Tinnitus and hearing loss?

I had a constant tone in my ears, which I thought was permanent, but then I jarred my spine in a moshpit accident. I couldn't walk and was in agony for 3 days, so a friend gave me some anti-inflammatories. Three of them, and not only could I stand up straight again, my hearing was totally clear. I actually heard silence for the first time in about 5 years.
Apparantly if high SPLs bend the hairs in your ears it inflames the follicles, which is reversible. Higher SPLs cause the hairs to actually break, making it permanent. (This is hearsay, don't quote me.)
Also some people I spoke to claimed they had ringing in their ears, but just had a constant sort of faint high whistling tone. Ringing in your ears (like seeing red) is one of those expressions you think is not literal until you get it. I had ringing in my ear when I was a kid, and it did sound just like an alarm bell. No shit.