HOW WE HEAR

1. Sound creates vibrations in the air, similar to the rippling waves created when a stone is thrown into a pond.

2. The outer-ear “trumpet” collects these sound waves and they are funnelled down the external ear canal to the eardrum.

3. As the sound waves strike the eardrum, they cause it to vibrate. The vibrations are ransmitted through the middle ear over the bony bridge formed by the malleus, incus and stapes.

4. These vibrations, in turn, cause the membranes over the openings to the inner ear to vibrate, causing the fluid in the inner ear to be set in motion.

5. The motion of the fluid in the inner ear excites the nerve hair cells in the organ of Corti, producing electrochemical impulses.

6. These impulses are gathered together and transmitted to the brain along the auditory nerve. As they reach the brain, we experience the sensation of hearing.


Did you know?
• The smallest bones in the body are the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and stapes (stirrup)

• The “roar” you hear when you place a seashell next to your ear is the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear, and not the ocean waves!

• The cochlea is encased in the body’s hardest bone.

Call Endon Hearing Care Centre on 01782 505666. If lines are busy or if calling after hours, please call our freephone number 0800 389 2059. Please quote reference WB EN 01 when you call.