Spring has arrived and the weather is getting warmer. For our last two articles we’ve discussed ear infections and vertigo. For this week’s article topic we’ll discuss tinnitus and address the question “Can chiropractors help tinnitus?”.

About Tinnitus

Tinnitus refers to persistent ‘ringing’ or ‘whooshing’ noises in one or both ears that is not caused by an external source. It is reported to occur in about 10% of the population. Most commonly it is perceived at night time when there is less interference from background noise.

For most people it is not a severe problem and goes away or is managed without treatment. However, it can be disabling for some individuals and cause other problems such as concentration difficulties, depression, stress, insomnia and anxiety. Anyone who has tinnitus would, of course, do just about anything to permanently stop the high pitched whining and buzzing sound they hear inside their ears.

Patience and Managing Tinnitus

One of the biggest mistakes most people make is they are so desperate to find a cure for the ringing in their ears, that they hop around from one therapy to another much too quickly making the mistake of thinking that if the therapy does not work in the first week or two, the therapy is not going to help at all. This is where knowledge and patience can really help. Many treatments, with chiropractic tinnitus management among them, can be effective and the benefits reaped if applied or used for a period of time.

Clearly from a theoretical basis, chiropractic approaches to tinnitus are worth trying. Chiropractic works on the spine, joints and soft tissues. Chiropractors use a variety of treatments for tinnitus. The most common is performing gentle and mostly painless spinal adjustments (mobilizations) of cervical spinal segments (vertebrae). Clinically, improvements are often observed adjusting the cervical spine, especially upper cervical and cranium, as a starting point. These methods have the potential to restore sympathetic/parasympathetic balance and influencing cortical function.

Get Involved

Are you, or anyone you know, effected by tinnitus? Please share you story by leaving a comment below.