In recent times more and more of my clients are reporting tinnitus or “ringing in the ears”. My question is, is this problem becoming more prevalent, and if so why? It makes sense to me that the condition is in fact becoming more common, here is why...
As more people spend much more time with their heads down looking at smart devices (tablets and phones) it is having a marked effect on their posture, especially that of the head and neck.
The Chiropractic approach
Many times, the tinnitus can stem from a subluxation in the back or spine. This simply means that there is a misalignment in the neck or back; it is the role of a chiropractor to locate, analyse and correct vertebral subluxations. It may take several adjustments to stabilise the spine and for you to see some results, these results are different for everyone. E.g.
One 2002 study showed the improvement and resolution of bilateral ear pain, tinnitus, vertigo, altered or decreased hearing acuity, and headaches in a 41 year old woman after 9 visits to a chiropractor, others report changes after one adjustment.
SO HOW DOES THIS LINK TO TINNITUS ?
Tinnitus can be thought of as a symptom rather than a condition. Usually there is not a problem with the ears themselves, the ringing is a symptom of something else and often it stems from the nerves in the upper neck
Case Studies
A case study from the March 2012 Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research showed how one “52 year old male presented to the office with a previous diagnosis of Meniere’s diseasei and associated symptoms of tinnitus, sensations of fullness in the left ear, vertigo, tension headaches, right mid-back and scapular pain along with other musculoskeletal complaints.”
He decided to seek out a chiropractor and “after the first adjustment, the patient noted a minor reduction in tinnitus. After 4 adjustments and 5 weeks of care his subjective feedback demonstrated an improvement of about 60% and a significant reduction of musculoskeletal complaints.”
Another case study from 2014 shows the positive results of a 46 year old female with neck pain, tinnitus, and hearing loss who was treated with cervical spinal manipulation. She had been unsuccessfully treated medically for 8 months when she decided to see a chiropractor. “After 3 chiropractic adjustments, her hearing and associated symptoms were significantly improved. She received 12 treatments over a 4-month period. When asked to rate her hearing and fullness sensation in the ear on a Patient Specific Functional Scale with a 0-10 measure, where 0 is no deficits and 10 is completely impaired, initially she rated her symptoms as 7, and 5 months after the conclusion of care, her rating dropped to 1. Following treatment her audiogram was normal.”
You can also read a more recent study by following this link https://spinalresearch.com.au/research- report-examines-menieres-disease-upper-cervical- subluxation/?utm_source=Spinal+Research+Well%2C+Well%2C+Well&utm_campaign=cd6dfa3ec2- 170407+WWW07%2F4%2F17+4%3A15+PM&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_606523d271- cd6dfa3ec2-165639661
Other suggestions
It has been suggested that vitamin supplementations such as Vitamin B12 and Gingko can also have positive outcomes for those suffering Tinnitus
i Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes episodes in which you feel as if you're spinning (vertigo), and you have fluctuating hearing loss with a progressive, ultimately permanent loss of hearing, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), and sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear
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