An evaluation of the Reltus ear massager for short-term tinnitus relief

Abstract

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.

Key Words:

• Tinnitus
• residual inhibition
• vibration
• treatment

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Arier Chi Lun Lee (biostatistician) for contributing to the statistical analysis. A. Bohman and J. Jonsson undertook this research project at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, as part of their medical training for Linköping University, Sweden. The research was supported by Links Research and Grants.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.