Tinnitus

Abnormal sounds in the ears, such as rushing, beeping, tapping, pulsing and droning in the ear or the head are an increasingly common complaint. Very often, after excluding space-occupying processes and cranial tumors and after the customary examinations by the ENT specialist, many affected individuals feel left to cope with their symptoms alone. Frequently, symptoms of tinnitus are the harbingers or sequelae or are directly associated with hearing loss and other hearing problems of every kind.

The loss of certain high or low frequencies, deterioration of hearing acuity, a sense of echoing, marked sensitivity to sounds and a literally ‘dislocated’ sense of spatial perception may be noted as separate phenomena or together with the abnormal sounds in the ears. Across a number of anatomic pathways, the guiding musculature of the cervical spine and the jaw muscles have proven to be a successful treatment target with regulatory access to the inner ear. Treatment of the sternocleidomastoid muscle at its origin and insertion as well as regulation of the masseter and lower jaw muscles can intercept and neutralize erroneous noise transmissions through bone conduction from reaching the ear.

Muscular balancing of the upper cervical vertebrae can release the compressed blood vessels of the vertebral artery branch that supplies the inner ear – the labyrinthine artery. Resolution of the high stress/sympathetic nervous system activity in the area of the neck and head results in both mechanical and neurogenic improvement in circulation. A great deal can be accomplished in this area through the use of KiD exercises (resistance training in extended positions) for the neck, the eyes and the balance system, and through cross-modal stimulus patterns to the ears and around the ears by the therapist’s hands. As part of an interdisciplinary model, sound and music therapy can be successful pathways to fight against and overcome tinnitus.

In dealing with traumatic stress or chronically stressful situations at school, at work or in relationships, many people affected with tinnitus began to clamp down on their jaw muscles and to grind their teeth. In addition to access through Myoreflex somatic and psychological body stress reduction, psychotherapeutic interventions may also help reduce the intensity of the problems.