Do High Frequency Sound Waves Cause Earache?

Posted on Tue, 13 Feb 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 Answered on

Fri, 28 Sep 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : I bought an ultrasonic dog trainer. The way it works, it has a circuit which upon 3 dog barks it sends an ultrasound not audible to humans but very annoying for the dog and in the long run it trains the dog not to bark unless there is a reason. I try it for a couple of minutes but my ear was hurting badly so I disconnected it. Could it be the ultrasound that hurt my ears or do you think it was a coincidence.
Please give me your opinion on the matter.

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (33 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Earache

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Very high frequencies can lead to earache and even sensory neural loss. The frequencies in the dog trainers are out of human hearing range and are not audible to humans. They are usually not associated with any such side effects and it depends on the quality of product. if you still feel the same than avoid using it.

Hope I have answered your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal, ENT Specialist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj