually exclusive. Sensorineural and conductive hearing loss can occur in tandem with mixed hearing loss. If you are experiencing symptoms untypical of conductive hearing loss, it is recommended that you get a hearing test along with your physical examination.

Conductive hearing loss usually occurs after head trauma, allergies, or after contracting ear infections like swimmer’s ear. Sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, tends to be more insidious. Many people do not realize they have sensorineural hearing loss until the issue becomes severe.

For that reason, it’s important to get your hearing checked often. If you are seeking treatment for conductive hearing loss, your doctor might also test you for sensorineural damage. This is a vital part of recognizing mixed hearing loss.

While conductive and sensorineural hearing loss are different, they can impact your hearing and quality of life.

 

Conductive hearing loss treatment

There are various causes of conductive hearing loss, so treatment options vary. The first step to treatment is to seek help and obtain a diagnosis. Your family doctor or audiologist can assist with this process. Once the issue has been identified, treatment can proceed.

Earwax buildup and ear infections cause most cases of conductive hearing loss. While these issues seem benign, they can be dangerous if left alone or treated improperly.

If you are suffering from earwax blockage, do not try to remove the wax yourself. You can easily puncture your eardrum or push the impaction further into your ear. Also, avoid putting anything in your ears, including ear canals and cleaning tools.

Meanwhile, those suffering from frequent ear infections should seek treatment. While isolated treatments might be solved easily, chronic issues can lead to scarring of the ear canal. Never let an ear infection fester, and talk to your doctor. You must receive the proper antibiotics to clear up the infection. Do not rely entirely on home remedies.

For those with tumors, growths, or protrusions in the ear, surgery is an option to remove these issues. If the problem cannot be solved with a procedure, other avenues of treatment do exist.

Hearing aids for conductive hearing loss do exist. Some standard forms of hearing aids can provide relief, and specific hearing aids, known as bone conduction hearing aids, tackle conduction issues.

These hearing aids transfer sound vibrations directly to the cochlea, bypassing the outer and middle ear. For those suffering from inoperable conditions, these hearing aids can eliminate the need for the damaged/malformed parts of the ear.

Regardless of what is causing your hearing loss, you must seek help. If you’re interested in learning more about your ears and what causes hearing loss, Signia provides information through its blog page.