How The Ear Works

Have you ever wondered how your ears and brain can process the noises in our environment and interpret them as sounds we can hear? It’s actually a pretty unique process, as our ears are made up of three separate components that all work together to help us hear.

Sound waves begin by entering your outer ear, called the pinna. It funnels these waves down your ear canal and into your middle ear, where your eardrum lives. The eardrum is a flexible membrane which begins to move when sound vibrations hit it, and that in turn starts to move three small bones.

These bones, the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, work together to amplify the sound waves and move them to your inner ear. The middle ear is where hearing loss begins to occur, so it’s important that all of these moving parts are free of damage.

The inner ear is full of nerve endings which collect information from the sound vibrations and transmit impulses to your brain. These signals are interpreted by the brain as sounds, and allow us to hear the noises around us.

If you suffer from hearing loss, it means that one of the above sections isn’t working quite right. Our hearing evaluation is designed to diagnose which area of your ear needs assistance, and will help us to create a treatment plan for your improved hearing.