Cervical Spondylosis & Tinnitus

http://hjd.med.nyu.edu/spine/patient-education/spine-problems/neck-and-arm-pain/cervical-spondylosis
Ringing, buzzing, clicking in the ears caused by a variety of mechanisms, one of which can be spinal cord compression.

I am checking into Cervical Spondylosis causing tinnitus by nerve compression of the facet joints. I know I have
Cervical Spondylosis, but not sure they would do surgery to decompress my cervical spine. I read a post on another forum where a patient had a neck fusion and it relieved their tinnitus. More later.....maybe just traction would help, but seems doubtful.

 

The causes of tinnitus are multiple, and often multiple causes can be occurring at the same time. The most common cause is hearing loss. You may not appreciate the fact there is hearing loss, but most likely it is present. This is due to the fact that the ear is not providing the brain with the appropriate amount of information at a given frequency. The brain then begins to create its own information. This is similar to “phantom limb pain” when an amputee may experience pain in an extremity that is no longer present. Another possible explanation would be the “revving up” of hair cells in the cochlea which are trying to work harder to deliver the message to the brain. Other potential causes could be irritation of nerves in the head and neck that cross over into the acoustic nerve or nerve of hearing. This happens with TMJ abnormality (arthritis of the jaw joint) and cervical neck problems like arthritis of the cervical spine. A very common cause of tinnitus is loud noise. This is actually a temporary hearing loss which seems to resolve over a number of hours, but in severe cases may last indefinitely. Medication can also be a common cause of tinnitus. The most common culprit is aspirin. This is a dose related to ototoxicity, so don’t be nervous if you are taking the 81mg dosage, but higher doses can cause problems. Fatigue can play a major role in exacerbating tinnitus, as well as stress and depression. It is not uncommon for poor sleepers to wake up with ringing in their ears and headaches,

 

Yes, if you research this enough online, you will see studies where numerous patients had their t resolved with cervical surgery.

 

Yeah it may be a remote chance of that correcting your T, but possible. The problem is no orthopaedic doctor will do cervical surgery for tinnitus alone. You would probably need to have Cervical radiculopathy, and that is pain starting in the upper spine (neck) that causes pain, numbness, or weakness in the neck and going down the arm or arms. I am still working at the cervical/muscular issues possibly causing T but not sure where it will lead. I am going to try trigger point therapy with a massage therapist tomorrow. May try upper cervical adjustment also, NUCCA.

 

I am seeing a upper cervical care doctor Thursday at: http://www.uppercervicalcare.com/Can-UCC-Help-Me/Inner-Ear-Disorders

He is not a NUCCA member. He said he has seen many people with tinnitus and has extremely detailed x-rays. He also said that he will know if your upper spine is causing your tinnitus, that it will not be guesswork. It sounds promising and I will report back after my exam.

 

I've been considering going to a NUCCA practitioner. I emailed him and he said he'd do a consultation (no charge) to see if maybe he could help. Has anyone tried this type of therpy?
"This gentle, non-invasive technique was developed more than forty years ago to create a radical new way of healing that can help restore body balance and perfect health. The focus of the NUCCA work is the relationship between the upper cervical spine (neck) and its influence on the central nervous system and brain stem function. It is this relationship that affects every aspect of human function from the feeling sensations in your fingers to regulating hormones, controlling movement, and providing the ability to hear, see, think, and breathe."

 

@DebS - Yes, you should probably check out your NUCCA doctor and see what he says. Please let us know what he says if you see him. I just came across the other upper cervical franchises by googling. Their website does have a lot of info. I have to drive about 1hr 40minutes to the nearest upper cervical care franchise. I hope it isn't another dead end to finding T relief!

 

I made an appointment for a consultation tomorrow at 4:30pm. I'll let you know what he says. His fees are rather high, and I don't think insurance will cover any of it, but I'm at the point where I'd pay anything for some relief!!

 

I just had my consult & x-rays. My ears were ringing all the way home. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about, but then again it could be snake oil also! He said my upper cervical was off and will review x-rays. I did not get a adjustment yet. I received my "ear popper" today for ETD. Seems to work pretty well! Also took a decongestant & antihistamine for a trial & error to help T. I would recommend a EAR POPPER if you have ETD. Would work great for flying also.

 

I went yesterday for my consult. Liked him, but found out he doesn't do the NUCCA therapy anymore. He also said my upper cervical was off and that he has treated other T patients and has had some success. I feel like whatever professional you go to, they're going to tell you whatever it takes to get you to sign up. Go to an orthodontise..."You need bite splints!" Go to

 

(Sorry... my modem cut out before I finished my comment!)

I went yesterday for my consult. Liked him, but found out he doesn't do the NUCCA therapy anymore. He also said my upper cervical was off and that he has treated other T patients and has had some success. I feel like whatever professional you go to, they're going to tell you whatever it takes to get you to sign up. Go to an orthodontist..."You need bite splints!" Go to a PT..."It's in your muscles; you need massage twice a week!" Go to a chiro..."It's in your upper spine! You need adjustments twice a week!" Etc. Etc. Etc.

 

True. They like to fatten their wallet and tell you what you want to hear. There may in fact be multiple problems contributing to your tinnitus...who knows? I will be seeing the upper cervical doc on next Tuesday for a adjustment and will report back then or Wednesday on my opinion. I also have seen a physical therapist twice recently. I'm sure I have noise exposure caused tinnitus also, but it seemed too loud to be only that. We must stay positive and cross things off our list if they are ineffective.

 

just1morething
Thanx so much for this post! I have cervical issues (compressed C 5/6/7) which can give me pain down the my left shoulder and into the arm. Perhaps I have cervical-spondylosis (I struggle with arthritis). I'm very anxious to hear anything about this; any thing you pass along will be appreciated.

My chiropractor told me to simply roll up a towel and place it behind my neck (when I'm sitting on the couch watching TV). I'm not sure if it has helped or not (I've been trying multiple things at one time -- I know, not very scientific).

Thanx again!

Mark

 

Debs / @just1morething
I went the NUCCA route because I knew I had upper cervical issues and NUCCA made so much sense (to me); although I believe in the merits of NUCCA (achieve balance via 0/0/0 upper cervical alignment in the x/y/z plane) they were not able to do anything for me. I did the hours long x-ray studies only to learn that I have very little/no cartilage between C 5/6/7 and, therefore, they could do nothing for me. Those x-rays were expensive (500 bucks); I could have simply had a single/simple x-ray that would have told me the same thing (for about 70 bucks).

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from exploring NUCCA (although I may have already discouraged -- sorry). I'm just positing that it's worth checking out the simple things first. If you suspect upper cervical issues, get a simple x-ray or pay your chiropractor 40 bucks for an exam.

Unfortunately, I was so enthralled with the idea of NUCCA (at the time) that I failed to ask the critical questions or make the fundamental observations. When they promised they could get rid of my T (100%) I should have immediately looked out their door for the ten mile line of fellow T sufferers.

I found that a run to my chiropractor (for 40 bucks) does more than NUCCA. Again, that's just my experience.

Really sorry if this is discouraging anyone; my intent is to help others avert the disappointment I went through (not to mention forcing my wallet to go on a crash diet in the loss of 500 dollars). Perhaps my experience is not representative of others (hopefully that is the case; I would be willing and open to hearing about them).

Mark

 

Hi @Mark McDill

I also have a lot of arthritis in my neck and lower back. The upper cervical caused tinnitus is probably a longshot like you stated. It's is a long drive for me also so it will probably be my last appt. this upcoming Tuesday. (unless his snake oil works on me...we'll see).

My 1st appt. cost $80 for 3 x-rays and consult. I think it was C1-C3 that he is looking at. He talked quite a bit about the brainstem nerves that could affect my hearing and tinnitus. I will update later after the adjustment.

 

@just1morething
Best fortune; I hope it goes well (prayers). I know my chiropractor helps me a lot. 80 bucks for 3 x-rays and consult is not bad at all (way better than I did).

There is a logic and sense to what they are saying (upper cervical = grand central station for all major nerves) and I know that getting my spine nice and straight (chiropractor) did, in fact, help my situation. After all, integrity in the spine is always a good thing (just like staying healthy).

Mark

 

@Mark McDill, @DebS

I don't know if you seen this post before relating to neck surgery (ADR) and tinnitus. I would guess more than likely you have came across articles like this, but in general orthopaedic surgeons believe that tinnitus is caused by something in the inner ear, not cervical. I am going to try a cervical traction collar and see if that helps. My old one from my pre-tinnitus days did not hold air anymore so I ordered a new one.
http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f51/tinnitus-neck-problems-9995/

 

The chiro I visited on Friday said he is now doing a type called "QSM3", an offshoot of NUCCA. I googled it and got this info:

"The doctors of QSM³ look beyond the traditional model of its predecessors by an advanced analysis of the whole human frame from pelvis to skull. This comprehensive approach brings more specificity in an attempt to reduce spinal corrections and to optimize results. QSM³ incorporates the traditional Atlas Subluxation Complex (ASC) as its cornerstone but searches further. This full posture technique restores the body to its highest mechanical potential."

Anybody hear of this before?

 

Sounds impressive, but in the end does it help tinnitus?.... or just fattens his wallet? lol I never heard of it, but it could help possibly. Did you discuss how this could help your tinnitus? I'm thinking if the noise is coming from our inner ear that we maybe are chasing our tail, but who knows?

 

I agree... I asked him about tinnitus and he said he's been able to help some patients, but of course he'd say that. It's hard to know what to do, tho I definitely have a stiff, achy neck most of the time!!

 

I have a stiff neck also, but the weird noises is what bothers me most. I may call someone that does ADR and see what they say about a connection with tinnitus. I hope I have the luck of her tomorrow.

Dr. Exume | Ringing in ears (Tinnitus)...

 

Deb
I would just go after the stiff neck issue (for what it is); if it helps your T, bonus! Plus, you will have learned one of the factors involved your T (even better). After my NUCCA experience, I'm a bit stand-offish.

Mark

 

I went open minded to my appt. with a upper cervical chiropractor, but left thinking the adjustment did nothing at all. He said my C1 was way off, but did not show me with the x-rays and instead put me off until "next" time. I'm DONE!

I did try a new inflatable cervical collar that came Tuesday and it seemed to help, but today my noise is terrible. I am going to see a neuromuscular massage therapist next. I am beginning to wonder if going back on Nortriptylene might be a good idea. It gives you dry mouth though and that is why I quit before

 

I am almost certain the hissing sound in my left ear is caused by a muscle spasm, but how to correct it is another matter. It is too loud to be caused by noise exposure. I recently had trigger point therapy to my neck & facial muscles and the noise went away for a day. I believe it is caused by the description below:

In certain cases, tinnitus may be a result of spasm of a tiny muscle (called the stapedius) in the middle ear. This spasm may cause a slight vibration which is heard within the ear as a ringing, buzzing or hissing sound. In addition, dysfunction of other muscles, such as the tensor veli palati, may prevent the Eustachian tube an air passage connecting the middle ear to the throat) from functioning normally, causing fullness and pressure behind the ear drum.

Forward head posture as mentioned by @Sound Wave could be a contributing factor also to the muscle spasms.

If I can't find a suitable TMJ doctor here, I will fly out to see Dr. Ira M. Klemons in South Amboy, NJ
I had enough of this B.S. !!!

http://www.headaches.com/tinnitus.htm

 

Just updating on my conversation with Dr. Klemons. He said I didn't meet the criteria for his treatment. I did not have headaches, jaw pain, etc. He said he was impressed with Dr. Hakala's 3 page medical report on my exam which I emailed him.

Next stop a Doctor of Osteopath this Friday and back to Dr. Hakala (TMJ) next Tuesday. I am determined to find a answer for my hissing noise, as I still think it's related to a spasm of the stapedius muscle in my left ear. I don't want to think about noise exposure or other inner ear damage, as there is not much hope there unless @attheedgeofscience brings us good news.

 

A interesting post I found today about the spasm of the stapedius muscle:

May 16, 2012

To: Stapedial Myoclonus

The Stapedius Muscle is spasming. I have had hissing and ringing
since undergoing shoulder surgery. The noise was dibilitating, I
could do nothing, relationship was tested with my best friend and
fiancee, work suffered. I could not go into a noisy enviroment and
had to seclude myself in the confines of my house and listen to
nothing but silence. I have spent thousands of dollars trying to
find out what has happened to me--I would wake up in the middle of
the night with the grinding sound of iron rubbing together, I would
get an un-nerving hissing noise after I drove my car vehicle any
distance, had to drive at night and take Ambien to get to sleep.
Drinking alcohol STOPPED the problem temporarily--the next day I paid
a price as it came back twice as bad.
I went to 3 audiologists, they all said I had high frequency hearing
loss but my hearing in voice level was fine. No other hearing
problems with exception that my left ear heard things much louder. I
started wearing an ear plug after two months...I was able to control
the problem if I stayed away from noise but came back as soon as I
took the plugs out. I was on Xanex, that made it worse. Ambien put
me to sleep and I could not wait to go to bed at night--I dreaded
walking up. I could no longer take naps during the day, for two
months I never took a nap. 2 ENTs and my primary doctor were at a
loss. I had a diagnosis of a sinus infection, which I did in fact
have but after 7 weeks of taking antibiotics, an MRI and 3 CT scans
yield nothing other than my infection cleared up but no change in the
"tinnitus" hissing and ringing, and tones.
I noticed after I took a shower the problem would go away only to
come back starting with a very small fluttering noise, but after 20
minutes or so it was so annoying and distressing that after 2 months
I was having to live with this problem possibly for the rest of my
life.
Guess what--the second ENT said to me, "there is not much I can do
for you" but he said he did have case like this once before and said
I could try the medication--he said he gave Valium in the 90s to a
patient who was really stressed out over pretty much the same symtoms
(symptoms)--he gave him the Valium to help him relax when he got
stressed out--the patient called him up and said the problem went
away!!! During the treatment he noticed that when the fluttering
started that if he took a valium, the problem subsided.
Diagnosis, very rare inner ear myoclonus. This may not be so rare
because there are alot of people told there is nothing more we can
do. Lots of people living with it. There is the smallest muscle in
the body called the Stapedius muscle, when that muscle goes into
spasm from stress or whatever, it will cause the tones, hissing,
fluttering, etc. I was given Cychlobenzedrine. $11 for 60 tablets
generic. I think it is called Flexeril as the trade name. 3 hours
after I left the ENT office, I was symptom free. It came back later
but I took another pill and it went away. There is a treatment for
chronic Stapedius problems--the muscle needs to be cut. All the
cases where this treatment as been performed were instant
successes--no side affects. However, I have had the medication now
for 10 days and I am able to control the problem and it really
appears to be going away. The spasms are stopping. Sound creates
the spasm as well as stress. Sound it stress, mental anquish is
stress..Cychlobenzedrine relaxes muscles...just leg chronic leg
cramps in footballs and basketball players, this muscle can
continuously go into spasm for months, only subsiding after long
sleep and naps, which I had neither of--the problem exasperated--now
it is on the mend. Ear Plugs in the bad ear still but I take it out
more and more each day--So after $30,000 in medical tests and fading
hope, $5 worth of ear plugs and $11 worth of muscle relaxers did the
job!
I really hope that my story helps allot of people. This is a
bloodless afflictions, people begin to think you are making it all
up, look at you like you are some big baby. No blood, no scars,
because we all know how to behave properly we don't walk into the
doctor screaming--we compose ourselves and behave as we are expected
to. If I walked into my house with a finger cut off screaming,
everyone would be helping--if I started vomiting profusely, I would
get care that I needed.
When you have probably the worse affliction of all, screaming noise
in your head that only you can here. You have a big problem
convincing anyone what is really happening. I literally was
contemplating something bad, I knew I could not live a descent life
with this sort of problem going on--all the people around me would be
affected by this problem if it went on indefinitly. Would I have
hurt myself, probably not--the thought was there as a way out.
When I went to my first ENT and told him what this pill did for me,
he instantly said, "I never thought of that" it makes sense. I like
the guy, he was always real honest with me--once you get past the ear
drum they can't see what is going on very easily.
Don't use the word tinnitus---use "ear fluttering out of control
creating a havoc within my head", that is what I said to the second
ENT. That got me results.. The ENTs have a preconceived definition
of tinnitus--that is it is an annoying sound, live with it. Be more
specific and keep up the fight, find someone who will listen to you.
Let me know if this helps anyone out there.
Sincerely,
Tim

 

Thanks Tim wherever you are; I thought that was a great post and I will try to hunt down the forum it was on!!
I did see a Dr. of Osteopath Friday within the Mayo Clinic system and he manipulated my head & neck somewhat and I believe it helped me. I also took a muscle relaxer (Robaxin) and that may have helped.

Anyway, I seem quiet right now (with my normal T, not the hellacious loud one) and will try to improve on my forward head posture also ( stay away from computers for awhile-- too addicting! ) and hope that I can get a long lasting quiet period and not just another one day wonder.

 

The drug mentioned in that post is a form of meth

I think he means Cychlobenzedrine

 

Courtesy from @jazz
Pain Physician. 2014 Jan-Feb;17(1):E95-8
Resolution of long standing tinnitus following radiofrequency ablation of C2-C3 medial branches--a case report.
Gritsenko K1, Caldwell W, Shaparin N, Vydyanathan A, Kosharskyy B.
Author information

• 1Department of Anesthesiology Division of Pain Medicine Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.

Abstract
Tinnitus is described as an auditory phantom perception analogous to central neuropathic pain. Despite the high prevalence of this debilitating symptom, no intervention is recognized that reliably eliminates tinnitus symptoms; a cause has yet to be determined. A 65-year-old healthy man presented with a 3 year history of left-sided tinnitus. Full workup performed by the primary care physician including blood tests for electrolyte imbalance, consultations by 2 independent otholaryngologists, and imaging did not reveal abnormalities to provide etiology of the tinnitus. No other complaints were noted except for occasional minimal left sided neck pain. Cervical spine x-ray showed degenerative changes with facet hypertrophy more pronounced on the left side. Subsequently, the patient underwent diagnostic left-sided C2-C3 medial branch block, resulting in complete resolution of tinnitus for more than 6 hours. After successful radiofrequency ablation of left C2-C3 medial branches, the patient became asymptomatic. At one year follow-up, he continued to be symptom free. Sparce studies have shown interaction between the somatosensory and auditory system at dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), inferior colliculus, and parietal association areas. Upper cervical nerve (C2) electrical stimulation evokes potentials in the DCN, eliciting strong patterns of inhibition and weak excitation of the DCN principal cells. New evidence demonstrated successful transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of upper cervical nerve (C2) for treatment of somatic tinnitus in 240 patients. This case indicates that C2-C3 facet arthropathy may cause tinnitus and radiofrequency ablation of C2-C3 medial branches can provide an effective approach not previously considered.

 

mmmmmm

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/c3-lumps-and-how-my-tinnitus-got-better.150/