Cervical Spine Related Hearing Loss and Neck Pain Relief with Chiropractic

The traditional account of the first chiropractic adjustment by DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, details the hearing restoration of a deaf janitor after spinal manipulation. (1) Fascinating! Today’s research reports help clarify and confirm the connection of hearing and cervical spine pain issues. Spine & Sports Rehab Center hears stories of improvement in Baton Rouge chiropractic patients for seemingly unrelated things that brought them into Spine & Sports Rehab Center for chiropractic care. Patients are elated! Spine & Sports Rehab Center is excited 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 issues. The relationship of cervical spine and hearing has been presented in the medical literature for decades. In 1994, one author presented a discussion 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) Baton Rouge chiropractic patients report such problems on occasion, so Spine & Sports Rehab Center is not surprised 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) 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 define the pathway and understand better how spinal nerves like those of C2 (the second cervical spine segment) influence 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 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. Spine & Sports Rehab Center considers this when caring for Baton Rouge cervical spine pain patients who have a hearing loss or deficit.

CHIROPRACTIC HELP FOR Baton Rouge 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 reported 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 undergoing chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment. On a scale of 0 (no problem) to 10 (complete impairment), she rated 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 Baton Rouge hearing loss patients could welcome! Spine & Sports Rehab Center is prepared for the opportunity to help!

CONSIDER Spine & Sports Rehab Center FOR RELIEF

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

Schedule a Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment to see how Spine & Sports Rehab Center may help improve cervical spine issues, neck pain and even potentially cervical spine related hearing loss.