How Hearing Works

At Medical Hearing Associates, our Providers are passionate about helping patients understand the amazing process of hearing.

When sound waves enter the ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations set three tiny bones in the middle ear into motion, carrying the sound to the inner ear. Inside the cochlea, thousands of microscopic hair cells convert the vibrations into electrical signals. The auditory nerve then delivers these signals to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.

This entire chain of events happens in fractions of a second, allowing you to connect with conversations, music, and the world around you.

By understanding how delicate and complex this system is, you can take steps—guided by our experienced audiologists—to protect your hearing and preserve it for years to come.