Evaluation of Sound Therapy Tinnitus Treatments with Concurrent Counseling in Active Duty Military Personnel

Since 2007, tinnitus has been the number one reported service-connected disability in the U.S. Armed Forces. Debilitating tinnitus can negatively affect Soldier deployability by providing obstacles for return to and/or fitness for duty. The goal of the current study was to evaluate novel treatments (sound therapy with associated counseling) of debilitating tinnitus by comparing the Neuromonics Oasis to an Apple iPod Touch pre-loaded with tinnitus apps. The degree and severity of tinnitus was measured pre and post treatment with the following measurement indices: 1) Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ), 2) Levels of awareness, 3) Levels of disturbance, 4) Broadband noise minimum masking levels, and 5) Loudness discomfort levels. Data from 35 active duty personnel were used in the statistical analysis. Results suggest that use of either device paired with counseling provides statistically significant intervention in the treatment of tinnitus when evaluating efficacy with the TRQ (p .001). The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Inst for Science and Education and the Geneva Foundation.