While a chiropractor can’t cure tinnitus itself, they can help reduce symptoms of tinnitus that are often caused or worsened by spinal misalignments. Chiropractic care can adjust your spine and neck, alleviating the misalignments that can cause ringing in your ears.
If you suffer from tinnitus, you might experience symptoms that can take a toll on your daily life, making it hard to enjoy the activities you love. Luckily, chiropractic care can help ease your symptoms and could help treat the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
A Chiropractor Can Perform Spinal Adjustments to Help with Tinnitus
Chiropractors can perform a variety of chiropractic techniques to help alleviate tinnitus symptoms and treat the root cause of your tinnitus. Depending on the location of your spinal misalignment, you could benefit from one of the following types of adjustments:
Diversified Adjustments
Your chiropractor will force your spinal vertebrae into the correct position, which may result in a “popping” sound. This type of adjustment can quickly alleviate your pain. You could also benefit from a seated diversified adjustment, which can help ease neck and shoulder tension.
Knee-Chest Adjustments
If your tinnitus is caused by neck or upper spine issues, a knee-chest adjustment may be helpful. Your chiropractor will ask you to kneel with your chest against an exam table to perform this type of adjustment.
Thompson Drop-Table Technique
Your chiropractor will use a chiropractic table to place your spine in the correct position while they perform the adjustment.
The Activator Method
The chiropractor will apply a high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) tool to make adjustments to a specific part of your body. This technique allows your doctor to control the exact location of the adjustment.
The Sacral-Occipital Technique (SOT)
Your chiropractor may use the SOT to adjust certain parts of the body. This technique is known to be especially useful when adjusting the head and neck, which may benefit tinnitus patients.
Toggle Recoil
Your chiropractor will use quick, gentle thrusts to manipulate your spine or other areas of concern. As compared to other methods, toggle recoil is gentler.
Cranial Sacral Therapy
During this technique, your chiropractor realigns the bones in your head and neck region. By addressing issues in this part of the body, you improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, alleviating tinnitus.
Physical Therapy Can Also Help with Tinnitus
Your doctor might recommend other treatments for tinnitus besides chiropractic care. Physical therapy also offers several methods that could provide relief to patients with tinnitus. Your physical therapist may recommend:
- Massage therapy
- Rehabilitative therapy
- Ultrasound therapy
- Stretching and strength training
- Electrical muscle stimulation (E-STIM)
Depending on the cause of your tinnitus, your physiotherapist may focus on improving your posture, adjusting your spine, and reducing tension in your jaw.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the medial word for ringing in your ears. Nobody besides you can hear the ringing, clicking, pulsing, humming, or rushing sounds tinnitus causes. Though tinnitus isn’t always a severe condition, it can cause loud noises that affect your daily life. You might find it difficult to drive, sleep, work, and join in on your favorite activities.
Tinnitus itself isn’t an illness. Rather, it is a side effect of other medical conditions. Though it can be worrisome to hear noises that nobody else can, rest assured that tinnitus is common, and there are many ways to treat it.
Causes of Tinnitus
There are a few known causes of tinnitus. According to Cleveland Clinic, they include:
Age
As we age, the nerve that controls hearing may not work as well as it once did, leading to hearing loss. However, your brain is used to receiving stimulation from the hearing nerve, causing it to continue firing at the rate it always has. Because of this nerve firing, you may continue to hear the ringing sounds associated with tinnitus.
Ear Injuries
A direct blow to the ear from a car accident, sports injury, or another cause can lead to an ear injury. Additionally, cotton swabs, fingernails, or other sharp objects can rupture your eardrum. These types of injuries can cause tinnitus.
Ear Infections
Infections caused by fluid or earwax buildup can lead to temporary loss of your hearing. While you’re unable to hear, you might experience tinnitus.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)
Frequently being around loud noises can cause hearing loss, which often leads to tinnitus. It’s also possible to suffer hearing loss from a single event, such as an explosion or being in close range of loud noises.
Medications
Some antibiotics, antidepressants, cancer medications, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause tinnitus.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders
People with TMJ disorders might suffer from tinnitus. Because your TMJ is located near your inner ear, pressure on the TMJ can affect the middle ear. Any impact on your hearing caused by TMJ can lead to tinnitus.
How Tinnitus Is Diagnosed
Tinnitus can be diagnosed by doctors like an audiologist, dentist, and otolaryngologist. Some of the tests they may use to diagnose your condition include:
- Hearing tests
- Blood tests, which can help determine if an underlying condition like heart disease is causing tinnitus
- Imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans
Your doctor will also need to know some information about your medical history to help diagnose you.
Complications That Arise Because of Tinnitus
Physically, tinnitus only affects your ears. However, you could suffer from many emotional and cognitive problems because of tinnitus. For example, tinnitus may cause you to deal with:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Cognitive issues
- Trouble concentrating or communicating
- Irritability
- Reduced enjoyment of life
- Trouble sleeping
Generally, tinnitus does not progress to the point where it significantly affects your physical and mental abilities. You should visit a doctor as soon as you notice symptoms to avoid any further complications. If you notice additional issues like hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo, or prolonged ringing in your ear, do not wait to seek medical attention.
How to Help Tinnitus at Home
In addition to chiropractic treatments and physiotherapy, your doctor might recommend continuing your treatment at home. Some methods that tinnitus patients have found helpful include:
- Noise machines: Ambient sounds like white noise, nature sounds, and other soundscapes can help decrease symptoms of tinnitus. If your brain is processing other sounds, it might not notice the ringing in your ears. If you don’t want to purchase a noise machine, using a fan, humidifier, or noise from your smartphone may do the trick.
- In-ear headphones: Using earphones that play a constant loop of white noise can help you avoid the ringing sounds associated with tinnitus. You may need to take breaks from in-ear noise devices, so it is not recommended that you sleep with these in.
- Stretches and exercises: Your physical therapist and chiropractor might offer some suggestions about ways you can improve your condition between appointments. For example, they may encourage you to try stretches that help improve your posture and reduce tension in your jaw, neck, and back.
Be sure to consult with your doctor before trying any at-home remedies.
Benefits of Visiting a Chiropractor for Help with Tinnitus
Visiting a chiropractor for tinnitus care can have significant benefits, such as:
- It is a non-invasive approach that does not require medications or surgeries. If you need surgery for the condition causing your tinnitus, chiropractic care can help with rehabilitation.
- It treats the source of your condition, rather than just symptoms. While chiropractic treatment can help get rid of tinnitus, it can also help treat the condition causing your tinnitus. For example, if a TMJ disorder is causing tinnitus, your chiropractor can treat your disorder, eliminating symptoms like tinnitus.
- It can be customized to your needs. Once your chiropractor understands your condition and what is causing it, they can create a custom treatment plan. They’ll take your goals and medical history into consideration as they build this plan. Plus, your plan can be changed at any time as your condition improves.
- It can alleviate complications associated with tinnitus, such as anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping. Both chiropractic care and physical therapy help to relieve tension throughout the body.
Call Specific Care Chiropractic for Help with Tinnitus
If you’re dealing with a condition that is causing tinnitus, the team at Specific Care Chiropractic can help you feel better. We offer chiropractic and physiotherapy treatment plans at our offices in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Lehigh Acres. When you reach out to us, we will help you set up an intake appointment to discuss the cause of your tinnitus and the best route for treatment.
Call us now to find an appointment time that works for you. We can answer any questions you have and ensure you feel prepared for your first appointment.
