Posts Tagged "tinnitus"

Tinnitus

Posted by Marc Croker | 0 comments

A 54 year old man presented to this clinic in October 2010 complaining of a high pitched ringing sound in his ears.  He had been suffering with this tinnitus for the last eight months.  His GP could not find any medical reason for the tinnitus.  He found that the tinnitus was aggravated by certain neck movements and also by putting pressure on his head.  Thinking that it might be coming from his neck he decided to give chiropractic a chance to alleviate his symptoms.  He had previously seen a chiropractor 20 years ago.  In the last two years he had also suffered from a headache on a weekly or fortnightly basis.  The headache was accompanied by some blurry vision and loss of balance.

The short movie below shows how the middle ear works.

On examination it was found that the tinnitus was aggravated by all movements of his neck and by compression of the cervical spine.  It was found that there was acute inflammation of the C12 facet joint on the right side of his neck and there was muscle spasm and pain in his suboccipital muscles.  He also had acutely inflammed ribs on both sides at the level of T34.  Otherwise the rest of his spine and musculoskeletal system was unremarkable.

An upper cervical adjustment was performed on the initial consultation and there was an immediate relief of the tinnitus in the right ear.  There was no change in the tinnitus in the L ear.  By the third consultation there was a definite improvement in the tinnitus in both ears.  By the fifth and final consultation the patient reported that there was no longer any tinnitus, and that he had complete relief of his headaches.

This patient suffered from subjective tinnitus and the most common cause of this disorder in the absence of any ear pathology is inflammation of the upper cervical spine or inflammation of the tempero-mandibular joint.  It is thought to be the result of abnormal neuronal activity caused by inflamed structures immediately adjacent to the ear canal.

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Headaches

Posted by Marc Croker | 1 comment

Headaches and neck pain are two of the most common conditions that people go to chiropractors for…and we have become very good at getting rid of these debilitating conditions. Most types of headaches respond very well to chiropractic manipulation and massage.

In the majority of cases (excluding serious brain pathology / head trauma) headaches are a referrred pain condition from inflammation of cervical facet joints and spasm of neck and cranial muscles.  That is to say that treatment of inflammed and restricted upper neck joints and massage of the muscles around the base of the skull often provide relief from headache pain within a couple of visits.  As a result most headaches will completely resolve very quickly with treatment.

Headache pain can be localised to the upper neck or it can refer anywhere in the head, forehead, eyes or face.  A lot of patients complain of pain in and around their eyes and often around the forehead. It can be a general all over the head referral of pain or it can be specific to one spot on the skull.

Headaches, and especially migraines, can present with a range of neurological symptoms such as dizziness, blurry vision, light sensitivity, pins and needles, numbness, or simply pain (which can be dull and persistent, sharp and specific, or throbbing with visual and auditory symptoms). They can give nausea, vomiting, tiredness, vertigo, tinnitus, or the inability to think clearly. And they can make you very grumpy.

Headaches can often be related to problems lower in the spine. Pelvic tilt/rotation and/or spinal scoliosis will ultimately work its way up to the end of the spinal column and strain the neck. Thus long term correction of headaches must address the integrity of the entire spinal column.

Dehydration is a major cause of headache. This can be from lack of fluids, excessive physical activity, too much alcohol, or too much caffeine. Correcting spinal joint dysfunction must be combined with appropriate dietary considerations in order to be effective in the long term. Some people also suffer from food intolerance which can cause headaches.

Stress is a major player in causing headaches. This usually takes the form of too much work in too short a time frame. It is not necessarily difficult work or difficult circumstances. It can also result from emotional stress from family or relationship problems or financial problems. Stress management techniques need to be learned to prevent health problems.

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