Tonic tensor tympani syndrome is a disease of the

tensor tympani muscle The tensor tympani is a muscle within the middle ear, located in the bony canal above the bony part of the auditory tube, and connects to the malleus bone. Its role is to dampen loud sounds, such as those produced from chewing, shouting, or thunde ...

, described by Klochoff et al in 1971.Klockhoff I. Impedance fluctuation and a ''Tensor Tympani Syndrome''. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Acoustic Measurements, Lisbon, 1979:69�76. It involves a decrease in the contraction threshold of the tensor tympani. This hypercontraction (or spasms) leads to chronic ear pain, in particular in the case of

hyperacusis Hyperacusis is the increased sensitivity to sound and a low tolerance for environmental noise. Definitions of hyperacusis can vary significantly; it can refer to normal noises being perceived as: loud, annoying, painful, fear-inducing, or a combina ...

and

acoustic shock Acoustic shock is the set of symptoms a person may experience after hearing an unexpected, loud sound. The loud sound, called an acoustic incident, can be caused by feedback oscillation, fax tones, or signalling tones. Telemarketers and call ce ...

.Westcott M. Acoustic shock injury (ASI). Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2006 Dec;(556):54-8. Review.

Symptoms

Symptoms include a sensation of fullness in the ear,

otalgia Ear pain, also known as earache or otalgia, is pain in the ear. Primary ear pain is pain that originates from the ear. Secondary ear pain is a type of referred pain, meaning that the source of the pain differs from the location where the pain is ...

tinnitus Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...

dysacusis Dysacusis is a hearing impairment characterized by difficulty in processing details of sound due to distortion in frequency or intensity rather than primarily a loss of the ability to perceive sound. The term is sometimes used to describe pain or d ...

tension headache Tension headache, also known as stress headache, or tension-type headache (TTH), is the most common type of primary headache. The pain can radiate from the lower back of the head, the neck, eyes or other muscle groups in the body typically affecti ...

and

vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

References

{{reflist Diseases of the ear and mastoid process Syndromes affecting hearing