Maintenance of Improvement in Tinnitus after Tinnitus Sound Therapy: A 6-Month Follow-Up Study

Abstract

Purpose: Sound therapy is a useful rehabilitation approach that focuses on listening to external stimuli to reduce the perception of and negative reactions to tinnitus. In this study, we investigated whether the benefits of sound therapy for tinnitus were maintained after treatment completion.Methods: The study included 18 adults with chronic sensorineural tinnitus. The intervention used was sound therapy based on the mixing point level of each participant. Participants received sound therapy for 6 months; the Korean version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire was administered before, after, and 6 months after completion of sound therapy to confirm any resolution of tinnitus.Results: The beneficial effects against tinnitus were maintained even 6 months post-therapy in 18 participants who showed significant improvement in mean questionnaire scores following sound therapy. With regard to the mean total score and mean subscale scores of emotion, sleep, concentration, and hearing, improvements between the baseline and 6-month follow-up were 24.22, 26.23, 25.22, 29.56, and 15.89, respectively.Conclusion: Sound therapy may be a potentially useful strategy that maintains improvement in tinnitus even after treatment. This fact may be useful to hearing professionals who may consider sound therapy for management of tinnitus.