Cervical Spine Related Hearing Loss and Neck Pain Relief with Chiropractic

The timeless story of the first chiropractic adjustment by DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, involves the hearing return of a deaf janitor after spinal manipulation. (1) Fascinating! Today’s research studies help describe and confirm the connection of hearing and cervical spine pain issues. Minster Chiropractic Center hears reports of improvement in Minster chiropractic patients for issues not always related to the issue that brought them into Minster Chiropractic Center for chiropractic care. Patients are thrilled! Minster Chiropractic Center is pleased for them. Let’s contemplate this side-effect of hearing loss recovery after chiropractic spinal manipulation.

THE HEARING AND CERVICAL SPINE CONNECTION

Hearing loss is not that uncommon with cervical spine problems. The association of cervical spine and hearing has been considered in the medical publications for years and years. In 1994, one author submitted a discussion of the existence of a “vertebragenic hearing disorder” that comes with tinnitus, a feeling of ear pressure, otalgia and deafness due to functional deficit of the upper cervical spine. He attached issues like cervical vertigo and hearing disorders in 15% of patients with cervical spine issues and hearing losses of 5 to 25 decibels in 40% of them. (2) Minster chiropractic patients recount such problems occasionally, so Minster Chiropractic Center is not shocked at all.

Cervical spine issues can affect ear vessels and/or nerves bringing about hearing loss, vertigo or tinnitus. Cervical spine injuries can produce pain and limits in range of motion. The likelihood of hearing loss in patients with limited left rotation ability is high. Such hearing loss after a cervical spine injury is more common in men. (3) Further, there is indication of interaction between the somatosensory and auditory brainstem structures, a pathway joining the cervical spine to hearing function. Researchers are working to find the pathway and understand better how spinal nerves like those of C2 (the second cervical spine segment) have an effect on auditory responses (hearing). They have discovered projections from C2 dorsal root ganglion extending to the cochlear nucleus. (4) Patients who have Kimmerle’s anomaly – an anatomical variant of the first cervical segment (C1) – often have chronic tension-type headaches and neurosensory-type hearing loss. (5) What does this say about the connection between hearing and the cervical spine? A connection. Minster Chiropractic Center considers this when caring for Minster cervical spine pain patients who have a hearing loss or deficit.

CHIROPRACTIC HELP FOR Minster HEARING LOSS RELATED TO CERVICAL SPINE ISSUES

Since that first chiropractic adjustment in 1895, chiropractic has documented improvement for more patients with hearing issues. A study of 90 patients who experienced cervicogenic sudden hearing loss recorded that those who had chiropractic treatment in addition to routine medical care recovered their hearing and eased their neck pain effectively after 10 days of care. (6) A case of hearing loss and tinnitus linked to cervicogenic neck pain in a female patient whose hearing and tinnitus were improved after having chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment. On a scale of 0 (no problem) to 10 (complete impairment), she graded her problems a 7 at the beginning of care and a 1 at the end of 5 months of care. An audiogram was normal, too. (7) These are satisfying outcomes that Minster hearing loss patients could welcome! Minster Chiropractic Center is up for the chance to help!

CONSIDER Minster Chiropractic Center FOR RELIEF

Listen to this PODCAST about how Cox Technic relieves cervical spine related neck pain and shoulder pain.

Schedule a Minster chiropractic appointment to experience how Minster Chiropractic Center may help ease cervical spine issues, neck pain and even potentially cervical spine related hearing loss.