Can Whiplash Cause Meniere’s Disease?

Most people who have chronic health problems find that the current medical system has little they can do to help you heal. Meniere’s Disease is no different. Most who suffer are shuffled from one provider to another. Test after test reveals little to nothing. Oftentimes Antivert, meclizine or some other anti-vertigo medicine is prescribed. 

At best it gives little relief. If severe enough endolymphatic shunt surgery is performed. Although it can be temporarily successful it destroys hearing and is quite invasive. Most of Meniere’s sufferers have to look outside of the mainstream health care system to find relief. Dr. Michael Burcon has demonstrated in over 139 cases that correction of the upper cervical spine leads to recoveries. Does whiplash Cause Meniere's Disease? It is certainly looking that way.  

Upper Cervical Chiropractors have been beating their drums for years mostly to a small section of society that is under their care. But research in many areas is starting to point to the importance of the upper cervical spine's role in the health process. In 2006 a study done on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) showed that muscles at the base of the skull can interfere with brain-stem function.

The research showed that increased in muscle tone at the base of the skull was related to symptom severity experienced by those who had TBI. The Rectus Capitis Posterior Minor, muscle has an attachment to the spinal cord. When this muscle becomes tight it has an irritating effect on the brain-stem. How might this relate to Meniere's Disease? 

While there are many theories as to the genesis of Meniere's Disease there is no doubt that it has its roots in abnormal biomechanics of the upper cervical spine and its influence on the nervous system. We know that Meniere's sufferers complain of clogged ears, hearing deficits, cognitive impairments, and severe bouts of dizziness. 

It may be that the Recitis Capitis Oblique Minor muscle is tight due to a whiplash trauma that injures the neck. Over time, the tightness of this muscle mechanically irritates the brain-stem and neuro-pathways from the cord malfunction resulting in a plethora of symptoms experienced by Meniere's Disease sufferers. While this is only conjectured on our part, the fact that so many Meniere's case improve or completely resolve while under upper cervical care points to this type of theory.

What Does An Upper Cervical Doctor Do That Helps Meniere's Disease?

If you have read this far, you have read Dr. Burcon's research showing how 139 cases improved or resolved from Meniere's disease after specific correction of spinal misalignments in the neck. Upper Cervical Chiropractic's goal is to locate vertebra in the neck that has misaligned from their normal bio-mechanical range and influence the underlying neurology negatively. 

As we discussed there are many mechanisms that create cord irritation. The goal of the upper cervical doctor is to restore normal biomechanics to the upper cervical spine through precise corrections of joints that have been damaged by trauma. Upper cervical doctors take precise x-rays of each individual joint. This works because each joint in the neck is a mirror image of the other. If it is "out of alignment" there will be a measurable joint displacement. 

Once imaged angles can be used and a gentle precise force to restore the joint to its normal position. Over time the soft tissue, muscle tone, and underlying neurology normalize. Healing does take time and it is NOT a one week fix. Patients are monitored over time and corrected when testing indicates the need for it. We hope this blog has shed some light on the underlying cause of Meniere's Disease.