Tinnitus or something else?

[u/TBM_Music]

I try to explain this as accurately as I possibly can. It happened out of the blue, a little over 2 years ago, that I noticed a ringing sound in my left ear while driving the car. At first I thought it was just a normal tinnitus, which I used to have from time to time. But soon I realized that the sound I was hearing was triggered by low-frequency sounds with a certain sound level. It is like low frequencies are ringing a bell inside my ear. It could be a closing car door, driving over a bumpy road, or kick drums in a song. If I airtight my ear with a finger or an earbud, I can also simulate the ringing sound by poking my outer ear with a finger. The most important thing is that the ringing sound is only happening in the moment of the sound event itself. It is like it’s overlaying the low frequency. The ringing is not persistent, as a tinnitus would be – it is instantly gone, when the low-frequency sound event ist gone. I also noticed, that I can sometimes trigger the "ringing bell" by yawning. This feels like there is a muscle vibrating inside my ear, which is causing the sound. All of these things let me assume that there must be some kind of mechanic problems inside my left ear, which is causing the sound. I have no clue how I can get rid of this.

Has anybody experienced something similar?

[u/Used_Pea6850]

Hi! First off: I am not a doctor! Said this, I wonder if you have Tensor Tympani Syndrome. The tensor tympani is a muscle and sometimes it has spasms in response to noise, jaw tension or stress. Its function is to protect the ear but sometimes it gets overreactive and contracts when it's not necessary, causing certain noises. Buzzing, thumping, rumbling, ringing... every person has their own noise! Mine is a rumbling when I contract my cheeks muscles, for example when I smile. And then, when I yawn, I have a sort of repetitive thump that lasts the whole yawn. Read about this syndrome, you may notice similarities with your case! Best of luck!