Neck Pain and Tinnitus

[brandonlucky]

Since I've gotten tinnitus about 4 months ago I've been experiencing neck tension and pain.

Anyone else know if this calms down overtime or ways to alleviate this?

 

[Dana]

Look in the somatic tinnitus section.

I would have said that the tension in the neck (especially SCM muscle) is the culprit of your tinnitus, if you have not stated, as the cause of your noise, an acoustic trauma.
Is it possible that since you could not sleep with your ear on the pillow like before (I assume) and that you have slept since in uncomfortable positions caused your neck problems?

Try to at least to get a good pillow, one with a hole in the center (like people use in airplanes)

Sleeping position is very important. Now it is preferable to sleep on your back.
I have somatic tinnitus too (caused by tension in the neck muscles) but is very hard to get rid of this problem even after a long time of treatment. A massage or two won't be sufficient, unfortunately.

Be careful though, I know of a case who remained with tinnitus after a wrong maneuver made by a chiropractor to his neck.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@brandonlucky The Sternocleidomastoid muscles @Dana are often a problem. It could be that in response to the air horn you reacted with a sharp twist to your neck and that may also reflect to other neck issues.

Loss of normal lordosis from lifting, injury, twisting, trauma or being inherited could be one of other neck issues. Osteoporosis which is the thinning of bone tissue and bone density is also a cause of cervical lordosis. Many problems in the neck can connect to improper alignment. This would not only place the cervical spine at risk, but unbalance the sternocleidomastoid muscles.

When the cervical neck is out of line, sleeping on one side will cause a problem. Non alignment can also cause temporomandibular joint function problems as well as the pulling of neck vertebrates could strain the mastoid area near the ears.

Before any physical treatment with a NUCCA member, x rays of the cervical spine will be given. Even with radiological results, be careful with PT. If there's any joint hypertrophy, facet arthritis, spondylosis of levels c4 -c7 or form narrowing of levels c5-c7, then professional PT therapy may start at the mastoid areas first. If soft tissues are within normal limits then there's probably no acute fracture or dislocation.

There's so many other things to consider. Some are: If sound changes when turning neck, there may be a problem with the upper m. trapezius. Problems with a masseter muscle and modulation of the dorsal cochlear nucleus could
indicate bilateral tinnitus. One sided ringing could be made worse by mastoid pressure or by the mastoid emissary vein.

Try just using some dry heat, then light massages which are temporary until you get a treatment plan in place. Use soft support under neck while sleeping and it's always recommended to sleep on back. Maintain good posture. There's plenty of treatment methods that may help, but have x rays first. The sooner the better.

 

[Dana]

Before any physical treatment with a NUCCA member, x rays of the cervical spine will be given. Even with radiological results, be careful with PT. If there's any joint hypertrophy, facet arthritis, spondylosis of levels c4 -c7 or form narrowing of levels c5-c7, then professional PT therapy may start at the mastoid areas first. If soft tissues are within normal limits then there's probably no acute fracture or dislocation.

Very informative post for me too, but i wanted to add that, for people with neck problems and tinnitus, of paramount importance is the antlanto-occipital joint (c0-c1). c0 is the cranium, and c1 is the atlas, the virst vertebra of the spine. Some doctors even say that T is due to misalignment there.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@ Dana Yes I had found several mentions to your post above with treatment options including injections beyond physical therapy. With any injection of drugs, the results are mixed.

If a person has pre existing problems in neck or muscle spasms stress before tinnitus, then after getting tinnitus a proper treatment plan can be difficult to establish. It's easier to develop a plan for TMD alone without neck problems and sometimes that treatment will be successful in ending tinnitus.

With a grain of salt, many professional sites/researchers state that 80% of all somatic tinnitus develops from trauma of the neck. They state that the remaining 20% is jaw and mouth related. They also state if the neck was the cause, then many will develop dental jaw problems and that may include bruxism. Some professional articles include conditions or trauma from the entire spine and lower disc in the back.

 

[Noturningback]

Check for TMD. Your jaw doesn't need to be in pain. You may have a malocclusion or some bite issue.

 

[Ferdinand]

I have Tinnitus and Neck pain. My tinnitus varies in volume throughout the day. When close my jaw while applying tension to my jaw muscles, I have a discomfort on the right hand side of my jaw. This is also the the side where my Tinnitus is most prominent.
I do suffer from upper back neck pain where the neck muscles are attached to the skull. My neck tightens up during the day and at times completely eases up. Tinnitus remains though, even at times very soft but always there. I at times almost feel as if lower frequency sounds trigger the Neck pain (uneasiness), not sure if its related to Tinnitus. I have had T now for 18 months accompanied by intermittent neck pain. It seems a bit odd that it can last that long and almost remain constant.