Hello, I have never had any hearing problems until this week, when while listening to music I noticed a strange ticking sound/sensation in my right ear. It is definitely proportional to the amount of noise and at a moderate volume becomes more like static. I can reproduce the same thing by holding a telephone with a dial tone up to the ear. If anyone has any thoughts on what might be causing this please let me know.

Your problem may be the tiny muscle between the hearing bones of the middle ear. Years ago, I noticed a funny, whooshing and crackling sound in my left ear while watching a loud movie. It only happened once in a while in a noisy environment. Six months ago, my left ear was injured and I developed eustachian tube dysfunction. This problem is now more severe sometimes. You probably don't have a eustachian tube problem, but I suggest getting a referral to an ENT or Otologist. General practitioners may see nothing wrong. If it is very bothersome, the muscle can be cut or frozen. I wish you the best of luck in getting this resolved.

I'm wondering if anyone else has any input about this? In just the past 5 days, I've developed this as well -- it's definitely sound-activated, and is triggered by white noise, like running water, or paper tearing, or a plastic bag fluttering in a breeze. It's only in one ear, and has been increasing in occurrence -- at first it sounded like someone typing using the Hunt-n-Peck method, but now it sometimes sounds like a proficient typist.

After reading the ordeals some of you have gone through, I feel a bit ridiculous posting about something so seemingly trivial, but I am concerned this is the early signs of something more serious.

Hopefully, the problem you described will come and go on a limited basis. Before the massive injury to my left ear, I too experienced a similar sensation while in loud movie theatres or environments. Sometimes it happened whenever I was exposed to noise. Other times, it would not happen for months. I do recommend seeing an ENT about it. He can keep track of your symptoms and decide if it's serious. Probably it is'nt. Good luck and protect your ears as carefully as your eyes! I did'nt and life as I knew it is over.

My cousin had a clicking sound in his ear. It happened off & on for a feww weeks until he finally saw a doctor. He found out that a small piece of hair had gotten into his ear canal and would occasionally "click" against his eardrum. The doctor was able to flush the hair out with some sort of solution. I also heard of a man who had gotten a grain of rice lodged in his ear canal during his wedding. He too heard clicking sounds until he discovered the source of the sound. He had to have the rice grain surically removed.

Hey, I have the same exact problem as you. It has been going on now for 6 months. Help! I've gone to specialist and they can't figure it out. I'm going insane, it's does it with running water or plastic bags noises. any loud noice sets it off. Total silence is the only time I get relief. If you are still out there... Did you find out what causes this and is there a cure? Originally posted by Dantalion64:
I'm wondering if anyone else has any input about this? In just the past 5 days, I've developed this as well -- it's definitely sound-activated, and is triggered by white noise, like running water, or paper tearing, or a plastic bag fluttering in a breeze. It's only in one ear, and has been increasing in occurrence -- at first it sounded like someone typing using the Hunt-n-Peck method, but now it sometimes sounds like a proficient typist.

After reading the ordeals some of you have gone through, I feel a bit ridiculous posting about something so seemingly trivial, but I am concerned this is the early signs of something more serious.

hi there.
I have the exact same thing with my right ear.
When im exposed to normal high sounds, for instance in the cinema, i get a distortion and pain in my right ear. I have never gotten this before, and it started about 6 months ago.
Furthermore when i hear normal sounds the right ear gives a weird sound, this includes a normal conversation as well as when im talking myself. I cant live with this anoying and painfull thing, but the ear specialist that have examined me, cant see anything wrong. My life is chaos with this thing, i cant talk with my girlfriend or watch TV with her, because of my ear.
Does any of you get this when people talking near you ?
Anyone know what it might be ? the specialist just looked in my ear and did a hearing test, he said he couldnt do anything because he couldnt see anything...should i just accept that ?

Found out what it might possibly be. Someone suggested to me that it could be "Hyperacusis".
Supposedly it is because it has gone too sensitive to sound, so seeing a hearing terapist to get a little thing that produce white noise, would help after awhile.
Im going to try and see one of those terapists.
hopefully iy will help.

just in the last week or two, i have developed a similar problem in only my left ear. you know the motion you go through when you wiggle your ears? flexing whatever muscles it is, im not sure, but either way, when i do that, and i hold it for a second or two, there is this scratching/static sound and sometimes popping also. interestingly enough, it only seems to do it right after i wake up, as if it doesnt do it when i have been active, only when ive been lying still for a prolonged period of time. sometimes there is popping, but every time i do that motion, it makes this scratching noise. now starting 2 days ago, the popping started happening even when i wasnt trying to wiggle my ears. here and there throughout the day the popping noises would just happen, usually a few times in a row, with maybe a second or two in between. its very strange...any ideas?

no, it wasnt from yawning or chewing...this is definitely something new, that hasnt happened before. i have of course experienced the common popping from yawning, etc...but now the popping is happening here and there on its own. ill just be sitting there completely still, and itll start popping, and go on for usually a minute or so, a pop every couple of seconds. and when i flex the muscle to make your ears wiggle im still getting that scratching/crackling sound and popping.

ill check the next time the popping happens, but i dont think it is noise triggered. whenever its happened, it seems to happen randomly without any sort of cause from noise or anything. sometimes ill be lying down to go to sleep and it will be completely silent and the popping will happen. ill check though...but it has actually not happened very often at all the past couple of days.