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An evaluation of the Reltus ear massager for short-term tinnitus relief
J Jonsson1, A Bohman1, G S Shekhawat2
1a Faculty of Health Sciences , Linköping University , Sweden , and.
Objective:
Auditory stimulation has been shown to suppress the loudness of tinnitus (residual inhibition, RI). Somatosensory manipulations have also been shown to sometimes decrease tinnitus perception. An 'ear-massaging' device, the 'Reltus' ( www.reltus.com ), has been marketed as a tinnitus treatment device. This study was undertaken to evaluate its short-term effectiveness and mode of effect.
Design:
The research was undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 measured the change in tinnitus perception after one minute of auditory stimulation through headphones and after application of a vibrating device to four different stimulation points around the pinna for one minute each. Phase 2 evaluated if it was the vibrations that were responsible for the effect on tinnitus perception, or sound produced by the vibrator.
Study Sample:
Twenty-three participants completed phase 1 and 10 participants participated in the second phase.
Results:
RI to auditory stimulation was found in 87% of participants and to tactile stimulation in 83%. No significant differences were found in the effectiveness between the four vibration stimulation points, or between the left and right ear of the participants. The Reltus produced a sound that resulted in RI.
Conclusions:
It is the auditory artifact of the Reltus that was responsible for short-term tinnitus suppression.
