Do you get random ringing in the ears accompanied with cervicogenic dizziness (cervical vertigo) and/or neck pain? Tinnitus can be due to many things, but it is mostly attributed to some sort of ear injury, age-related hearing issues, Meniere's disease, or circulatory problems. A not so common, but very real symptom of a neck injury, tinnitus can be an annoying ordeal.
How Cervicogenic Dizziness & Tinnitus Relate
Due to the lack of research surrounding the two in conjunction with each other, there are very few explanations on why tinnitus could be coming from a neck problem. One of the most common theories is that inputs from the neck, through the brainstem, are disrupted and altered due to the underlying issue. In return, the inner ear does not receive proper signals and can create the symptoms we experience such as fullness, ringing, spasms, etc. So the same issue that could be causing your balance instability could be directly or indirectly affecting your hearing as well.
Other possible reasons you could be experiencing dizziness and tinnitus could be due to the following issues:
Eustachian tube dysfunction
Vestibular nerve swelling
Meniere's disease
Block cerebrospinal fluid
Vestibular neuritis
Carotid Artery Compression
TMJ disorders
With these examples, most patients have claimed that tinnitus can come sporadically, but is not a constant. Symptoms can be exacerbated by stress, anxiety, and further injury to the neck or cranial nerves.
What Can You Do To Treat Cervicogenic Dizziness & Tinnitus?
Luckily, when treating for cervicogenic dizziness, one can usually hope to lessen tinnitus as well. A good first place to start is seeing your otolaryngologist, commonly known as an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor). In most ENT offices they will also have audiologist who focuses on ear disorders, balance issues, hearing-loss, and tinnitus.
From there, I believe starting out with physical therapy for your neck and balance issues is your best bet. Make sure to find a physical therapist that really specializes in balance and neck issues (which is most of them, but some are WAY better than others).
Other options to treat include but are not limited to:
Chiropractor
Massage therapy
Yoga
Ta-Chi/Qi-Gong
Acupuncture
Stretching
Ice/Heat Therapy
Meditation
In my personal opinion, only because I have had them done before and they eventually landed me in the ER, I would NOT recommend epidural or cortisol shots to the upper cervical spine. For some it very well my help out with symptoms, but for others such as my self, it only made things worse. Again, use at your own discretion. It would be smart to go as far as you can with physical therapy or light exercises before going this route.
Please feel free to check out my past blog post on Is Dizziness A Symptom Of Anxiety?
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