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Can you get hearing loss from a car accident?
Dr. Calvin ErhaborOct 21, 2022 11:33:55 AM5 min read

Hearing Loss After A Car Accident

Hearing loss is commonly considered a degenerative condition caused by aging or prolonged exposure to loud sounds.

However, sudden hearing loss can also result from a traumatic injury, like a car accident injury.

If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, especially if your airbag is deployed, you might notice you have muffled hearing or hearing loss.

Auto accidents can cause a loss of hearing in various ways.

Car accident injuries like whiplash, head trauma, and airbag deployment are the main culprits.

If you've been experiencing ringing in the ears, ear pain, or hearing damage after a car accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical bills and other expenses.

It's also important to see a car accident chiropractor after an accident.

In the article below, we will discuss hearing loss after a car crash.

Table Of Contents

 

 

What Is Tinnitus?

In addition to hearing loss, you may experience tinnitus after your car wreck.

Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external auditory stimulus.

To put it simply, you hear sounds that aren't really there.

Usually, it's a ringing in the ears, but it can be anything from a soft whistle to a loud whine.

The ringing or sound may either be intermittent or continual.  

Over time, tinnitus can cause the loss of adequate hearing.

 

How Does a Car Crash Cause Hearing Loss?

A combination of factors can cause car crash hearing loss.

However, it is most often a secondary injury resulting from other common car accident injuries, like:

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Head Trauma

Head injuries like concussions or traumatic brain injuries are common during a car crash.

Head injuries may occur if your head strikes a hard object in the car, like the steering wheel or windshield.

The force of impact can cause one or more of the following injuries:

  • Damage to inner ear tissue, membranes, or hair cells
  • Ruptured eardrums
  • Minor bone injuries in the middle ear
  • Disruption of flow to the cochlea

A severe skull fracture can cause broken bones to pierce your ear canal.

These are painful injuries that can cause permanent deafness if you don't treat them immediately.

 

Whiplash

Whiplash is caused by a violent thrusting of the head and neck in a back-and-forth whip-like motion.

Whiplash can be severe enough to cause inner ear damage, depending on the accident's severity.

It can also result in temporomandibular disorder (TMJ), hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo.


Airbag Deployment

Airbag deployment generates loud pressure sounds that register at about 150-170 decibels.

A single exposure to a pressure sound at 140 decibels can cause permanent hearing loss.

Accident victims could also experience temporary or permanent hearing loss in one or both ears.

 

How Does Hearing Loss Affect Accident Victims?

Auto insurance companies and claims adjusters routinely downplay and minimize the significance of hearing loss after a car accident.

However, this medical condition can be debilitating and the sign of a more severe injury, like a TBI.

If left untreated, a hearing loss injury can negatively impact your quality of life.

You may not be able to resume your regular job, family life, and social and recreational activities.

Victims suffering from a hearing impairment from a crash may also experience feelings of irritability, fatigue, depression, withdrawal, loneliness, reduced alertness, reduced earning capacity, and diminished overall health.

Emotional injury is worsened when many victims choose to avoid social settings, compounding feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression.

 

Proving Tinnitus From A Car Crash

Tinnitus is a subjective condition.

That means there are no diagnostic tests to prove you have tinnitus. Instead, it's up to your doctor to diagnose it based on your symptoms.

Several other health conditions can cause ringing in the ears, so your insurance company will often look for evidence to prove your tinnitus was caused by other than the accident.

High blood pressure, ear infection, and side effects from medications can all cause hearing loss.

Always seek immediate medical attention for ringing in the ears after a car accident.

Medical records and doctor's notes will be essential to prove the extent of your injuries so you can be fairly compensated.

Working with an experienced attorney can make all the difference in proving tinnitus resulted from a car crash.

 

How Much Compensation Can You Get for Tinnitus and Hearing Loss?

Most personal injury claims for tinnitus originate in auto accident cases.

Unfortunately, no payout calculator will get you an exact settlement amount for your hearing loss claim.

However, the average settlement amount for tinnitus or hearing loss claims is typically around $50,000 to $250,000. 

 

a chiropractor treating a patient with hearing loss

How Can Chiropractic Care Help?

The vascular and neural problems leading to sudden hearing loss could all result from misalignments in the vertebrae of the cervical spine.

Can sudden hearing loss from cervical syndrome be effectively treated by chiropractic adjustments to the spine?

A study divided 90 patients with sudden hearing loss problems into two groups.

The first group was treated pharmacologically with IV medication trips, and the second received the same medication and was also treated with chiropractic care.

The chiropractic treatments included local muscles loosening, attacking point, and bilateral pulling of the atlanton-axial joint.

The group receiving chiropractic care showed remarkably better improvement of symptoms for their sudden hearing loss. 

So, chiropractic care can be an effective supplementary treatment for cervical spine disorder and the resulting sudden hearing loss.

 

Visit Arrowhead Clinic

If you were involved in an accident and are dealing with sudden hearing loss, an experienced Chiropractor may be able to help.

Arrowhead Clinic has a team of chiropractors specializing in helping accident victims recover from hearing loss and a myriad of other injuries so they can return to their everyday health and everyday lives.

And, if your accident was due to another driver's negligence, they can refer you to a skilled personal injury attorney that will help you receive maximum compensation.

Each patient that visits Arrowhead Clinic gets a free consultation to find out the source of their pain and design an appropriate treatment plan.

If you are ready to be rid of your tinnitus after your motor vehicle accident, click below to schedule your initial free consultation and begin chiropractic care today!

 

free car accident consultation

 

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Dr. Calvin Erhabor

Dr. Calvin Erhabor is Arrowhead Clinic’s Riverdale Chiropractor. He specializes in providing chiropractic spinal adjustments to accident victims as well as to people who suffer from chronic neck and back pain. Dr. Erhabor graduated with a Bachelors in Biological Sciences from Alcon State University in 2007. He also received his Doctorate of Chiropractic degree from the prestigious Life University in 2012. Life University is recognized throughout the world as a top institution and regularly has the highest National Board test scores in the nation. Dr. Erhabor is board certified by the National Board of Chiropractors Association and is a member of the Mississippi Chiropractic Association and the Georgia Chiropractic Association. Dr. Erhabor believes that his primary purpose is to truly understand his patients and the situation they are facing. He believes that every patient should be treated with respect, dignity, and above all else, be seen as a whole person and not as the condition or ailment they suffer from. Dr. Erhabor’s mission is to restore health and help community members reach their potential. One of Dr. Erhabor’s patients said, “The Riverdale facility is very clean. Dr. Calvin is great. He has a special bond with all his patients. I’ve never had a Dr. that actually talks to the patients and really gets to know them. And on top of that I feel so much better.” Dr. Erhabor offers same-day, free consultations. He is available to schedule an appointment Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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