![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/170301-hearing-condition-embed.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBudding model Katrina Caro was working as a waitress at a trendy Bowery club two years ago when she was inadvertently clocked in the jaw during a bar brawl.<\/p>\n
Despite spitting chunks of her teeth into her hands, the Manhattan beauty thought she\u2019d recover from her injuries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She was treated at an emergency room, and sent home \u2014 but was warned that delayed consequences were characteristic of such trauma.<\/p>\n
At first, she managed her aches with painkillers. She did facial exercises at physical-therapy sessions and was prescribed a mandibular splint to realign her jaw.<\/p>\n
She even briefly returned to work at a different nightclub, but soon felt weak and could barely open her mouth to talk. Her jaw pain was intensifying and migrating to her neck and shoulder, while her ears started ringing.<\/p>\n
Then the unthinkable \u2014 her debilitating symptoms morphed into a merciless condition called hyperacusis, an exceptionally rare disorder in which even the slightest sound is perceived as significantly louder and could cause excruciating pain.<\/p>\n
To Caro, a pencil dropped on the floor sounds like a building collapsing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always wore rings on each finger,\u201d Caro recently told The Post. But now, clinking metal hurts her ears, so \u201cI don\u2019t wear jewelry any more. I can\u2019t even put on a down coat because I can\u2019t stand the sound of the swishing waterproof material and the zipper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Few doctors have even heard of the bizarre condition, and there are no reliable figures on the number of sufferers because it is so rare and hasn\u2019t been studied.<\/p>\n
The disorder is often caused by noise overexposure or head trauma, said Bryan Pollard, president of the nonprofit Hyperacusis Research.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/image22.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pain is crippling and life-altering,\u201d he said. \u201cSounds as normal as a squeaky door feel like a knife in the ear.\u201d<\/p>\n
With each new noise exposure, the pain often worsens and lingers indefinitely, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife with hyperacusis is a balancing act,\u201d Pollard said. \u201cEar protection is not always sufficient. The latest science shows that damaged cells in the auditory system lead to neural degeneration over months and years, despite little detectable hearing loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caro\u2019s mother, Bruna Caro of Queens, said, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe a thing this bad exists.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
According to Caro\u2019s audiology report, she jumps at sounds as low as 15 decibels \u2014 softer than the snap, crackle, pop of Rice Krispies.<\/p>\n
Almost any noise makes Caro\u2019s jaw spasm. The cacophony of any city street can knock her off balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHyperacusis is completely incomprehensible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
To buffer painful noise outdoors, Caro wears earplugs topped by industrial earmuffs. To keep her balance, she uses a cane.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a far cry from Caro\u2019s onetime promising future in the glamorous fashion and modeling worlds.<\/p>\n
The young woman\u2019s portfolio includes sultry shots, and Caro\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 boasts jobs doing trunk shows and working at hip city clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently in New York City pursuing my dreams of modeling and acting. I love being in front of the camera and I always come to set with great energy and ready to create a beautiful image,\u2019\u2019 Caro wrote in a past online profile looking for work on the runway or stage.<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\nA post shared by katrinacaro (@katrinacaro) on