Investigation of the Effectiveness of Kinesio Tape Treatment in Adult Individuals with Subjective Tinnitus.

Objective: Tinnitus is one of the most common otologic symptoms and has a serious effect on the quality of life. The pathophysiology of tinnitus is not fully understood and no consensus has been reached on an effective treatment method for tinnitus. To evaluate the effectiveness of the kinesiotape (KT) method in subjective tinnitus treatment. Material and Method: KT is a method used for sensory simulation. It is a method that aims to increase muscle function, positively affect lymphatic fluid and blood circulation, and stimulate the neurological system. In this study, KT method was applied and the study was prospective. 34 individuals with subjective tinnitus, and normal hearing were included. The study group (n = 17) was informed about tinnitus and KT was applied for 4 weeks, the control group (n = 17) was only informed about tinnitus. The information about tinnitus given to both groups included verbal information about what tinnitus is, how to deal with tinnitus and basic recommendations. All individuals were initially administered tinnitus measurements (pitch, loudness, minimal masking level, residual inhibition), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), SF-36, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). All evaluations were repeated after 4 weeks. Results: Tinnitus loudness and pitch decreased in the KT group (P < .05). In both groups, there was a significant difference between the first and last measurements of the severity of tinnitus, the degree of discomfort from tinnitus with VAS, and the catastrophic and total scores of THI (P < .05). KT group, the emotional sub-score of THI improved significantly with KT (P < .05), and significant improvement was achieved in the BDI scores (P < .05). There was a significant difference in the SF-36 after the application of KT (P < .05). Conclusion: In subjective tinnitus, the pathophysiology of which is unknown and there is no consensus on an effective treatment method, improvement in tinnitus severity, quality of life and depression perception in both audiologic and perceptual evaluations were obtained as a result of KT application. We believe that KT, which has no side effects and is easy to apply, is a method that can be easily used in individuals with subjective tinnitus.

Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation in Chronic Subjective Tinnitus.

OBJECTIVE: It is aimed to determine the therapeutic role of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on chronic subjective tinnitus with a randomized and comparative analysis. METHOD: 46 individuals with normal hearing, chronic subjective tinnitus, aged 20-65; randomly divided into the study (TENS therapy) and tje control groups. The control group (n = 23) was informed only about tinnitus, while the study group (n = 23) received TENS therapy (20 sessions in 4 weeks). Before TENS therapy, tinnitus-related evaluations of all participants [tinnitus frequency, loudness, minimum masking level (MMS), residual inhibition (RI)] were made and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and The Quality of Life Scale were applied to the participants. These evaluations and questionnaires were repeated after 4 weeks of the therapy. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the tinnitus severity after TENS therapy in the study group (p = 0.003). Moreover, it was found that VAS (loudness and annoyance), THI (functional, emotional and total score), SF-36 (physical function, physical role, pain, general health, vitality, emotional role and social function) values improved compared to before TENS therapy and the difference was significant (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the first and last evaluations of the control group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: TENS is an effective, practical and reliable therapy method in reducing severity, loudness, and annoyance of tinnitus, and increasing the quality of life in individuals with chronic subjective tinnitus.