Inner workings of the ears

Ears don’t look like much from the outside, but the inner workings of the seemingly odd shaped flaps on the side of our heads are intricate and complex. Apart from vague high school biology memories, most of us don’t know much about how it all operates. Let’s take a look to remind ourselves of how we hear.



This distinctive piece of the anatomy has three parts – the outer, middle and inner ear. It works like this: sound enters through the outer ear canal and reaches the middle ear where it causes the ear drum to shake, which set off vibrations to the hammer, anvil and stirrup, transferring them to the inner ear. Like a chain of command, the vibrations then move through fluid in the inner ear which, bending tiny hair cells triggering nerve signals to the brain which interprets them as sound. And voila, we can hear! What does this tell us? The ear is the brain’s microphone!



But the ‘inner ear’, also known as the cochlea, is by far one of the most interesting looking parts of the anatomy. The spiral shaped cavity makes 2.5 turns around its axis and is, interestingly, the Latin name for ‘snail shell’.



Lastly, it’s worth mentioning (as it’s often forgotten) the ear is also just as important for determining and ensuring our balance. It is, after all, the fluid in our inner ear that acts as a balancing mechanism for the whole body.



So next time you’re sitting down to watch your favourite TV show, talking to your friend on the phone, or even showing off your best dance moves, you can consider the above.



But hearing is also something most of us take for granted. In actual fact, some form of hearing loss affects one in six Australians. These problems come in all forms:



• Conductive hearing loss: When parts of the outer and middle ear don’t work properly. You can mimic it by putting your fingers in your ears.

• Sensorineural hearing loss: When parts of the inner ear don’t work properly. Sounds can seem muffled.

• Neural hearing loss: When the hearing nerve doesn’t work properly. Sounds also seem softer or garbled.

• Mixed hearing loss: This is a combination of conductive and sensorial hearing loss.

• Single Sided Deafness (SSD): When there’s profound hearing loss in only one ear. It makes it hard to determine where sounds are coming from.



What’s more, hearing loss affects everyone, even children. Single sided deafness is also a growing concern, so it’s important to care for your hearing and your children’s, even from a very early age. Various hearing technologies, such as bone conduction implants can help people with hearing problems later in life, so it’s important to speak to a professional about any ear concerns you may have.



Head online to learn more about hearing loss treatments, including bone conduction hearing technology, and the various resources and that are available for individuals that are hearing impaired.