Flex your tensor tympani?

Post Reply New Topic

So I'm learning about 'quirks' associated with AS. I've got the usuals: can't small talk, can't 'read' people, clumsy, prefer routine, etc. One other quirk I have is I can flex my tensor tympani muscles at will. (Wikipedia has a page on the Tensor Tympani, but I can post links 'cause I'm new...) This is a useful aspie ability since it dampens loud sounds.

Can anyone else here do this? Any chance this is an aspie thing, or am I just a freak among freaks?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_tympani_muscle

If I understand what I've read and what you mean, I believe that I can.

It's hard to describe but if I do it, it makes a wierd thundery noise which can make loud sounds quieter.

Is this what you mean?

Yes! That's it exactly! The noise from the quivering muscles isn't uncomfortably loud. And it's the same volume no matter how loud or quite the surrounding noise level. If I flex it at a noisy construction site or at a rock concert, I can't even hear the 'thundery noise' over the muted surrounding noise.

From wikipedia:

I didn't notice about this, and yes I can do that. To me it sounds like thunder. I can't do it for very long at a time.

I can also do that but i thought everyone else could too. That said, i dont think it has anything to do with AS, but you never know.

I can't do that. I know because I've been trying for the last ten minutes.

I can do it.

I can't.

Yeah! I can do the rumbling thing and a clicking thing. My understanding is that there are two muscles involved - who knew? My sister and I can both do the clicking thing and we'll put our ears together and can hear each other's clicking. Trippy, huh?

I can tense them; my right is stronger than my left. The strange thing is- even though I can flex them at will, I lack the tympanic reflex (which is the same muscles automatically flex to dampen and protect the ear from loud sounds).

I'm not entirely sure which muscles are being discussed, or at least I'm uncertain as to the described effects it has. There are muscles in my ears that I can flex at will, but when I do so I can "hear" my heart beating as well as the other effects listed. I don't know if this is what the thread is about.

Yes.

i can flex my tensor tympani muscle at will. my acoustic reflex is pretty sensitive too.

I don't understand at all - I read the Wikipedia entry and I don't get it. But I desperately need anything that might help me reduce the effect of sound on me. Could somebody explain (I know you did, but maybe try in baby words or something?) Are there exercises I could do? As it is, I use earplugs, which is embarrassing in public, walking around with neon orange sticking out of my ears.

You can get an idea of what muscles they are talking about by yawning deeply. When you yawn these muscles temporarily flex.

Yes I can do this and I've wondered my whole life what that was until I read this thread! (I learn something every day!)

The best way to describe how to do it, is you tense something inside your ears and get that thundery/rumbling noise, you can pulse the muscles so it beats too....I used to play about with it al the time as a kid!