Dizzy spells, hearing loss, ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or whistling sounds in your ear, vertigo, or aural fullness – this is Meniere’s Disease. It usually starts between the ages of 40 and 60, and most of the time, it only affects one ear. The intensity and severity of the symptoms vary, and some treatments may lessen the symptoms and quality of life impacts, but there’s one thing that Meniere’s sufferers know all too well: there is no cure.
While there have been case reports examining improvements in Meniere’s disease symptomatology concomitant with chiropractic care, we still don’t have larger trials examining the mechanisms behind the improvements we see in our practices. Hence, case reports continue to provide vital insight into the condition and the possibilities for chiropractic to assist in the care of patients with the condition.
The latest case, published in the Asia Pacific Chiropractic Journal, discussed the case of a 78-year-old female with a five-year history of Meniere’s Disease. Hers was a harrowing case history, in which a distant history of domestic violence saw her ‘often dragged around by the hair.’ This, the chiropractor believed, may have accounted for the C0 subluxation. She also had a number of falls post-middle age, had suffered fractures to the coccyx and sternum, and had suffered low back disc bulges.
While the patient maintained her health by swimming, walking, and staying hydrated, there is no telling how these traumas may have affected her subluxation reality and by extension, her Meniere’s presentation.
Management
The patient was placed on a care plan that involved modified Gonstead Methods. This was to ensure that adjustments were appropriate for her age, body type and disposition. Subluxations were noted at C0, C1, T5 and T9 among others, with T5 being intermittent and thus potentially compensatory. It was also noted that the patient was on Oxycodone and Diazepam, which may have affected the involvement of T5.
The patient also underwent cranial chiropractic care, and the chiropractor used Activator methods at times instead of manual adjustments as necessary. This in itself is an interesting note, as modifying adjustments to allow frail or aged patients to feel comfortable and at ease while also benefiting fully from chiropractic adjustments is not only possible but vital in some cases.
On one occasion, the chiropractor adjusted C1 (in the upper neck region), using Activator methods. After this adjustment, the patient reported that she feeling “immediately clear headed.” While it was a self-report and thus difficult to quantify, it is notable. So too was the fact that she reported a decrease in dizzy spells, improved quality of life and a clear head (outcomes she attributed to chiropractic care).
What this means for chiropractic:
As always, case reports don’t leave us a lot in terms of things we can confidently claim as they only apply to one person. However, this case report is the lasted in a number of chiropractic literature articles in which Meniere’s is mentioned. Moreover, there are a number of them that refer to cervical subluxations. The author of this particular study noted a case series in which “one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and thirty-nine patients had inferior and posterior listings with laterality on the opposite side of their involved ear. After one or two specific cervical adjustments, one hundred and thirty-six out of the one hundred and thirty-nine patients presented with balanced legs and an absence or dramatic reduction of symptoms, especially vertigo.” [3]
So while there remains no cure for Meniere’s Disease, perhaps its time we start looking more seriously at chiropractic care, the upper cervical region, and symptoms of this debilitating condition. You never know what time and further research might show up.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374910
- tephenson R. 78y female with symptoms of Mé niè re’s Disease, and subluxation. Asia-Pac Chiropr J. 2020;1.2:online only. URL https://apcj.rocketsparkau.com/upper-cx-78yo-female–stephenson/
- Burcon MT. Health outcomes following cervical specific protocol in 300 patients with Ménière’s followed over six years. J Upper Cervical Chiropr Res. 2016;2016(2):Online access only p 13-23.
