Hear No Evil – Chiropractic Treatment for Tinnitus

By Dr Dave Edenfield

One in five adults will experience it in their lifetime.  What I’m talking about is a persistent ringing, whining or buzzing noise that seems to reside inside your head.  It’s what physicians refer to as tinnitus.  While aggravating, tinnitus is actually a symptom of an underlying condition and not a disease in and of itself.  For sufferers, the constant din of tinnitus is akin to fingernails on a chalkboard writ large.  The symptoms for many continue both day and night, interrupting work habits, disrupting sleep and in general driving people to distraction. 

The Ears Have It

Tinnitus Treatment (Photo credit: gurucrusher)

The human ear is able to withstand sounds as loud as 115 db without discomfort.  However, as we age, or in some cases due to external causes, our hearing can cause a reduction of neural responsive  in the ear.  An 

individual so affected might find that even small changes in sound intensity produce a big change in aural response.  Just as musical instruments have a fixed dynamic range, so does the ear.  As this range diminishes over time, the auditory cortex of the brain will try to compensate by switching on more nerve fibers.   This “compensation” process has been known to cause tinnitus.  However, even people with a normal range of hearing can contract the condition.

In a blog from a prominent NYC chiropractor, he states that, “While tinnitus does not cause hearing loss, hearing loss can cause tinnitus.  While tinnitus and hearing loss seem to go hand in hand, there are other things that trigger tinnitus.  A high level of stress and anxiety can cause hearing loss.  These factors are not considered as primary causes of tinnitus, but are instead referred to as aggravating factors.”

The blog also goes onto categorize the three types of tinnitus:

      1.       Tonal Tinnitus is characterized by a single tone that sounds without break or interruption in the ear.  This type of tinnitus is usually characterized as ringing in the ear.

      2.       Pulsatile Tinnitus is characterized by pulsating sounds such as ringing, buzzing, or whistling.  These noises often mark time with the heartbeat of the individual.

      3.       Objective Tinnitus – While the sounds associated with tinnitus are generally only heard by those experiencing them, in cases of objective tinnitus, anyone examining the ear or standing close to the ear may also hear the sounds.

Tinnitus can be caused by a number of underlying factors, such as exposure to a loud noise, over production or buildup of ear wax, medication side effects, allergic reaction, or sinus infection.  Typical treatments revolve around resolving the underlying cause, such as the removal of earwax or the administration of antibiotics to cure a sinus infection.  For others, there is no simple remedy for tinnitus.  In fact, many doctors will tell you that for many sufferers there is no cure for the condition.

That does not mean there isn’t a treatment.  One such treatment is Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care, which is a painless procedure that involves adjusting the cervical spine (neck adjustments).  Another chiropractic treatment is myofascial therapy that involves direct pressure applied to connective tissue of the face, neck and ear.  Many patients have found these treatments can diminish or even eliminate  symptoms of persistent tinnitus.  Since there is a connection between the nervous system and tinnitus, spinal adjustments can sometimes help restore balance and turn down or even turn off the din.

Class IV medical laser therapy has also been shown to be an effective treatment for tinnitus. Outcomes of previous studies utilizing laser treatment have shown the range of tinnitus relief to be between 37% and 58% improvement. 

If anyone you know suffers from chronic tinnitus, send them this blog and urge them to talk to a chiropractor about treating this persistent and debilitating condition.  

Dr. Dave Edenfield  and Dr. Steven Warfield are part of the team of doctors and therapists at http://chiropractor-jacksonville-fl.com who are dedicated to helping you and your family lead  healthier, happier and pain-free lives.