Recruitment is the abnormal growth of loudness with an increase in volume in an individual who has hearing loss. This means as volume is increased, the perceived loudness is much higher than normal. For this reason, a common complaint in people who have hearing loss is “I hear too much.”
The good news is recruitment is treatable. One popular treatment is the use of high-quality hearing aids that can compress sounds in the specific range that bothers the individual. It’s important to see a hearing care provider to help you choose the right pair of hearing aids that will help deal with recruitment. Amplifiers will not help since they don't have compression bands that can be adjusted, and are only appropriate for people with normal hearing to have a bit more amplification in certain situations.
It’s important to visit a licensed hearing care professional if you feel pain or discomfort along with rapid growth of loudness in your ears when hearing regular everyday sounds. Listen to loved ones and friends when they have a concern because they are usually the first ones to notice something could be wrong.
Loudness Growth
Typically, Sensorineural hearing loss results in recruitment:
Soft sounds are inaudible
Moderate sounds are heard as very quiet
Loud sounds are perceived as similar in volume to that of a normal hearing listener
Unsure of the differences between Recruitment and Hyperacusis? You can click on this link to learn more:
https://telesupport.hearingaidhelp.ca/support/solutions/articles/31000161370-hyperacusis-an-over-sensitivity-to-loud-sounds
Not sure what the difference is between a hearing aid and amplifier? You can follow this link to learn more: https://telesupport.hearingaidhelp.ca/support/solutions/articles/31000152878-differences-between-amplifiers-over-the-counter-otc-online-and-prescription-hearing-aids
If you think you may have recruitment, you can schedule a hearing assessment with one of our Canadian clinic locations through the link below:
HearingLife Centre Locator