What Is Ménière’s Disease?
According to Mayo Clinic, Ménière’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of:
- Vertigo (a spinning sensation)
- Fluctuating hearing loss
- Ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
- Fullness or pressure in the ear
Vertigo is often the most distressing symptom. It can last from 10 minutes to 24 hours, and may be accompanied by nausea or vomiting. After an episode, patients may experience imbalance and fatigue for one to two days.
Hearing loss is typically in the low tones and usually affects only one ear, though rarely it can affect both. Left untreated, hearing can decline permanently.
Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) often occurs as a result of hearing loss.
Pressure or fullness in the ear can occur before or during an attack.
The Impact of Vertigo
Vertigo can be life-disrupting. Patients often feel as though the world is spinning around them, making normal movement difficult or impossible. Severe cases may confine patients to bed, disrupting daily life completely.
Possible Causes
The Merck Manual states that the cause of Ménière’s disease is unknown, and medical treatments are often ineffective.
Within the Upper Cervical Chiropractic community, a common theory is that structural misalignments may play a role. Specifically:
- Misalignment of the atlas (top bone in the neck) can irritate the nerve controlling equilibrium and hearing (Cranial Nerve VIII).
- Misalignment between the atlas and occiput may cause swelling and pressure on the nerve nucleus or the auditory (Eustachian) tube.
Dr. Michael Burcon investigated 139 patients diagnosed with Ménière’s disease under upper cervical-specific chiropractic care to explore this connection.
Next Steps
In Part 2, we will review the results of this study and explore how trauma and upper cervical misalignments may be linked to Ménière’s disease.
Patients with a history of vertigo and trauma are encouraged to be evaluated by an upper cervical-specific chiropractor.
Advanced Spinal Care – Your NUCCA Specialists
Dr. Craig Lapenski and Dr. Martha Schenk of Advanced Spinal Care in Graham, Washington, are NUCCA-trained specialists. Their clinic also serves Puyallup, Tacoma, Olympia, and Sumner.
Upper cervical care focuses on correcting misalignments in the upper neck, a critical area intimately connected to the central nervous system. Misalignments here have been shown to contribute to:
- Migraines and other headaches
- Fibromyalgia
- Vertigo
- Neck and back pain
For more information, visit www.nuccawashington.com.
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Dr. Craig Lapenski at Advanced Spinal Care, in Graham, Washington is one of 27 Board Certified NUCCA Doctors worldwide. His clinic serves the highest quality upper cervical care in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Lapenski also serves a number of patients who are out of state including Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New York, and more! He is uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines, headaches, fibromyalgia, vertigo, neck pain, back pain, and more. More information can be found on our website at https://www.nuccawashington.com/