Tinnitus, Eye Floaters and a Tight Jaw Because of Forward Neck Posture?

[kev154669]

Hi,

I've had tinnitus since January 2018 and recently visited a physiotherapist who specialises in TMJ. She told me that my neck and jaw muscles were very tight especially on the side of my tinnitus and she linked that to my tinnitus.

Even though the tinnitus bothers me, I have started getting more upset about my eye floaters. My eyesight is great but I've read many people saying that the eye floaters can be linked to a tight neck.

I am trying to look into doing exercises for my neck to try and get rid of, or quieten my tinnitus and eye floaters, but there are so many exercises to choose from. One that I have started doing are the chin tucks exercise.

Can anyone share any success stories with a similar problem that you had and any exercise/routine suggestions?

Many thanks for your help.

 

[Lilah]

Same. Did the physiotherapist suggest how to make the neck area loose/less tight? Is your tinnitus somatic?

Do you have other issues such as hearing loss or hyperacusis? That may indicate your tinnitus is caused by hearing loss or acoustic trauma.

 

[kev154669]

Same. Did the physiotherapist suggest how to make the neck area loose/less tight? Is your tinnitus somatic?

Do you have other issues such as hearing loss or hyperacusis? That may indicate your tinnitus is caused by hearing loss or acoustic trauma.

Yes I think my tinnitus is somatic. It gets louder when I massage my neck for example. She told me to massage the top of the muscle which goes all the way down my neck behind my ear. I think it's called the SCM muscle and she told me that my pterygoid muscle was tight especially on the left side where my tinnitus was. She told me to put two tennis balls behind my neck and lay my head on it or several minutes. It feels so tight and I can feel the nerves or whatever it is radiating to the front of head. I did have a hearing test and there was no hearing loss.

Have you done anything to help yours? Have you seen a physio?

 

[Lilah]

Yes I think my tinnitus is somatic. It gets louder when I massage my neck for example. She told me to massage the top of the muscle which goes all the way down my neck behind my ear. I think it's called the SCM muscle and she told me that my pterygoid muscle was tight especially on the left side where my tinnitus was. She told me to put two tennis balls behind my neck and lay my head on it or several minutes. It feels so tight and I can feel the nerves or whatever it is radiating to the front of head. I did have a hearing test and there was no hearing loss.

Have you done anything to help yours? Have you seen a physio?

Yes I saw a NUCCA chiropractor, as well as a physiotherapist who did some massages on my jaw and neck areas, for about six months each but neither helped. While I can modulate my tinnitus, these treatments have not helped.

 

[kev154669]

Yes I saw a NUCCA chiropractor, as well as a physiotherapist who did some massages on my jaw and neck areas, for about six months each but neither helped. While I can modulate my tinnitus, these treatments have not helped.

Have you tried doing stretches and exercises for your forward head posture?

They can correct your posture which should then over time make your tinnitus fade away and hopefully the TMJ as well. In theory it should then eventually get rid of the eye floaters. I'm looking to start doing some exercises soon, but I know it can take several months or up to one year to sort it out depending on how bad your neck posture is. Mine was as a result of sitting on the computer all day every day without much attention to posture.

When you press on the back of your head at certain points in line with where the bottom of you ear is, does it feel very tight and can you feel pain or feeling of nerves going to the front of your head when you touch certain points especially near the ear side at the back of your head?

 

[mohn]

Are floaters there in both eyes or only the side where you have tinnitus (tight jaw etc.)?

 

[Alex Kerr]

Hello.

High adrenaline levels can in particular make the jaw tight and is a clear sign that general stress levels are high. Therefore anything you can do to feel more relaxed will help.

Have you heard of myofascial release? This can be used on any area of the body to release trigger points and in particular can be used to help your neck area. A combination of using a small fairly hard ball (you can buy specific facial release balls) and myofascial release stretching will release trigger points. These are stretches held for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

If you search for Pain Care Clinic on YouTube they have some excellent videos for release stress from the body. There is one specifically for the neck.

 

[JasonP]

I can get bad posture because of body deconditioning and dysautonomia due to not enough blood flow up the upper body. I can put on an abdominal binder and my posture improves instantly and dramatically and in addition, my mood can improve after 15 or 20 minutes due to increased blood flow to my brain and lungs.

Does anyone else experience this? Has anyone with bad posture tried this?

 

[JasonP]

I've had bad posture as well due to dysautonomia although some of my symptoms also relate to body deconditioning I read where strengthening the core muscles and leg muscles help my condition. When I wear an abdominal binder my posture really improves automatically. I am thinking my posture may be able to be corrected by strengthening back muscles, shoulder muscles, and upper chest muscles. I know when I do certain exercises, its like my body can automatically stand up straighter right afterwards. Does anyone know if these exercises, if done every other day can lower tinnitus after a few weeks? In the short term these exercises put some stress on the body but in long term I think they could help at least with posture. By the way, I read where good posture can boost mood and vice versa. Anyone on here think it helps boost your mood in dealing with tinnitus?

I can say something really cool happened to by exercising my abdominal muscles for around 10 days: For years I had been an upper chest breather which is the "fight or flight" way of breathing. When I tried to do diaphragm breathing which is the normal way humans breath it was always hard. I started using an ab wheel I got real cheap and started exercising my abdominal muscles to increase my core muscles to help with dysautonomia symptoms. (I wasn't even thinking about the upper chest breathing). Well around 10 days later after using it I am laying in bed one night and all of a sudden it was like something instantly "switched" in my body, and I mean instantly. I went from breathing normally from my upper chest to breathing through my diaphragm and have had that as my normal way of breathing now for over 10 months, even after I stopped using the ab wheel for months. Very, very cool!

I have also gained some improvements with leg circulation by strengthening my legs but right now since I am new to this stuff I need to not overdo it so it becomes extremely stressful for my body because I am not used to it.