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.

Some doctors recommend anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs to alleviate the condition. This is because anxiety and stress are often associated with tinnitus. Tinnitus can be caused by inner ear damage from exposure to loud noise, head trauma, infection, hypertension, blood flow disturbances, buildup of earwax, allergies or sinus infections, foreign matter in the ear, reaction to medications, and hearing loss due to age. It can also occur due to other disturbances in brain or brain stem function, and spinal subluxations (vertebral misalignments).

Despite being such a prevalent condition, there are some treatments that work for some people, while others don’t. Patients with tinnitus are unfortunately often told when medical management has failed, that there is no treatment available for their problem. This is based on the fact that their treatments for this condition end in limited success, and for many people do not help at all.

There has been no complete research yet on how to completely cure tinnitus. The reason why is because this condition in not a disease itself. Tinnitus is a symptom for some other underlying condition or diseases like high blood pressure, and is not a "disease" in and of itself. Resultantly, the most important and the most excellent way to help treat tinnitus is to determine the cause of the original disease and find ways to treat this disease to eliminate the ringing sound in the ears.

However, one treatment that many doctors are now referring their patients for is chiropractic management of tinnitus. Chiropractic treatments are just one example of an alternative effective treatment that may hold promise for at least some tinnitus sufferers.

Understanding Tinnitus Chiropractic Treatment

There are so many different causes for tinnitus that not all tinnitus will be solved with the same treatments. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another; much depends on what is causing your tinnitus and sadly there is little research and therapies that can help you to determine this beyond seeing if your tinnitus is caused by hearing loss. For most people, the best approach is one of persistence and trying various therapies until one or more of them work.

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 spinal adjustments (mobilizations). 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.

If, as has been suggested by one researcher, there is a parallel between chronic pain and tinnitus; therefore, full spinal adjusting, extremity adjusting and soft tissue techniques also have a role to play. Myofascial release techniques and trigger point techniques (a therapy that uses direct pressure and stretching of connective tissue) concentrating on paraspinal areas, suboccipital and mastoid muscle insertions and the temperomandibular joints would be a good beginning. Exercises and relaxation techniques to help to maintain the tone of tissues could also play a role. Supplementation with ginko biloba may be useful.

Spinal adjustments actually help to reverse the subluxations (misaligned vertebrae) in the spine that reduces blood flow and impairs the nerves. Due to the fact that the abnormality of the blood flow and nerve damages are believed to possibly result in tinnitus, chiropractic has been claimed to have great treatment results for some tinnitus sufferers.

The Truth about Tinnitus Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractic is certainly not a miracle cure for tinnitus. It only helps alleviate the condition. As mentioned, it will certainly improve the blood flow that may then help eliminate the buzzing sounds. But if the tinnitus is merely a symptom of certain illnesses that one has, then this treatment may not be as effective. The best thing one can do if the tinnitus has an underlying cause of a disease is to medically determine the underlying disease, and then find a way to treat it first.

Looking for Alternatives to Tinnitus Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractic is only one alternative for some people in some cases to improve the communication between the nerves and the brain; and thus helps to alleviate the annoying sound inside the ears. One best suggestion is to maintain a healthy lifestyle; if you don’t have one, make some ways to change it. A healthy lifestyle is one big factor to help you prevent and improve your tinnitus.

What About Those with Hearing Loss?

If you have been told that hearing loss is the cause of your tinnitus and that there is nothing that you can do about it, do not give up searching for solutions. There is some research being conducted now, which indicates that tinnitus may not be so much a symptom of hearing loss for some, as it may make them more sensitive to, and more aware of the tinnitus as they strain to hear and become more aware of the sounds emanating from their ears.

Chiropractors have found that the same treatments that help patients without hearing loss often help those with hearing loss. Often times there are many underlying causes for the ringing in your ears and addressing each one of these causes can help you have the best results for dealing with your condition.

Does Chiropractic work for Everyone?

Chiropractic for tinnitus is no miracle cure; it merely resolves one of the possible pathways by which many people's tinnitus may occur. It will certainly improve the blood flow and the communication between the nerves and the brain but if there are other underlying causes for the ringing in your ears, chances are it will not make it go away completely.