Anatomy Of The Ear
To fully understand hearing loss, you should first familiarize yourself with the normal anatomy and function of the human ear.
The ear consists of three different sections: the Outer Ear, Middle Ear and Inner Ear.
Outer Ear
The outer ear is made of the visible part of the ear (pinna) and the ear canal. Sounds are captured by the contours of the ear and filtered into the ear canal.
Middle Ear
At the end of the ear canal is the eardrum. This is considered the beginning of the middle ear. The middle ear is filled with air and separates the outer ear from the inner ear. The middle ear contains three small bones, known collectively as the ossicles, which form the ossicular chain.
Bones of the Middle Ear
- Malleus, also known as the hammer
- Incus, also known as the anvil
- Stapes, also known as the stirrup
These three bones connect the eardrum to the inner ear. Together, they send the sounds that are collected by the outer ear to the inner ear. This is how the sound waves in our every day environments are transformed into mechanical energy.
Inner Ear
The inner ear is where this mechanical energy is transformed into neuroelectric impulses that are then transmitted to our brains. The cochlea is a snail-like, hard bone structure lined with a complex labyrinth of membranes filled with two kinds of fluid. Thousands of fibers are bathed in these fluids, which enable proper transmission of the neuroelectric impulses to the brain.
Of course, this is just the beginning of hearing. It is ultimately up to our brains to receive and interpret the transmitted sound signals