A case study reporting on the improvement of Meniere’s Disease was published in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, March 29, 2012 edition. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine website, “Meniere’s disease is an inner ear disorder that affects balance and hearing.” The study authors add that, “Meniere’s disease causes bouts of vertigo or severe imbalance; usually unilateral hearing loss, or distorted hearing; buzzing or tinnitus in the ear; sometimes an associated sensation of fullness in the ear.”
In this case, a 52-year-old man went to the chiropractor having been previously diagnosed two years earlier with Meniere’s by his otorhinolaryngologist. His symptoms included ringing in the ears, dizziness, low frequency hearing loss, tension headaches and other musculoskeletal complaints.
The patient had sought specific forms of chiropractic care in the past which helped his problems greatly. The study authors noted that his problems returned some time later after working on his car with his neck extremely turned to one side causing him to feel a strain in his neck. It was after the return of his health issues that he sought chiropractic care from the authors of this study, who documented his results.
A chiropractic examination including x-rays was performed and a vertebral subluxation in his upper neck was determined to be present. The authors describe this by saying, “A vertebral subluxation is the misalignment of a vertebra, or vertebrae, capable of causing neurological detriment sufficient to result in harmful effects, while an adjustment is the reduction of vertebral misalignment factors to remove the neurological insult.”
After the determination of a vertebral subluxation of the top bone in the neck (atlas) was made, a specific course of chiropractic corrective care was initiated to correct it. Follow-up examination procedures and x-rays were performed to document the changes to the spine and nervous system.
The patient reported that he was 60% improved after his fifth visit. After 2 months of care, the patient would only experience symptoms of his Meniere’s if he had done something such as a physical trauma, traveling long distances, or twisting his neck beyond normal limits during a specific activity. In these cases, an adjustment was needed, and the man quickly returned to normal.
The study authors wrote in their conclusion, “The positive response observed in this case suggests that tinnitus, vertigo, auricular pressure, migraine tension headaches and Meniere’s may be linked to atlas subluxation.”
