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Nearly 50 million people Across the U.S. suffer from some form of hearing loss; of these 50 million there are three general classifications, but there many conditions that cause each type. Some quite common and some much less, but nonetheless I am going to share with you the three most common types.

Conductive or Mechanical Hearing Loss

A conductive or mechanical hearing loss is one that is usually caused by something preventing the proper transmission of sound to the cochlea. In this case there is nothing wrong with your cochlea or auditory nerve.

There is something blocking the sound from traveling from your outer ear to your inner ear. Sound must travel through your ear canal, vibrate your ear drum, which cause the ossicles (ear bones) to move. This makes the fluid inside the cochlea move causing the neural impulse.

If there is any link in this chain of events has a problem, you will suffer from a hearing loss. A simple hearing test can easily detect where the problem is coming from.

Possible causes

• excessive earwax build up
• Fluid behind the ear drum
• disconnected or fused ossicles

Treatment

This type of hearing loss requires medical intervention and, in some cases, may lead to surgery for a full correction.

Sensorineural Hearing loss

Despite what it says the sensorineural is caused not by the authorial nerve itself that has the problem. Its actually the little hairs that make up your hearing organ or Cochlea.

As sound enter the ear these hairs move back and forward sending a signal through the auditory nerve to the brain causing you to hear. When these hairs don't work correctly or lose their function thus ending up with a hearing loss.

Possible causes

• Noise exposure- i.e. impact sounds (loud explosions) long durations of sounds (loud construction machines)
• Age
• Sudden hearing losses
• Acoustic neuromas (tumors)

Caution

Both sudden hearing losses & Acoustic neuromas tend to happen in only one ear at a time. If you are experiencing this it is in best interest to visit you Local Audiologist as soon as possible

Treatment

The good news about this type of hearing loss is that it is preventable with proper caution. Hearing protection is vital to the longevity of these precious hair cells.

However, if age is culprit to sensorineural hearing loss there is really no preventable cautions to take. Nearly everyone will develop this type of hearing loss if they live long enough.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss happens when there is a component of a sensory neural hearing loss combined with a conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is very uncommon and requires multiple types of treatment.

Possible Causes

• Anything causing a conductive hearing loss combined with a sensorineural hearing loss

Prevention

Although there is nothing you can do to when it comes to age-related hearing loss, there are some ways that you can prevent noise induced hearing loss.

• Protect Your Assets Its always a good idea to use proper ear protection when you encounter a noisy environment. Especially if your going to be exposed to it for a long duration of time. In the work place plastic ear plugs or glycerin-filled earmuffs will do the trick. Remember, if you think you should be wearing ear protection then chances are you DEFFINATLY should be!
• Have your hearing tested Regularly If you find yourself working in noisy environment consider regular hearing tests. Find a local qualified audiologist!
• Turn down the volume! If you find yourself using headphones/earphones on a regular basis remember to keep them at a safe volume. Over time they can result in the damage of those precious hair cells in the cochlea.
• Limit Loud Recreational Activities Activities that include loud engines, guns, power tools, or even loud concerts should be limited. Wearing proper ear protection while performing these activities can protect your ears.