Chiropractors & Meniere's Disease

Meniere's disease is a condition of the ear that causes problems with balance and vertigo. Although there are medications and surgery available to treat Meniere's, the medications do not help everyone, and according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), surgery is reserved for those who already have hearing loss. Consequently, alternative therapies such as chiropractic treatment are being explored.

Definition

• According to the Meniere's Disease Foundation, Meniere's is a progressive inner ear disorder, meaning that the condition worsens over time. Because it affects the tiny hairs of the inner ear that play a vital role in hearing, hearing loss and deafness are associated with the disease. Symptoms include tinnitus (noise in the ear), feelings of fullness or pressure in the ear that is affected, vomiting and vertigo (dizziness). Those with Meniere's disease usually are between 30 and 60 years old.

Cause

• The exact cause of Meniere's disease is not known. However, according to the NIDCD, differences in the amount of fluid in the part of the ear known as the labyrinth are thought to produce Meniere's disease symptoms. When the fluid of the labyrinth moves as the head and body move, signals are sent to the brain, which then interprets the signals and determines what the body needs to do to stay balanced. Too much fluid in the labyrinth upsets this process, and the Meniere's sufferer experiences dizziness because the brain has difficulty interpreting the signals sent by the ear.

Chiropractic Theory

• Chiropractic care is based on the theory that a misaligned spine causes general health problems. Practitioners believe they can relieve pain and other symptoms of illness by realigning the spine. The realignment supposedly results in muscle relaxation and increases blood flow.

Meniere's and Chiropractic

• Donald Murphy and Craig Liebenson, in their article "Chiropractic Rehabilitation in the Treatment of Dizziness," cited the opinion of vertigo expert Michel Norre that balance function is not dependent on just the inner ear. They also claimed that studies have demonstrated that balance is connected closely with the condition of the cervical spine. If these assertions are accurate, then chiropractic care may provide relief from at least some of the Meniere's symptoms, assuming that more than just inner ear fluid amounts are involved in the disease. Purushotham Sen and Michael Papesh of London's Whipps Cross University Hospital say that the muscle relaxation in the neck that results from chiropractic care may stimulate blood flow to the inner ear, and thus may reduce Meniere's symptoms.

Considerations

• According to Sen and Papesh, the body of evidence that shows that chiropractic therapy is particularly effective in Meniere's disease is scant. They propose that more trials are needed before chiropractic care can be accepted universally as a Meniere's treatment. Discovery of the disease's origin also would shed light on chiropractic effectiveness.