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What is Air Conduction?

Sandra Koehler
Sandra Koehler

Air conduction is the way sounds reach our ears. It is the way almost all sound is transmitted with the exception of our own voice. The hearer’s voice is transmitted through bone conduction.

Sound travels through the ear canal to the eardrum via the air conduction process, causing the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are passed to three smaller bones in the middle ear called the ossicles. These vibrations or sound waves, then travel into the cochlea. The ear canal is a tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear. It starts at the pinna, also known as the auricle, which is the outer portion of the ear. The ear canal then travels to the ear drum.

Cochlear implants can be used to alleviate hearing loss, but they must be surgically implanted by a doctor.
Cochlear implants can be used to alleviate hearing loss, but they must be surgically implanted by a doctor.

The ear drum is a thin membrane separating the external and the middle ear. It is here where sound is transmitted to the ossicles, small bones that transmit the sound to the cochlea. The cochlea is part of the labyrinth, or the inner ear. The labyrinth is fluid-filled passages containing the vestibule of the ear, the cochlea and the semicircular canals. It is responsible for hearing and balance.

Air conduction transmits sound to the coil-shaped cochlea in the inner ear.
Air conduction transmits sound to the coil-shaped cochlea in the inner ear.

Air conduction transmits sound to the coil-shaped cochlea. The fluid inside the cochlea moves in response to the vibrations. Cilia inside the cochlea then begin to move. This movement converts the vibrations into electrical signals. These electrical signals are then transported to thousands of nerve cells via neurotransmitters, or chemicals which pass on the nerve impulses.

Air conduction hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids.
Air conduction hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids.

Hearing tests can investigate how well a person hears. There is a hearing test to check air conduction and bone conduction hearing. The air conduction, or pure tone hearing test, uses headphones and a series of short of beeps at different intensities and intervals. The bone conduction test involves a bone oscillator, or vibrator, placed on the mastoid. The mastoid is a bone located behind the ear.

With air conduction hearing loss results from the bone conduction test are better. This difference is referred to as an air/bone gap. A hearing loss involving air conduction and bone conduction is called a mixed loss.

Air conduction hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids. Hearing aids amplify sound. Cochlear implants are another hearing loss treatment option. These surgically implanted electrical devices, also referred to as a bionic ear, provide a sense of sound to individuals experiencing severe hearing difficulties or for those who are considered profoundly deaf.

Discussion Comments

everetra

@nony - I would check with a doctor before going for implants of any kind.

Hearing aids may not be pretty but they don’t involve surgery. I would only recommend cochlear implants if he is severely hearing impaired.

Also, from what I know about the cochlear implants, the cochlear implants are not without their imperfections. Specifically, they do better when there is not a lot of background noise, and they’re not suited well for musical hearing too.

nony

There are these ads that keep running on our local radio stations that promote the use of cochlear implants. These are for people who have serious hearing loss.

By contrast, another company is selling a product that gets implanted in the middle ear. This product doesn’t use a microphone but helps to improve your ear’s own natural hearing function, so the ad claims.

I was thinking of having my dad go for one of these units but I am not sure which one to buy. Right now he is using hearing aids which are marginally beneficial, but they are visible most of the time.

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    • Cochlear implants can be used to alleviate hearing loss, but they must be surgically implanted by a doctor.
      By: Yahoo! Accessibility Lab
      Cochlear implants can be used to alleviate hearing loss, but they must be surgically implanted by a doctor.
    • Air conduction transmits sound to the coil-shaped cochlea in the inner ear.
      By: Jenny Thompson
      Air conduction transmits sound to the coil-shaped cochlea in the inner ear.
    • Air conduction hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids.
      By: dotweb.dk
      Air conduction hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids.