People who have hearing loss will often say that despite not being able to hear well, louder sounds still irritate them. This sensation is called recruitment. As we age, the fragile hair cells in our inner ears start to degrade, but they don’t degrade evenly. Some of them remain functional and can still detect sound waves. These healthy cells get “recruited” to work in place of dying cells and respond forcefully, resulting in the sound feeling painful and uncomfortable. Visit our hearing clinic to get an assessment today!