Cervical Spine Related Hearing Loss and Neck Pain Relief with Chiropractic
The classic account 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. Old Mill Chiropractic hears reports of improvement in St Peters chiropractic patients for issues not always related to the issue that brought them into Old Mill Chiropractic for chiropractic care. Patients are elated! Old Mill Chiropractic is ecstatic for them. Let us reflect on this side-effect of hearing loss recovery after chiropractic spinal manipulation.
THE HEARING AND CERVICAL SPINE CONNECTION
Hearing loss is not that unusual with cervical spine problems. The association of cervical spine and hearing has been discussed in the medical publications for decades. In 1994, one author submitted an idea 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 tied 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) St Peters chiropractic patients report such issues on occasion, so Old Mill Chiropractic is not surprised at all.
Cervical spine issues can affect ear vessels and/or nerves causing hearing loss, vertigo or tinnitus. Cervical spine injuries can trigger pain and limits in range of motion. The chance of hearing loss in patients with limited left rotation ability is high. Such hearing loss after a cervical spine injury is more usual 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 describe 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 found projections from C2 dorsal root ganglion stretching to the cochlear nucleus. (4) Patients who have Kimmerle’s anomaly – an anatomical variant of the first cervical segment (C1) – often suffer with chronic tension-type headaches and neurosensory-type hearing loss. (5) What does this indicate about the connection between hearing and the cervical spine? A connection. Old Mill Chiropractic considers this when treating St Peters cervical spine pain patients who have a hearing loss or deficit.
CHIROPRACTIC HELP FOR St Peters HEARING LOSS RELATED TO CERVICAL SPINE ISSUES
Since that first chiropractic adjustment in 1895, chiropractic has recorded improvement for more patients with hearing issues. A study of 90 patients who experienced cervicogenic sudden hearing loss recorded that those who underwent chiropractic treatment in addition to routine medical care recovered their hearing and alleviated 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 start of care and a 1 at the end of 5 months of care. An audiogram was normal, too. (7) These are gratifying outcomes that St Peters hearing loss patients could accept! Old Mill Chiropractic is ready for the chance to help!
CONSIDER Old Mill Chiropractic FOR RELIEF
Listen to this PODCAST about how Cox Technic eases cervical spine related neck pain and shoulder pain.
Schedule a St Peters chiropractic appointment to explore how Old Mill Chiropractic may help relieve cervical spine problems, neck pain and even possibly cervical spine related hearing loss.
