Tinnitus is the abnormal perception of an ear ringing that can be heard only by the person who has it.  It is not a disease or an illness but it is a symptom of a medical condition which is related physiologically to the head and ears.  The noise that a person with tinnitus hears is a product of the brain creating sounds in the absence of signals of sound from the ears.  This happens when there is loss of hearing.  Hearing loss is the most common cause of tinnitus.  But aside from hearing losses there have been different medical conditions that are pointed as causes of tinnitus.

Ear infections, impacted ear wax, otosclerosis, tumors, Meniere’s diseases, ototoxic drugs, head and neck injuries, and constant exposure to loud noises are the most common causes of tinnitus.  But it may also happen with other bodily disorders like heart and blood vessel disorders which would include atherosclerosis and hypertension, anemia and hypothyroidism.

Cochlear deterioration from the aging process can also result to tinnitus.  Head and neck injuries possibly from vehicular accidents can disrupt the body’s system of balance in the inner ear and may abnormally cause tinnitus.  There have been reports of people who are involved in vehicular accidents and experiencing sudden tinnitus.  Even a mild bang in the head is capable of causing disruptions in the balance of the inner ear fluids and can also abnormally cause tinnitus. 

Persons who are exposed to loud explosions like from bombs or gunshots have also reported a sudden abnormal onset of tinnitus.  The tinnitus they usually experience are just temporary and usually disappears in a few minutes.  This happens because the hair cells are traumatized by the loud “bang” temporarily.  However when the tinnitus appears much longer and becomes louder in time, it is best to go and see a physician and have the ears evaluated.

Meniere’s disease which is a condition where there is a disorder in the inner ear and causes vertigo, tinnitus, aural fullness and hearing loss, is said to be caused by variable pressure in the inner ear fluids.   It could be possible that when a person experiences head trauma, the fluids in the ears are disturbed and it might cause pressure thus causing episodes of vertigo, aural fullness, hearing loss and tinnitus. 

Tinnitus happens here cause the hair cells are disturbed by the sudden imbalance of fluid which can cause temporary hearing loss.