Could Cervical Disc Herniation Be Causing My Tinnitus?

Saw my doctor today for a follow up with my MRI and he revealed the following:
C3-4 broad-based disc herniation wih significant cord impingement
C4-5 disc bulge without significant stenosis, very mild stenosis
C5-6 disc bulge resulting in cord compression and bilateral C6 root impingement
C6-7 central disc herniation resulting in significant cord impingement
He did not reccommend surgery. He said it was an option but it was not necessary and it would be my very last option. He suggested a pain management specialist, but getting to one with my work schedule may be very very difficult. Plus, I don't want to just be thrown meds and be done with it. I'm not a fan of meds and haven't taken any pain meds for almost a year.
Strange I am not in more pain and the pain I've been having mostly seems to be around C1-C2 area, which came back normal on the MRI. Go figure! Think any of this could be causing my T? He said walking helps!

 

my mri showed bulging disc, ddd hemangioma narrowing at c5 , ive wondered the same thing luckyman316??? didnt show anything going on with c1 and c2, but nucca that did xrays said they were off... so i dunno who/what to believe anymore... have you did anything for yours yet? i just went to pain management last week and she suggested cervical branch block with guided xray or something to go in and numb the nerve but im to scared to do this ,afraid it will make things worse...please keep us informed if yo do anything for your cervical area.. thanks!

 

About 2 months again I noticed a budging lower vertebrae and it hurt for several days in a row. I've had 3 sets of 4 day pain so far since and 2 days ago I woke up with a budging disc in my mid part of my spine and I've had a ringing in my ear ever since. At times it is more intense and noticeable than others. Could this be from the budging in my back?

 

Neck problems can cause tinnitus as the disc presses on a nerve.
I have a cracking and crunching neck and damage to my bones and disks as have Oosrtiostio and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Just try do what you can to not get a stiff neck and good posture .
Love Glynis

 

My tinnitus started about a week after I herniated my c5-6 Cervical disc. My neurosurgeon said the tinnitus is not related to the disc injury....I think I need a second opinion!

 

@Sonic17 Usually it's the C1, C2 or C3 - for a herniated disc to cause tinnitus, but it can be C5-6, although not likely unless there's joint hypertrophy, facet arthritis - spondylosis present from C4-7.

If there's nerve touching the disc, then a basic needle procedure to cut the nerve has been successful 99% of the time to cure tinnitus as long as there's no other complications. This is by far the most successful treatment for somatic tinnitus.

 

@Greg Sacramento
Thank you for the information, I did not know this. Did you find this out from a neurosurgeon? Are you in the US?

 

@ABokos I added more to my post. I have done a lot of study on somatic tinnitus, the cervical spine and the central nervous system, etc; since I got T again earlier this year. I read online medical journals and visit many restricted medical password sites with keys from the hospital where I once worked. I have a degree in anatomy and physiology.

 

@Greg Sacramento
Okay, thank you. What kind of basic needle procedure do u mean? Who does this? Makes sense, but does anyone actually offer it? Which nerve?
Sorry do many questions, is there an online link?

 

@Sonic17 Necleoplasty outpatient - a needle is used that emits radio waves to relieve nerve pressure. Then there's percutaneous methods where all require a small cut.

 

Is that a bit different than radiofrequency ablation of nerves? This noise sure is tormenting. It would be nice to know where it is coming from. Diazepam doesn't seem to help my noise at all lately. I want to get klonopin again to go along with the gabapentin to try to get some relief but it's difficult with my current primary doctor. I hoping to get my broken appliance picked up and RFA done on my upper neck, but in the meantime......???

 

@justmorenthing You have a lot of history - postings. I read many of them over the summer. Refresh my memory. What are your conditions - lateral, bilateral and oblique? Interpreting results from a radiologist.

Many times the upper spine disc is not by itself the complete tinnitus equation. Disease or condition issues (like falling down) can go back fifteen years where they weren't noticed until receiving tinnitus. The c spine can have balance issues due to misalignment and that will cause other muscles in the neck to react with muscle spasms. TMJ/D is often related to the C1 - C2. Usually neck tinnitus is caused from muscle spasms that can also include your back. This is all complicated, but it's hard to diagnose without knowing test results. What many don't realize is having one leg longer than the another over many years can lead to bad posture that can contribute to the somatic tinnitus.

Finding doctors for treatment that understand tinnitus somatic conditions is difficult.

 

@Greg Sacramento, Well I try to forget the past as I can't go back. It started out in 2008 mildly and got severe in 2010 in my left ear. I was driving over hard ground in the spring with a tractor so I thought my noise could be related to my neck possibly and/or fluid in my ear from the 2008 flight. It was a high pitched noise in my left ear only.

I had 3 dexamethasone IT injections at Paparella and then went to Shea clinic in 2011 for more injections.. All in left ear. I had neck issues for a long time as I was in a car accident when young and my occupation etc. Like I said I don't like to live in the past too much as I probably could have prevented this nasty condition.

Going to a TMJ specialist was a last ditch effort suggested by a relative. Most ENT's say HF hearing loss caused but that doesn't explain my random good day. It never lasts though once I fall asleep.

I did talk to Dr. Shulman in the past and he recommended gabapentin/klonopin combo to my 3 doctors at the time for central tinnitus. It seemed to work quite well until I fell asleep. Of course it loses its effectiveness over time. So I just keep plugging away trying different things to get my quality of life back. Not a easy task if it is inner ear damage. I had some bad noise exposure too with certain machinery.

One ENT said if they could just fix the inner ear damage the noise would go away. No such fix in present day medical technology as you know. I could be chasing my tail looking at TMJ and neck causes, but what else do you try?I have some bad posture problems too but that may or may not be a factor.

 

@Sonic17 I read your history. I did some research viewing MRI scans within the c5 and c6 area where disc herniation has taken place.

I came up a theory that your herniation at C5 -C6 is a disturbance of ascending input that may be abutting the thecal causing reaction of the cervical cord.

I emailed my neuro friend. He said that is very likely the reason for your T. He added that this disturbance of ascending input in the cervical cord is going to the "vestibular nucleus". Disturbance of ascending input is a "noted" term used in physiology.

You should have a consultation and then could be advised for a MRI of your neck. A correction procedure is a minimal invasive discestomies, an outpatient procedure. Or your doctor may advice physical therapy. If to date, there's no hearing loss, your changes are excellent to end your T. He said the MRI that you had did not cause your tinnitus.

 

@Greg Sacramento
Hey Greg, you are awesome. I so appreciate you looking into this for me.
I have seen a neurosurgeon, he told me he could not do anything for me unless my symptoms were worse (more pain, loss of function of my arms/legs, loss of bladder control, etc). Sounds like things would have to be pretty bad before they would do anything for me....typical of the Canadian health care system.
Greg, are you living in the states? I am considering travelling to the Mayo clinic and seeing a specialist there. I live in rural Canada, as much as everyone seems to think we have a great health care system, it definitely has some limitations.
Your theory makes sense to me. It gives me hope that I should pursue treatment for myself.

 

Shocking!!...

 

@Sonic17 I live in the Gold River area which is part of Sacramento California for 34 years. The first part of my life of 30 years I lived in Massachusetts which I liked a lot more. There was miles of virgin woods, meadows and lakes outside my door. In a meadow 500 feet from my house was where the first settler outside of Boston lived in the 1600's. I found a large English copper coin dated 1695 in that small meadow, along with a lot of very old medicine bottles, square nails and marbles. There are now thousands of home in that area like now in Sacramento.

 

@Bill Bauer
You are shocked Bill? I do not find health care all that great in Manitoba. perhaps you are in a better situation with it in BC.
These treatments that Greg give me hope...I .just need to find somewhere that offers these procedures.

 

I doubt it...

 

Mayo seems to be more conservative regarding surgeries in my experience. They are mostly salary doctors. I am seeing these doctors currently and have seen several. Some are more aggressive than others and most will not do a surgery if the risk-benefit is too high and if tinnitus is your primary symptom. Both these doctors see patients out of the same location and do referrals back and forth. I'm not recommending any doctors since I don't know them very well or the outcome of their patients.
http://millerspineandbrain.com/
http://twincitiespainmanagement.com/

 

My noise went through the roof after awakening from a nap.

 

@just1morething My noise went through the roof after a wrong move stretching my left m trapezius. The big muscle on the side of neck.

 

@Greg Sacramento, Sorry to hear that! I guess my neck was turned to the side when I fell asleep. Not sure if my neck is related for sure. Inner ear damage sounds like a prison sentence so I will continue to pursue possible cervical related tinnitus.

 

@Greg Sacramento

Massachusetts sounds beautiful, I have never been in that area. I have never been to California either, but everyone knows it is a beautiful area as well. Very fascinating you were able to find history dating from the 1600's right in your backyard in Massachusetts.

I live North of the 55th parallel.....not sure if anything was going on around here back then. Certainly none of my ancestors were living here...lol.

 

This is so helpful for me, I really appreciate it as I do not have any contacts in the States and the Dr's here do not want to talk about private practise or travel to other countries for treatments. Thank you for the links on the other facilities as well.

 

In your opinion, could poor cervical posture (forward neck posture) contribute to tinnitus?

Edit: I guess I didn't read your posts thoroughly enough.

 

After day of worse than usual pain and more noise exposure than usual, mine went down massively after giving myself an intensive neck massage (getting stuck into those tensed bits), a heat pack and some magnesium. I woke up to almost silence, with no noticeable TTTS or reactive T/H. An additional loud crack of my neck gave me almost full neck motion without pain.
It was a particularly restful weekend so can’t be sure if destressing contributed too.

Today some pain is back... but not too bad.
Not sure how long it will last.

 

Ok scrap that. Someone at work slammed some books on a table right behind me, so loud like a gunshot. There goes my relative peace. So f’ed off right now.

I’m predicting it will get worse in the middle of the night tonight as it has in the past after an acoustic shock. Already sounds a bit angry. Can’t catch a break.

Update: Left work a bit rattled. Then a black cat crossed my path and the only parking machine where I parked my car is out of order. Karma?

 

Most articles discuss poor cervical posture (forward neck posture) as a cause of somatic tinnitus. A history of stress combined with physical stress (muscle spasms of upper trapezius) from improper forward neck bending. Somatic reactions can happen easier under these conditions if mouth is open and pressure to the jaw is happening. A dental procedure, falling down, head trauma or whiplash. Or clenching teeth with lifting and being off balance.

Some hearing loss will take place 50%-70% of the time depending on issues involved. Much more often if other degenerative disease are present. If TMJ comes after, then sometimes injury to the C1 C2 area happened, loss of normal lordosis, or the c spine is placing pressure on nerves and muscles that will react to not only the brain, but the DCN.

Sport player generally have good normal posture so there's no problems for them. It's a problem if one has general bad posture and was inactive before muscle trauma of head bending.

 

@Greg Sacramento, Thanks for the information. I have a lot of above including loss of normal lordosis. I'm trying to sleep without a pillow or use a pillow that is indented in the middle. I wonder at what point do you need surgery for the conditions you described? I have sort of a mild static hiss atm ( but still bothersome) but was loud upon awakening. I tried some physical therapy and will be getting RFA in upper cervical later as I said earlier. I have DDD and moderate to severe foraminal narrowing at several levels. What is your plan of action for your neck conditions? Do you think it will help your T? I have had noise exposure too so it's unclear how much my neck conditions are affecting my noise.