ENT Services

Ashland Audiology, including our Hayward location, work to provide the most comprehensive care available. Those with balance issues or chronic ear infections should see an ENT in order to create an effective treatment plan. It is not necessary to receive a referral to see an ENT, though your insurance provider may require one. Check with your insurance company before scheduling an appointment.

Vertigo

What Is Vertigo? Vertigo is the sensation that you are out of balance, usually accompanied by dizziness. It often occurs after a change in your head position, for example moving from lying down to standing up. Quick changes in position can aggravate the underlying cause of vertigo, triggering an episode.

People describe vertigo as feeling like:

Spinning
Tilting
Being thrown off balance
Swaying
Being pulled in one direction or another

It is frequently accompanied by:

Nausea
Vomiting
Abnormal eye movement (nystagmus)
Perspiration
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and/or hearing loss

What Causes Vertigo?

Inner ear issues are the most common causes of vertigo. The inner ear is responsible both for hearing (cochlea) and balance (labyrinth).

BPPV

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo - This is a buildup of calcium particles (canaliths) in the inner ear. It is not known what causes this, but tends to affect older adults disproportionately.

Meniere’s Disease

Caused by an excess of fluid in the inner ear. Episodes incorporate vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of “fullness” in the ear. It most often affects only one ear.

Vestibular Neuritis / Labyrinthitis

Infections—usually viral—of the inner ear. Both cause inflammation that disturbs the nerves responsible for transmitting balance information to the brain.

Less frequent causes:

Head and/or Neck Injury
Stroke or Brain Tumor
Ototoxic Medication Migraines

An ENT can help you determine the exact cause of your vertigo, and help create a treatment plan that may be able to alleviate or mitigate the issue.

Middle Ear Infections

Middle ear infection (otitis media) most commonly affects children. This is because their Eustachian tubes (the tubes that connect the middle ear to the throat) are more horizontal, while adults’ Eustachian tubes are angled such that liquid drains from the middle ear into the throat more effectively.

A middle ear infection can be painful, and in some cases can result in the tympanic cavity filling with fluid. If this happens while the Eustachian tubes are swollen shut, it is very painful and can result in hearing loss.

One mild ear infection is nothing to be concerned about, but if it lasts longer than one or two weeks or if your child is in a lot of pain, you should see the pediatrician. If your child has frequent ear infections, you should see an ENT.

An ENT may recommend inserting tubes in the ears. This procedure allows the fluid that can build up in the tympanic cavity to escape through a small hole in the base of the eardrum. After a few months, the tube falls out on its own and the hole in the eardrum heals naturally. Most children stop having issues with chronic middle ear infections as their bodies grow.

Common Reasons to See the ENT

Those visiting the ENT for hearing and balance concerns are required to undergo a hearing evaluation prior to their visit. We at our Ashland and Hayward locations provide comprehensive hearing evaluations. The tests are painless and non-invasive, and take about 30 minutes to complete.

The tests we provide for those who are set to visit the ENT include a physical exam, hearing exam and tympanometry.

Physical Exam

We examine your ears with an otoscope—the same as your general practitioner uses—to make sure there is no blockage in your ear canal or perforation in your eardrum.

Hearing Exam

We administer a pure-tone audiometry test to quantify the hearing loss you are experiencing. The audiologist will play tones while you wear a set of insert earphones, and you will be asked to respond to what you hear.

Tympanometry

This test uses a device with an earpiece to change the pressure in your ear canal. While it can be slightly uncomfortable, it does not cause pain and only takes a second for each ear. This allows us to check the status of your eardrum and tympanic cavity.

If you think you or your loved one might need to see an ENT, call either of our Ashland Or Hayward locations today to find out how we can help.

Ashland

1901 Beaser Ave.
Ashland, WI 54806

Phone: (715) 682-9311
Fax: (715) 682-9313

Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Hearing Aid Clean & Check Hours:

Monday - Friday:
8:30 am – 3:30 pm

*Please note that the office will be closed from 12-1 pm daily for lunch. A secure drop box is available to drop off hearing aids during this time.

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