I like your title Mark..lol.. Tinnitus ALMOST everyone

Mark out of curiosity i'm wondering if you had a hearing test? In particular otoacoustic emissions to measure hair cell damage?

My belief is that the shock waves from the impact damage these hair cells similar to the way a blast would. The concussive wave knocks out certain hair cells that control certain frequencies.

As we age we all gradually lose ear hair cells as we age. The problem is that we might lose a few hundred every year however with a concussion we can instantly lose several thousand. As certain frequencies are instantly lost the brain cannot interpret the sounds and thus we are left with squealing, hissing or buzzing.

I would be of the opinion that 99% of post concussion patients with Tinnitus have some form of damage to the cochlea/ auditory nerve cells.