Otosclerosis: Causes, Symptoms, and What You Need to Know About This Hearing Condition

When your hearing slowly fades—not from loud music or aging, but from something inside your ear—otosclerosis, a condition where abnormal bone growth in the middle ear blocks sound transmission. Also known as stapedial otosclerosis, it’s one of the most common causes of conductive hearing loss in adults under 50. Unlike sudden hearing loss from infection or trauma, otosclerosis creeps in quietly. You might notice you’re asking people to repeat themselves, turning up the TV too loud, or hearing better in noisy rooms than quiet ones. That’s not just bad luck—it’s your stapes bone, the smallest in your body, getting stuck.

The stapes bone, a tiny stirrup-shaped bone that transmits sound vibrations from the middle ear to the inner ear is normally free to move. But in otosclerosis, new bone forms around it, locking it in place. This stops sound from reaching the cochlea. Genetics play a big role—if a parent had it, your risk jumps. Women are more likely to develop it, especially during pregnancy, when hormonal shifts can speed up the bone changes. It’s not caused by earwax or infection, but it often gets mistaken for them. That’s why many people wait years before getting a proper diagnosis.

There’s no cure, but there are clear paths forward. For mild cases, hearing aids can help by amplifying sound around the blocked bone. For more advanced cases, stapedectomy, a surgical procedure that replaces the fixed stapes with a prosthetic restores hearing in 90% of patients. Some people even get cochlear implants, devices that bypass damaged parts of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve if the inner ear is also affected. Fluoride supplements and bisphosphonates are sometimes tried to slow bone growth, but evidence is weak. What works best? It depends on how far it’s gone—and how much it’s affecting your life.

The posts below cover real-world stories and medical facts about otosclerosis and related hearing issues—from how surgery changes daily life, to why some meds make symptoms worse, to what alternatives exist when hearing aids aren’t enough. You’ll find clear advice on when to see a specialist, how to prepare for tests like audiograms and CT scans, and what to expect after treatment. No fluff. Just what you need to understand your hearing—and take control of it.