Acoustic neuroma affects around 2000 to 3000 Americans each year. While it generally doesn’t threaten one’s life, it can cause crippling vertigo attacks that can affect a person's daily activities like commuting to work and attending to chores.
Thankfully, simple remedies like an atlas bone adjustment can curb the severity of the symptoms and manage day-to-day activities with greater ease. Learn more about how you can cope better with acoustic neuroma-related vertigo attacks as we take a deep dive into the discussion below.
Doctors explain that an acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that grows inside the skull. It starts as a small tissue but can eventually grow from 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. As the mass of tissue expands in size, it can impinge on the vestibular nerve and impact the inner ear’s ability to send accurate signals to the brain. This typically leads to symptoms ranging from spinning sensations to temporary hearing loss.
While case studies have yet to discover the root cause of acoustic neuroma, some findings note that the abnormal tissue growth is strongly linked with several risk factors, including:
Studies note that 1 out of 37,000 patients a year turn out to have neurofibromatosis. Essentially, this rare disease causes tumor growths in the nervous system, especially the brain.
A 2016 study found that leisure noise appears to trigger abnormal tumor growth in the neck and head.
Early exposure to radiation can increase your risk of developing acoustic neuroma. So, if you previously went through radiation therapy as a child, we suggest getting an official diagnosis for your vertigo attacks, tinnitus, and hearing loss.
Resolving acoustic neuroma generally involves three options, depending on how far the condition has progressed. The first one is through constant observation. Smaller tumor growths that cause little to zero effects on the body sometimes do not require urgent attention. Sometimes, patients tap into natural remedies like receiving atlas bone adjustments to relieve pressure inside their skull or aromatherapy to calm the mind and reduce the impact of a vertigo attack.
On the one hand, you might need to tap into microsurgery or radiosurgery (radiation therapy). This is especially true if your tumor growth has started causing trouble. Microsurgery aims to remove small parts of the tissue overgrowth while radiation therapy slows down the development of the tumor cells.
Apart from acoustic neuroma, several other conditions can impact the vestibular system. Some vestibular disorders can also cause additional problems like ear congestion, inner ear inflammation, and dizziness. Here’s a quick list of these ear problems:
BPPV is a leading cause of vertigo that develops because of tiny bits of otolith or calcium carbonate crystal that accidentally migrated inside the ears' fluid-filled canals. The crystals cause the abnormal detection of gravitational changes with each movement. As a result, the brain gets confused, causing you to experience dizzying bouts of vertigo.
This is a rare skin problem that can impact inner ear functions. Patients diagnosed with cholesteatoma have abnormal skin growth inside the middle or inner ear due to repeated bacterial or viral infection. Studies note that it can cause vertigo when the abnormal skin tissue erodes the middle ear ossicles and stimulates labyrinthine fistula development.
Inflammation of the labyrinth or vestibular nerve can impact inner ear function. The inflamed inner ear organs fail to function efficiently. This causes your brain to detect faulty or exaggerated signals of head movements when there is none.
Many patients who receive an atlas bone adjustment for lasting vertigo relief have Meniere’s. Essentially, this inner ear condition develops because of poor fluid drainage in the inner ears. The excessive fluid can add pressure on the vestibular system and cause its impairment. American Hearing Research Foundation notes that this is a common problem among patients aged 40 and above.
Severe head injuries or trauma can affect vestibular function in several ways. One of which is through cervical subluxation or neck bone misalignment in layman’s terms. The misaligned neck bones can impinge on the cranial tissues like the vestibulocochlear nerve. On top of that, the postural imbalance can impact brainstem function and slow down fluid drainage – two significant issues that can potentially lead to debilitating vertigo attacks.
Experiencing regular bouts of vertigo due to acoustic neuroma or other health problems can be pretty unpleasant. Additionally, the symptoms can impair your normal functions and affect work, relationships, and other aspects of life. Thankfully, patients can now tap into proven vertigo remedies like getting atlas bone adjustments.
This specific technique requires getting a thorough neck check-up to gauge the severity of your postural problems. Upper cervical doctors who provide an atlas bone adjustment use advanced imaging tools to scan the neck and detect up to the tiniest fraction of bone alignment changes. Then, once the doctor fully grasps the situation, you can start receiving gentle spinal corrections.
Studies have already proven the efficacy of upper cervical chiropractic in restoring balance in the body and preventing disorienting vertigo attacks. So, it might help to seek an upper cervical chiropractic physician if you have acoustic neuroma or other vertigo-causing concerns.
Get to know more about how acoustic neuroma patients benefit from upper cervical care by calling a nearby clinic and scheduling your appointment.
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
