Ototech is a Medical Center authorized by the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia made up of professionals from the world of otorhinolaryngology, in which we treat all types of tinnitus and vertigo. In a first visit, Dr. Martínez-Monche, otorhinolaryngologist, tries to determine the origin and type of the patient’s tinnitus. The origin of tinnitus can be varied; It can be unilateral when it is only perceived in one ear, or bilateral, when the patient perceives it in both ears, and in many cases it is accompanied by hearing loss. Once the visit with the doctor has been made, the ideal and personalized treatment for each patient is determined.
After more than 20 years of research and study of tinnitus, Dr. Martínez-Monche, otorhinolaryngologist, has developed Ototech physical therapy, based on electrostimulation that has a high percentage of improvement in subjective tinnitus with a somatosensory component, which It can reach up to 65% of patients with tinnitus(¹). “Not all of our patients improve, but a significant percentage of them do,” clarifies Dr. Martínez-Monche.
Dr. Martínez-Monche explains that “The positive effects of electrostimulation applied to different parts of the body are supported by a multitude of studies published in the most prestigious journals in the medical sector.”
The preliminary results of the aforementioned study are very encouraging and only stimulate our interest in studying and researching treatments for tinnitus, and improving the quality of life of our patients.”
A prospective clinical study carried out by the Venetian Audiology and Otoneurology Unit of the University of Padua in 2019 and 2020 has concluded that through electrostimulation therapy, such as the one performed at Ototech, a significant improvement has been obtained of tinnitus and, therefore, on the quality of life of the patients at the end of treatment.
Likewise, the aforementioned study concludes that although the study was specifically designed to investigate tinnitus, a high number of patients have been found who have demonstrated an improvement in their hearing. “The preliminary results of the aforementioned study are very encouraging and only stimulate our interest in studying and researching treatments for tinnitus, and improving the quality of life of our patients,” says Dr. Martínez-Monche.
“Any person can suffer from this inner ear ailment. Although it is true that it is a more common pathology in people over 45-50 years old,” says Dr. Martínez-Monche. Although not all patients perceive tinnitus in the same way, nor with the same discomfort, nor with the same intensity. “Some patients describe it as something annoying that interferes in some way with their lives. For others, noise bothers them so much that it even depresses them and prevents them from sleeping and leading a normal life,” explains Dr. Martínez-Monche.
Who does it affect?
There are several causes that can generate tinnitus, from infectious to toxic, post-surgical, traumatic, but above all idiopathic, which are those for which we do not know the origin. “But there is one that is repeated more frequently than others, and it is stress(²), which can negatively modulate the somatosensory component of subjective tinnitus,” says the doctor.
Tinnitus is an alteration of the central nervous system that causes a person to perceive a noise in the head without there being an external sound stimulus that causes it. “A high percentage of the patients we have treated with tinnitus report having a partial hearing loss, which means that the patient may have some difficulty understanding what they hear in noisy environments, or when they are with several people speaking at the same time. ”says Dr. Martínez Monche. For patients, the hardest thing is to hear that their symptom has no cure. The objective of the Ototech Medical Center is to investigate and study this condition and improve the patient’s quality of life, offering them a personalized solution that adapts to their specific circumstance.
In our medical center, the study of each patient’s tinnitus is personalized, applying the corresponding treatment in each case, depending on its origin and time of evolution. Likewise, our professionals consider other symptoms that may be related to tinnitus, such as partial hearing loss and vertigo.
Ototech is a therapy that has achieved improvements in tinnitus in patients treated at its centers in Barcelona and Madrid. Among the improvements that patients have perceived from Ototech therapy, the reduction of noise in their ears stands out. “I had a very uncomfortable and constant ringing in both ears, which also prevented me from understanding conversations, I stopped going to dinners with friends, socializing…. After the therapy, the intensity of my tinnitus has decreased and I understand better when they talk to me,” describes Juan M. after having completed the therapy at Ototech. “This means that recovering quality of life may be possible,” concludes Dr. Martínez-Monche.
References:
(¹) Sanchez TG, Rocha CB. Diagnosis and management of somatosensory tinnitus: review article
(²) Carmona Cortés, Review of the relationship between stress and tinnitus
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