What do our eardrums do

The Eustachian tube, which opens into the middle ear, is responsible for equalizing the pressure between the air outside the ear and that within the middle ear.

The sound waves enter the inner ear and then into the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ. The cochlea is filled with a fluid that moves in response to the vibrations from the oval window. As the fluid moves, 25, nerve endings are set into motion. These nerve endings transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that then travel along the eighth cranial nerve auditory nerve to the brain.

In green are four rows of hair cells that respond to sound vibrations, and in red are auditory nerve fibers that convey sound information from the hair cells to the brain. The vibrations from the middle ear change into nerve signals in the inner ear. The inner ear includes the cochlea say: KOH-klee-uh and the semicircular canals. The snail-shaped cochlea changes the vibrations from the middle ear into nerve signals.

These signals travel to the brain along the cochlear nerve, also known as the auditory nerve. The semicircular canals look like three tiny connected tubes. It's their job to help you balance. The canals are filled with fluid and lined with tiny hairs. When your head moves, the fluid in the canals sloshes around, moving the hairs. The hairs send this position information as signals through the vestibular say: veh-STIB-yuh-ler nerve to your brain.

The brain interprets these signals and sends messages to the muscles that help keep you balanced. When you spin around and stop, the reason you feel dizzy is because the fluid in your semicircular canals continues to slosh around for awhile, giving your brain the idea that you're still spinning even when you aren't. The last of these bones, the stapes, passes on the vibrations through another membrane to the cochlea. When the cochlea receives the vibrations, the fluid inside it moves.

As the fluid moves, it causes the sensory cells to create an electrical signal. This electrical signal is sent to the brain. Special areas in the brain receive these signals and translate them into what we know as sound. Your ears create electrical signals to represent an extraordinary variety of sounds. For example, the speed at which the eardrum vibrates varies with different types of sound. With low-pitched sounds the eardrum vibrates slowly.

With high-pitched sounds it vibrates faster. This means that the special hair cells in the cochlea also vibrate at varying speeds. This causes different signals to be sent to the brain. This is one of the ways we are able to distinguish between a wide range of sounds.

Balance is maintained not only by the vestibular system found in your ears but also by your visual and sensory systems.

If any one of these systems is damaged, you may experience dizziness or loss of balance. The brain uses the visual system to help orientate us in our surroundings.

The vestibular system detects both circular motion and movement in a straight line. This includes everyday actions such as stopping, starting or turning. The sensory system keeps track of the movement and tension of our muscles and joints.

It also monitors the position of our body with respect to the ground. If looking at your eardrum with an otoscope is not conclusive, your healthcare provider may also do an audiology exam to test your hearing. In addition, they may perform tympanometry , which tests how your eardrums respond to pressure changes.

Most ruptured eardrums heal on their own within a few weeks, though it can take longer. Rarely, ruptured eardrums require surgery to repair. Surgical eardrum repair is performed by an ear, nose, throat ENT surgeon under general anesthesia.

There are two types of surgical repair: patch myringoplasty and tympanoplasty. Patch myringoplasty is the shortest and simplest procedure.

In patch myringoplasty, paper or gel is used to temporarily cover the hole in the eardrum, prompting the body to close the hole on its own. One study that compared material used in the procedure found that there was no significant difference in closure rates based on which material was used. Tympanoplasty is a more common and also more involved procedure. During a tympanoplasty, a surgeon uses fascia to replace the missing portion of the eardrum.

Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. McGovern Medical School. Ear anatomy images. How do we hear? Updated January 3, Harvard Health. Perforated eardrum. Comparison of paper-patch, fat, and perichondrium myringoplasty in repair of small tympanic membrane perforations.

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Children's Minnesota.