Cervical Spine Related Hearing Loss and Neck Pain Relief with Chiropractic

The timeless account of the first chiropractic adjustment by DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, involves the hearing restoration of a deaf janitor after spinal manipulation. (1) Fascinating! Today’s research reports help explain and corroborate the connection of hearing and cervical spine pain issues. New Roads Chiropractic Center hears stories of improvement in New Roads chiropractic patients for issues not always related to the issue that brought them into New Roads Chiropractic Center for chiropractic care. Patients are elated! New Roads Chiropractic Center is ecstatic for them. Let’s reflect on 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 issues. The relationship of cervical spine and hearing has been presented in the medical publications for decades. In 1994, one author gave an idea of the existence of a “vertebragenic hearing disorder” that accompanies 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) New Roads chiropractic patients report such issues occasionally, so New Roads Chiropractic Center is not shocked at all.

Cervical spine issues can affect ear vessels and/or nerves resulting in hearing loss, vertigo or tinnitus. Cervical spine injuries can trigger pain and limits in range of motion. The possibility 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) Additionally, 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 define the pathway and understand better how spinal nerves like those of C2 (the second cervical spine segment) influence auditory responses (hearing). They have found projections from C2 dorsal root ganglion extending to the cochlear nucleus. (4) Patients who have Kimmerle’s anomaly – an anatomical modification 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. New Roads Chiropractic Center considers this when making a treatment plan for New Roads cervical spine pain patients with a hearing loss or deficit.

CHIROPRACTIC HELP FOR New Roads 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 had cervicogenic sudden hearing loss reported that those who underwent 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 start of care and a 1 at the conclusion of 5 months of care. An audiogram was normal, too. (7) These are satisfying outcomes that New Roads hearing loss patients could embrace! New Roads Chiropractic Center is up for the chance to help!

CONSIDER New Roads Chiropractic Center FOR RELIEF

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

Schedule a New Roads chiropractic visit to experience how New Roads Chiropractic Center may help improve cervical spine problems, neck pain and even potentially cervical spine related hearing loss.