Tinnitus Treatment Part 1

[dave1234]

Reducing Tinnitus:

1. Background reading. I’ve read a lot of books on Tinnitus, but this one is one of the best. The more you know about it, the better you will be able to tackle it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... 136&sr=1-1

It’s a bit pricey, but very good

2. Get your ears checked for earwax. Surprisingly, some people get tinnitus from too much earwax. These lucky few only need to get their ears syringed to eliminate it. Even if this is not the primary cause of your tinnitus, it may reduce it a little. One thing I’ve found with pain control, tinnitus etc is that if you can reduce a little of the pain/noise by many different methods, you can live with the pain or noise without it consuming your life.

3. Get a hearing test to see what frequencies [ if any ] have been affected by loud sounds etc in the past. Knowing this can help with some treatments later.

4. Check the range of motion of your neck. Stand in front of mirror. Hands by sides. Relax. Very carefully and very slowly, without moving your shoulders, slowly move your head to the left and down as if you were trying to flatten your ear against your shoulder. I can’t over-emphasize not to strain your neck. Believe me you do not want to tear a neck muscle from over straining it. I’ve been there. Either make a mental note of how far over your neck went [ look at the gap between your ear and your shoulder ] or [ better ] have someone take a photo. Now, slowly put your head back to vertical. Take a breather and then repeat the process by moving your head slowly to the right. Note how far over your head goes to the right, compared with the left. If you have the same range of motion on both sides, great. However, I think most people will be surprised.

Several muscles control these movements, but the most important ones are the Scalenes

Google “Scalenes” and click on “images”

Now, turn sideways to the mirror and relax. Without moving your shoulders or body, very gently turn your head towards the mirror. Note how far you were able to turn your head. Best to have a mate check this for you. Take a photo if possible. Now, turn around so that you are facing in the opposite direction, but still sideways to the mirror. Repeat the process of turning your head and noting how far your head can go.


Take a look at this link to become familiar with your sternocleidomastoid muscle [ or SCM muscle ]:

http://www.audiologyonline.com/manageme ... y_fig2.gif

It’s the muscle you see standing out where the pads are.

Now stand facing the mirror again. Slowly turn your head to the left, this will make your Sternocleidomastoid muscle stick out . Gently grab it between two fingers at the base of your neck, by the breast bone. Feel the thickness and whether you have any pain when you squeeze it. Now turn your head to the right and repeat the same process with the right SCM. Compare and see if there is any difference between the two.

If there are differences in the two, you need to get these imbalances sorted out [ bye the way they are responsible for many, many cases of neck pain and tingling fingers that I’ll cover in another posting ].

Who can do this ? Google “neuro-muscular therapists” or call around and try to find a massage therapist. Name the muscles and ask them if they have any experience in working with them.

You can also gently stretch the neck muscles by using the same techniques as were done during the tests. i.e. neck turned to the left then neck turned to the right. Neck moved towards left shoulder, then neck moved towards right shoulder. Even if you don’t have neck pain, these are great stretches for keeping you loose.

For the next stretch, stand relaxed, hands by sides. Raise your shoulders up slowly until “you have no neck” . Move the shoulders up as high as they will go. Inhale as you go up. Hold it there for the count of three, then release and move them back down slowly, exhaling while you do so. This is a great stretch for office workers, and loosens the trapezius muscles [ the “web” like muscles on your upper back and rear neck ].

If you look [ in the next video ] at where her head is when she moves her head down towards her shoulders, that is the range of movement you should have.
Please no comments on the horrible PTI’s in these ones. I’m doing these postings to try and help people who are in pain. If the usual comments rear their heads, then it will take away from what I’m trying to accomplish here.

I ONLY RECOMMEND DOING THE “MOVING THE HEAD TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT” AND “MOVING THE HEAD UP AND DOWN” IN THESE VIDEOS. DON’T DO THE NECK ROLLS ETC.

If you have known neck problems like a herniated disk, check with your doctor first. Bye the way you can recover from herniated disks in the neck without surgery. More on that in a later post.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNgcsyZc2nE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h81peHLqmaM

Next post will cover alternative treatments.
Dave