Tinnitus, commonly known as- ringing in the ears.
I've had people ask me- "What can you do for tinnitus".
Well, certainly there isn't just one single cause. But there is often a link between tinnitus, the jaw and muscle tension.
William Teachey, an ENT physician that specializes in the area of otolaryngic pain syndrome found that 41% of new patients in medical clinic where being seen for myofascial problems. This means that roughly 41 % of new patients being seen by him for tinnitus had a cause attributable to muscle tension/irritation.
I also often see muscle tension around the ear- to the neck and jaw causing tinnitus. When I have treated patients in the past, it has been obvious that increased muscle stretch to the neck has increased their ear ringing. This makes it very obvious that the muscle tension in the neck and tinnitus are related. Some simple exercises and manual treatment can quickly reduce the neck muscle tension.
If you look at the anatomy, the temporomandibular joint lies just beside… the eustachian tube aka the ear canal. It's not uncommon to have jaw dysfunction or tension, however one of the side-effects of tension in the jaw is often tension to the ear region. With a history of poor posture, I often see patients that have their jaw compressed towards area behind the jaw- the ear. This can bring on tinnitus.
So the next time you have ringing in the ear, I would suggest you see your ENT physician. However, if after seeing him it still remains unresolved- and especially if you have a history of neck pain, jaw pain or headaches- then come see me.
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