Chiropractic/Upper Cervical Work

Hi guys,

This has been covered a little bit, but I would like to hear about anyone's experiences with trying Upper Cervical/Chiropractic adjustments. Has anyone had any success at all with help for tinnitus, ear fullness, or conductive hearing loss? Even small changes?

There doesn't seem to be a lot on the web about this topic. Except for testimonials on the actual websites of chiropractors who claim to be able to help with these symptoms. So I would like to hear some "real life" experiences before I think about pursuing this as a treatment for my conductive hearing loss/T.

PS I've had multiple sinus surgeries, tried a zillion medications, acupuncture, vitamins, diet changes, physical therapy, TMJ Docs, dentist, cranial sacral, massage, etc etc. Chiropractic is the one thing I haven't really pursued. To be honest I'm a little fearful about neck adjustments/possible stroke. So I'd like to hear some real stories before I go for it. Thanks guys!!! And you can bet that I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!!!

 

Tried it as a last resort. Was paying out of pocket and went to about 12 appointments over the course of 6 weeks. Zero improvement/change in anything. If you have insurance that will cover it, I'd say give it a shot. If you're paying out of pocket, and you really want to try it, only go for 2, 3, maybe 4 appointments. The adjustments are very light and you barely feel anything.

 

Thank you for your input, Jason.

 

Lecture 3: Chiropractic

 

Thanks, Red Viper. I'm definitely leery and thinking it may not be worth the risk to try. If I could read any real success stories, then I would possibly go for it.

 

One or two adjustments may be okay, but any more than that you are probably ringing up the cash registrar for the chiro. I never had any luck with upper cervical chiros helping my tinnitus.

 

there are many different types of Chiropractors, for the neck you would want to see a NUCCA chiropractor, they do 3 x rays of the neck and they do very gentle adjustment, like in any profession there is good/average chiro's and there really great excellent chiro's, do your research first to find a chiro that has the right amount of skill and knowledge and experience, don't just go to any chiro thinking there all the same

 

So true. I spoke to one chiro quack haha. He said he has helped alot of people with tinnitus. Said he does xrays and will adjust my atlas c1. Went there and he did no xrays. Did a consultation and then he went with the treatment. Typical neck crack and then he pushed down on the top of my head with alot of force. It came to approx $260 and told me to come back for 2 more adjustments that same day at approx $100 an adjustment. I left. I shouldnt have fell for his bs. I shouldnt agreed to anything after finding out he wasnt doing any type of xray. Sometimes we do stupid things when we are desperate. I am seriously thinking about trying that Nucca. If I do try nucca.. I will tell them I am only trying a few appointments to see if it helps. I dont want them to con me and say I have to come 3 times a week for so many weeks $$$$ bs.

 

I have a very low personal opinion of Chiropractors. My osteopath...a MD...cracked my neck for my tinnitus and it did nothing. In fact, I believe Chiropractors do more harm than good, waste people's time and fleece them of their money.

 

Good Luck, I'll hopefully be seeing a NUCCA chiro next month for my neck and Tinnitus.

 

I would say maybe you saw the wrong type of Chiropractor, NUCCA chiropractor's don't crack the neck, they do 3 x rays of the neck, and a very gentle adjustment, but it all depends on what is causing your Tinnitus, if stress or loud music caused your T then yes a chiro most likely can't help, if your T is caused by a neck issue, c-1 issue, a chiropractor can help, mainly NUCCA chiropractor, just type in NUUCA Tinnitus on YouTube to see the testimonials.

 

I do thing it can help, but it depends on what is the actual cause of the T. If the conchlea is damaged it won't help a bit.

 

If you put 3 different chiropractors in a room and showed them the same x rays for a given patient, each would want to manipulate the neck and spine differently...including different areas of the spine. There would be no consensus because there isn't any. Further there is no hard data that suggest X rays reveal where or how a spine should be manipulated. Some that go to a chiropractor resulting in spine manipulation cause musculature imbalance or injury. Some that go to a chiropractor would have healed anyway due to elapse of time. Many times pain is the result of muscle imbalance and/or spine degradation due to age or injury and nerve impingement. Massage for example and myofascial release maybe more effective.
I completely agree with the video posted by Red Viper above.

 

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Last week, I was receiving a chiropractic treatment for a pinched nerve in my neck. I mentioned to the chiropractor that I had single-sided deafness and t. He said he could 'adjust my ear' and this would help with my t. The adjustment has resulted in an explosion; the t has been magnified from a level 3 to a level 8!
The adjustment I received was a rather strong jerk straight down on my ear lob. Something did adjust; the result for me, was horrible.

 

I went to a Nucca chiro and discovered I had C2 subluxation. It was causing a lot of symptoms and tinnitus was the least of it, but it is worth a shot to get adjusted. I feel a thousand times better in ways I didn’t even realize I could. I have been to a lot of chiropractors in the past who snap, crackle, popped me, and I didnt want that kind of treatment. The process was very straightforward and objective ( lots of xrays, thermography tests, range of motion tests and extensive intake), the adjustment was a quick, firm but gentle push on the side of my neck with 20 minutes of controlled rest to ensure the adjustment holds. Nothing scary. I have to go back to get the nerve function tested to make sure the adjustment holds as inflammation reduces, but there isn't an adjustment every time. The cost of my total treatment plan is way less than my collective medical bills trying to figure out my issue.

Based on all my reading around, it seems like often these types of ear symptoms are preceded by a whiplash type injury. Any falls or jerking head movements in your past? It can take a while for the nerve to become irritated and inflamed in a way that manifests symptoms. And so, it can also take some time to realize relief once the subluxation is corrected because the nerves and muscles need time to heal after being injured/ impacted for so long.

 

I have my 1st adjustment with a NUCCA (upper cervical chiropractor) tomorrow. I already paid $250 for a 3D X-RAY and consultation. He set me up on a 10 month plan which includes 33 adjustments and another 3D X-Ray for $1590. The 3D-XRAY showed my occiput jammed vertically I think, also the atlas was off. This is my last chance to get better, I'm not spending any more money on my neck, this is my 3rd chiropractor and the total I will have spent is about $2500 after this. I will keep you posted. This guy has good reviews I guess, he gets a lot of new patients by referral and has many patients come from a few hours away.

 

How many times did you go to this NUCCA?? How much of a bill did they charge you?

Did he make your tinnitus go away?

 

What has a regular doctor and physiotherapist said?

Chiros are notoriously dubious. I am worried you are getting scammed. They don't have legit medical credentials. The fact he signed you up for a 33 session play for big bucks while you are vulnerable should set off your Bullshit meter. A physiotherapist would never do that. They treat you week by week and watch you get better and see what progress you make and then eventually set you free. They don't lock you into contracts. I'd call them up and cancel right away unless your doctor is telling you to go to one and specifically says a chiro will be better than a physio (which I doubt a doctor worth his salt would say unless every other option has failed and event then.

You should go to a physiotherapist and talk to your doctor before going to the chiro. Chiros can make things worse because they are not backed by science. Someone I knew had a stroke because of one and won a big cash settlement proving liability but she would have obviously preferred not to have the stroke.

I had a bad neck due to too much office work in non ergonomic positions and a physio fixed my neck in less than a month with some simple exercises and stretching.

 

Well this is an upper cervical chiropractor, there is no big neck jerks or cracks, only precise movements. Yeah 33 pre-arranged appts seems dubious, however it takes time to move the atlas into place. This guy has a good track record from what I can tell. I have been doing physical therapy at home every night for 7 months and my neck has gotten barely better.

Regular doctors don't have a clue what's going on. I've already dealt with them for the first 3 months of my onset tinnitus and they did nothing. Regular doctors suck and they don't have good opinions of chiropractors. This is my last chance in getting my neck and tinnitus right, after this I am living with it.

 

Has your tinnitus gone away with a physiotherapist?? Yeah I would never pay up front $1600 for something, but like I said this is my last shot and a lot of people on this board that got tinnitus from neck injuries have had good luck with upper cervical chiro's... Also I can easily afford the $1600.

 

No, I don't think mine is related to the neck but who knows. I was just getting some pain but with some stretches and exercises and a bit of massage and adjusting the height of my computer screen (it was a bit too low) it went away in a couple weeks.

Try a physio if you aren't satisfied with the Chiro before you give up. They ahve better med training.

 

Hi @Mathew Gould,

Just want to wish you the best of luck with your upper cervical treatments. -- If you don't get the results you're looking for, as a reminder, here's a link to a recent post I did on my own experiences with AtlasProfilax. -- All the Best!

 

I've currently had 2 upper cervical adjustments, I'm not sure what he did.

After both appointments my tinnitus went almost unnoticeable the next day.

Today I went with tinnitus that is louder in my right ear, I then came home, took a nap and woke up and now I basically can't hear the tinnitus.

I hope this is just the beginning and hopefully the adjustment holds more than 1 day... All he did was put me on my side and use this device behind my ear.

 

@Greg Sacramento I'm still trying to figure out why I have annoying tinnitus on my right side for like 5 days, then it goes to my left side and I can barely hear it and this has been happening for 10 months...

Also what is the NUCCA doing to make it go from my right annoying side to my left side where I can barely hear it?

 

Bump

 

@Mathew Gould On another thread we were thinking that you were going to receive cervical manipulation. From what you said above, it appears that a different method is only being used.

I think that I know the process of the treatment that you are receiving. There may be a reaction taking place starting within the parasympathetic nervous system or peripheral nervous system leading to the sympathetic nervous system. I had just recently posted a Wiki link of the entire parasympathetic nervous system. Neck and back spinal is key with this. It's quite complex, but with physical tinnitus, not in reference to just hearing loss tinnitus, there's only a few things that could be causing your particular treatment issue.

I don't think that this issue is of major concern as it just may be some spiking. It could be interaction with thoracic or infraorbital processing. I would consider a treatment brake for a few days. To cut to the bottom line I think that your brain stem is reprogramming. This may actually be a positive, but I would discuss your concern with your NUCCA care giver.

 

I agree with @Greg Sacramento on this count. Sometimes when the body is reprogramming, it's just best to get out of the way and let it do its thing without undue interference. It's possible you're currently dealing with a situation where doing less is the better option.

 

I agree with @Lane who also agreed with me. I would consider waiting to see if the left side calms downs and it probably will. Right side is less common with physical tinnitus especially with neck and/or jaw. Left side or both sides together indicates more awareness of the brain stem.

 

He says it's gonna be tricky to get my occiput back aligned, but I can tell that's a tad better after 2 treatments. I'm going twice a week for like 3 weeks then I go basically once a week... Yeah I'm kind of excited because my tinnitus is the lowest it's ever been and after both alignments it went from the right side to the left and I can barely hear it.