Recent research reporting on improvement in a young girl undergoing chiropractic care reveals that chiropractic may play an important role in managing children with hearing difficulties.
The research, reported in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic, includes a review of the literature supporting the role of chiropractic in children suffering from hearing difficulties and calls for more research in this area.
“Numerous case studies and some clinical studies are revealing that there is a relationship between structural shifts in the spine, the nervous system and the various problems related to hearing loss” stated Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor, public health researcher and editor of the journal that published the study. “These types of structural problems in the neck obstruct the nervous system and by removing the obstruction chiropractic helps improve nerve supply and function.”
The 10-year-old girl reported on in the study had a history of hearing difficulties and ear infections. She failed several hearing tests, had surgeries and tried medications which did not help her as her problems would resurface.
The chiropractor examined her and found structural shifts in her neck and low back. Restrictions and areas of pain were also noted in those regions of the spine. X-rays and other testing confirmed these findings. These structural shifts can lead to obstruction of the nerves and it is this obstruction, called vertebral subluxations, that chiropractors correct.
Following chiropractic care, she experienced relief as her hearing was restored, which was confirmed by a hearing test. The study’s author called for additional research to investigate the clinical implications of chiropractic in this population.
For more information about this study and chiropractic care, visit Vertebral Subluxation Research.