If you have children, chances are that you are already well acquainted with ear infections. Even as adults, ear infections and other problems related to the inner ear are fairly common.
In the US, it’s estimated that 5 out of every 6 children have at least one ear infection by the time they are 3 years of age. This is due to a child’s immature Eustachian tube, which tens to be shorter and set at more of an angle than an adult. This is why children most often suffer from these types of infections and why they tend to “grow out of them.”
When bacteria or a virus enters the middle ear, it causes a build-up of fluid and inflammation, leading to pain. Ear infections can happen very quickly, with common signs being:
- Fluid drainage from the ear
- Ear pain, which is worse when lying down
- Loss of balance
- Headaches
- Fever
- Diminished hearing ability
If you have ever had one, then you know that ear infections are quite painful.
Adults Have Problems as Well
This isn’t to say that adults don’t get ear infections, they do, just not as often as children. However, adults have their own painful problems that have to do with the middle ear, including:
- Jaw pain (TMJ)
- Ear infections
- Clogged ears
- Tinnitus
- Sinus problems
- Vertigo
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Difficulty swallowing
- Dizziness
- Meniere’s Syndrome
All of the above are related to problems with the inner ear. They can be extremely disruptive to your everyday life and cause tremendous problems, not to mention pain.
Typical Treatment Methods
For some of the above problems, the usual treatment method is a round of antibiotics. For other problems, such as tinnitus, there is no cure, but doctors often use Xanax to reduce the symptoms. Other treatments include Valium for Meniere’s Syndrome, surgery for persistent sinus problems, and steroid nasal sprays for clogged ears.
Have you noticed that all of the above are designed to treat the symptoms, but they don’t actually address the problem?
What if you could treat all of the above issues in one place, without drugs and without antibiotics to harm your gut bacteria?
You can, with just a few chiropractic adjustments.
How Chiropractic Ear Adjustments Can Help
Can chiropractic help with inner ear problems?
Believe it or not, many problems that affect the head and inner ear are rooted in subluxations in the neck.
Ear adjustments, which place the ear in a better position that allows the Eustachian tube to drain properly, can also be of tremendous help. How to crack ears? This isn’t what ear adjustments are about! It is simply a repositioning of the ear so that it can drain and operate properly.
Let’s look at the 7 most common head problems that plague adults and children and how chiropractic care can help.
1) Tinnitus
Ringing in the ears is a common issue with many adults. Sometimes the cause is related to continuous loud noises, other times, the cause is unknown.
While some studies have found that those with deficiencies in vitamin B-12 suffered this ringing in the ears, others have found supplements or eating foods high in this vitamin did not help. Can chiropractic adjustments help stop ringing in the ears? Yes, they can.
Several studies have found that chiropractic adjustments of the upper cervical spine helped to stop or at least improve, tinnitus symptoms.
2) TMJ and Jaw Pain
Temporomandibular Disorder, commonly known as TMJ, is a little understood disorder of the joint in the jaw. It causes pain, difficulty eating, speaking, and swallowing. The exact cause is not known but it is thought to be caused for some by clenching the teeth at night or grinding their teeth when sleeping.
While doctors can only prescribe medication, such as muscle relaxants, or offer mouth guards to stop people from clenching or grinding their teeth at night, chiropractors can offer real relief for those with TMJ. While there aren’t many studies, this one found that over a 20 month period, one woman’s TMJ was completely resolved and within the first 5 months, her pain levels dropped from (using a scale of 0-100) a high of 60 to a reading of just 9.
Numerous testimonials can be found online where comprehensive chiropractic care, which usually includes massage, helped stop the pain of TMJ when very little else did.
3) Ear Infections
Ear infections are painful episodes that every parent would like to avoid. While avoiding them might be difficult (OK, probably impossible) relief can be found easily with chiropractic adjustments.
In this study that involved 46 children under 5 years of age, adjustments were given until parents stated that all symptoms had stopped or until 6 treatments over a 3-week period had been performed.
93% of all the children had improvement, 75% of these within 10 days. Do chiropractic adjustments help with ear infections? The parents in this study would certainly agree! You can read thousands of testimonials online directly from parents.
4) Dizziness/Vertigo
Dizziness, and the nausea that it sometimes creates, can make people feel frightened to stand up or go somewhere alone. There are many causes of vertigo including accidents, head trauma, and more, but if your doctor has ruled out other causes, such as a heart condition, vertigo can be difficult to treat.
Sometimes, the actual cause of dizziness is due to very tiny particles of calcium in the middle ear. When these particles somehow end up in the wrong section of the middle ear, they can lead to severe dizzy episodes.
Your chiropractor might suggest using a certain method of movement to force the particles into the correct area of the ear called the Epley Maneuver. Your chiropractor will determine which ear is causing the problem, and then have you lie and sit in a sequence of positions to force the calcium crystal into the correct position.
If the problem is not related to a calcium crystal, the chiropractor will most likely try something known as upper cervical adjustments. These, combined with chiropractic ear adjustments for vertigo are not the usual, fast moving chiropractic adjustments you might have seen or experienced before, but low force, gentle movements that realign the neck and head.
In one review, those who answered a questionnaire about their dizziness stated that their GP was the least effective at helping resolve their issue, while those who saw a chiropractor said that after an average of 50 days, they saw significant improvement in their symptoms.
5) Headaches
Whether your headaches come from tension, stress, head trauma, or if you suffer from migraines, one thing is certain; headaches can be a serious problem if they interrupt your daily life. Migraines are especially debilitating for those who are affected.
Regular chiropractic care can often remove or at least reduce, the frequency and severity of headaches. In one study, 22 percent of subjects stated that their migraines were significantly reduced, and another 50 percent said that their migraines were far less painful and shorter in duration.
6) Sinus Problems
Sinus pain, pressure, and headaches affects thousands of people daily. Sinus infections and sinusitis are particularly painful as the linings become inflamed and swollen.
When the neck, ear, and upper back are properly aligned, the sinuses can drain properly. Some find that adjustments also help to reduce allergies to pollen. Adjustments an also help children who suffer from allergies.
7) Clogged Ears
Clogged ears are a very common problem that stem from a variety of issues, including swimmer’s ear, wax buildup, and even plain old dirt and grime.
Subluxations in the cervical spine are gently and easily corrected by your chiropractor. Along with ear adjustments which allow the ear to drain properly, clogged ears can become a thing of the past.
The benefits of ear adjustments and chiropractic care are many! If you would like to make a real difference in your life or your child’s life, you would be wise to speak to your chiropractor about how neck and ear adjustments can help with your problem.
As a parent, it’s understandable that you would be concerned about your young child’s health. You should realize that, as a parent, you have choices. You don’t have to give your child antibiotics unless you wish. You can seek safe, alternative methods to treat your little one.
These treatments are completely safe, and no drugs or invasive surgeries are needed. Your chiropractor will treat the root cause of your issue, not just hand you a prescription for the symptoms.
You can do an online search and read comments and testimonials from parents who have had ear adjustments done on their child and ask your chiropractor for referrals.
If you found this article to be helpful and informative, please feel free to share this information with others.
At Better Health Chiropractic and Physical Rehab, we welcome your questions and will address all your concerns. If you are experiencing some of the above problems or any type of low back, neck, or musculoskeletal pain, we encourage you to call one of our 4 clinics for a same day appointment or click here to make an appointment online. You can check your insurance coverage here and if you don’t have insurance, you will want to read this article.
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