Meniere’s Disease: How this Condition Could Be Connected to a Previous Neck Injury
by Dr. Drew Hall
The upper cervical spine is the most complex structural and functional area of the body. The brainstem, located inside of the top two bones of the neck, controls most functions that we do not consciously regulate such as our balance, digestion, muscle tone, blood pressure, and heart and lung function, just to name a few.
If you are suffering from Meniere’s disease, or any other chronic condition, continue reading to discover how this health issue and others can be caused by an upper cervical spine misalignment due to a prior trauma. Several researchers have shown that, when the neck misaligns, it interferes with the vestibular center in the brainstem that controls balance.
In 2016, a study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research showed a 90 percent improvement in 300 Meniere’s disease cases that were monitored over a six-year period. In the following article, we will discuss how the upper cervical spine relates to the most common symptoms associated with Meniere’s disease, as well as offer a solution to help.
Common Symptoms Associated with Meniere’s Disease:
Brain fog
Vertigo (often drop attacks)
Hearing deficiencies
Tinnitus (ringing in ear)
Eustachian tube dysfunction (clogged ear)
TMD (jaw popping, grinding or pain)
General ear pain
How does a structural misalignment in the neck relate to Meniere’s Disease symptoms?
Vertigo
Structural misalignment irritates the brainstem and vestibular nucleus, causing the balance centers of the body to malfunction. Injury to alignment in the neck joints disrupts information being transmitted to the balance centers. Therefore, many who suffer with vertigo find that certain head movements trigger their vertigo symptoms. This results from deficient information inputting into the cord from a neck joint that is not moving properly.
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Muscles lining the Eustachian tube lose their normal tone due to nervous system and brainstem irritation, which the Eustachian tube to close and feel clogged.
Tinnitus
Studies indicate that some tinnitus is the result of a small muscle in the inner ear called the stapedius muscle being in spasm. When this muscle is tight, it can cause the sensation of a ring, which we call tinnitus. The stapedius muscles tone is regulated by the brainstem and, theefore, can be affected by upper neck misalignment.
Brain Fog
Brain fog is correlated with a lack of brain blood flow. Upper neck misalignments cause part of the central nervous system, called the sympathetic nervous system, to become hyperactive. Increased sympathetic activity decreases brain blood flow, which reduces cognitive function. There is a close connection between brain fog and upper cervical spine misalignment.
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)
The muscles that preform chewing are called the muscles of mastication. Commonly, neck misalignment will cause imbalances of mastication muscle tone, leading to the impaired function in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The muscles of mastication are controlled by the fifth cranial nerve whose nucleus sits inside of the brainstem at the at atlas-axis level. This imbalance can lead to clicking, popping and pain in or around the TM joint.
Meniere’s Disease and the Neck: What is the Connection?
We have examined all the effects of Meniere’s Disease, so now let’s talk about solutions. Blair Upper Cervical chiropractors are specially trained to determine if you have an upper cervical spine misalignment that could decrease the nervous system’s abilities to monitor and control normal functions in the body.
Injuries such as car accidents, slip and falls, sports injuries and other blunt-type trauma can cause the upper neck vertebrae to misalign off the joints on the floor of the skull. This structural misalignment can lead to a cascade of effects in the body due to the brainstem and central nervous system being compromised.
When a patient enters a Blair Upper Cervical doctor’s office, a detailed explanation will be given to communicate the goals for treatment (i.e. to correct the spinal misalignment and monitor over time). A medical history will then be taken, and a battery of tests will be run to determine if and where a spinal misalignment is present.
If the patient tests positive for upper cervical spine misalignment, a precision cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan will be taken to determine the exact direction of spinal misalignment. This information tells the doctor to how to deliver a precise force in order to realign the misaligned segment.
Because each patient has a unique anatomy and direction of misalignment, it is essential to know the exact direction of misalignment and the angle at which the patient's joint is formed. Once this information is gleaned, a precise correction will be made to restore normal motion, which allows the central nervous system to improve functionality. This correction involves no twisting, popping, or pulling, and it will be performed in a neutral side lying position.
What does the research say about Meniere’s disease and upper cervical spine research?
Dr. Michael Burcon, a researcher in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has shown the upper cervical spine is the epicenter where Meniere’s Disease originates. Dr. Burcon published the results of 300 Meniere’s Disease cases that his office treated in 2016, which showed astounding results.
“Interestingly, all 300 consecutive patients under the researcher’s care were medically diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease (MD), and had also suffered a whiplash. This lead researcher Dr. Michael Burcon, a leading voice on the topic of chiropractic and MD, to comment that the connection was unlikely to be coincidental,” his published journal article states.
“Furthermore,” he Dr. Burcon remarks, “90 percent having a listing of posterior and inferior towards the opposite side of the effected ear is significant, as is 97 percent getting their vertigo under control within six weeks.”
At the start of this process, participants in the study rated their vertigo intensity on a scale of 1–10, with 10 being the worst vertigo imaginable. Prior to treatment, the mean score was 8.5. Following the treatment, the averages were as follows:
After six weeks: 3.0
After one year: 2.0
After two years: 1.4
After three years: 0.9
After four, five and six years: 0.8
These results have amounted to an improvement rate of more than 90 perfect. Of all the participants in the study, 97 percent reported a dramatic improvement in vertigo, while just three percent reported a side-effect of a headache.
The take-home message for anyone suffering from Meniere’s Disease is they should be evaluated for upper cervical spine misalignment with a chiropractor who specializes in an upper cervical chiropractic technique. Our office right here in Sarasota is one of those practices. Over the years, we have seen in excess of 300 Meniere’s Disease cases, and have watched many lives change for the better in the process.
Sarasota Upper Cervical Chiropractic is located at 3920 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. For more information, call 941-259-1891 or visit SarasotaUpperCervical.com.
References:
Bhimrao, S., et al, “Systematic Review of Management Strategies for Middle Ear Myoclonus,” Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery, May 2012.
Burcon, M., “Health Outcomes Following Cervical Specific Protocol in 300 Patients with Meniere’s Followed Over Six Years,” J Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, June 2, 2016.
Staff Writer Meniere’s Research Institute, (2016), “Meniere’s Disease Breakthrough,” Burcon Chiropractic, BurconChiropractic.com/page/2879.
