Spinal Cord Injuries Can Lead to Hearing Loss

The spinal cord, located in the canal in the center of your vertebrae, is a bundle of nerves that sends messages between the brain and the rest of your body about sensation and movement. Did you know that if you injure your spinal cord, it can actually lead to hearing loss? We review more about this link below.

About Spinal Cord Injuries

Below we provide an overview about spinal cord injuries.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries may be caused by:

• Falls
• Automobile accidents
• Sports injuries
• Diving accidents
• Trampoline accidents
• Abscesses on the spinal cord
• Birth injuries
• Violent injuries

Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries can result in symptoms such as:

• Loss of feeling, muscle movement or reflexes
• Breathing problems
• Loss of bowel and bladder function
• Quadriplegia (loss of function in the arms and legs)
• Paraplegia (loss of function in the legs and lower body)

Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries

Currently, spinal cord injuries cannot be repaired. However, surgery may be used to evaluate the injury, stabilize fractured bones, release pressure from the injury and manage other associated injuries. Other interventions include:

• Observation and management in the ICU
• Corticosteroids to decrease swelling
• Mechanical ventilator to help you breathe
• Bladder catheter to drain urine
• Feeding tube to provide nutrition and calories

The Link Between Spinal Cord Injuries & Hearing Loss

One 2021 Taiwanese study found that people who have experienced a spinal cord injury have a 1.75 times higher risk of developing sensorineural hearing loss compared to the general population.

In order to uncover this, the researchers examined data from Taiwan’s Longitudinal Health Insurance Database from 2005, which contained information that over 2,000 participants had experienced a spinal cord injury. Around 8,000 people had not had such an injury and were part of the control group.

During the follow-up period, 30 patients who had experienced a spinal cord injury, and 87 who had not developed sensorineural hearing loss.

According to the authors, “Our study showed that patients with spinal cord injury have an increased risk of developing sensorineural hearing loss.” This means they developed trouble hearing in a variety of environments, especially complex ones.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Sound Advice today.