A normal result doesn’t always mean normal hearing
It’s a frustrating place to be. You know you’re having trouble hearing, so you get your hearing tested, and you’re told the good news: your hearing is normal. As Dr. Heidi puts it, “if you’re having trouble hearing, it’s probably not normal.”
Your ears are only the beginning
A standard hearing test measures sound sensitivity. It tells us how well your ears detect sound. That matters, but it’s only the first step. Your ears also have to send that signal up to the brain, and a lot happens along the way. We call that auditory processing, and it’s how your brain makes sense of sound, especially in noisy places.
Both systems, the ears and the brain, need to work well for you to hear well in noise. A standard hearing test isn’t sensitive enough to tell us how that second part is working.
Getting real answers
Evaluating auditory processing takes special tests and specialty training. That’s what we focus on at Hearing Health Clinic. If you’ve been told your hearing is normal but you still struggle day to day, call us at (763) 657-0675 and ask for an auditory processing evaluation.
Full transcript
In Dr. Heidi’s own words, lightly edited for readability.
Are you somebody that is having trouble hearing and has gone and gotten your hearing tested and been told, “Good news, your hearing’s normal”? But wait, I’m having trouble hearing. How can my hearing be normal? Well, if you’re having trouble hearing, it’s probably not normal.
A standard hearing test is only looking at how well your ears pick up the sound: sound sensitivity, or sound detection. But isn’t that hearing? No. Hearing is a lot more than that. That’s just the beginning of hearing. The ears have to pick up the sound, but then they have to send that signal on up to the brain. And a lot of things have to happen between the ears and the brain, we call it auditory processing, in order for the brain to make sense out of sound, especially in noisy places.
These two systems, the ears and the brain and in between, all have to be working well in order for you to be able to hear well, especially in noise. The problem is our standard hearing test, again, isn’t sensitive enough for that. It takes special tests to do that, and specialty training. We do that. That’s what we specialize in at Hearing Health Clinic.
So if that’s your story and you’re needing help, please, please understand that we can help you with that. We can do the testing. We can give you the answers for why you’re really struggling to hear in day-to-day life. All you need to do is give us a call and let us know you need an auditory processing evaluation. You’ve had a hearing test, they said it was normal, and now you need to look beyond that and get some help.
Dr. Heidi Hill, Au.D
Heidi Hill, Au.D. is an audiologist and Cognihear expert providing hearing aids, hearing tests, specializing in concussions, tinnitus, and auditory processing issues for patients located in Osseo, MN.
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1:49
EPISODE 2
The beeps in the booth tell us how loud sound needs to be. They don't tell us how you hear in real life. Dr. Heidi explains what a two-hour functional hearing evaluation adds.
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1:18
EPISODE 3
Patients leave a functional hearing evaluation knowing why they struggle, what they need, and what to do next. Dr. Heidi walks through what you take away.
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Call us at (763) 657-0675 or request a callback. Our team in Osseo will help you find real answers about your hearing.