Man Suffering from Nausea, Fatigue, Gastric Reflux, Dizziness, and Migraines Helped with Chiropracti

A case study published on March 18, 2019, in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research documented the improvement through chiropractic of a patient suffering from nausea, fatigue, gastric reflux, dizziness and migraines, who had just recently had surgery for removal of a vestibular schwannoma.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, "A vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma, acoustic neurinoma, or acoustic neurilemoma) is a benign, usually slow-growing tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear."

Vestibular schwannomas effect one in 100,000 people each year. Some of the key symptoms of vestibular schwannoma include one-sided hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and a loss of equilibrium. Additional less frequent symptoms can include face numbness, headaches, visual changes, and earaches. Medical care for this condition varies depending on size and location of the tumor. Surgery is one of the typical forms of care but can result in a number of other symptoms affecting the patient’s quality of life.

In this case, a 37-year-old man presented himself for chiropractic care. The man was suffering from nausea, dizziness, and digestive system dysfunction four years following the surgical removal of a right-sided vestibular schwannoma. His initial symptoms prior to surgery included right-sided hearing loss, ear-aches, and an accumulation of pressure within the ear. After an MRI confirmed a large vestibular schwannoma, surgery was performed. Due to the location of the vestibular schwannoma, the surgeon removed the entire vestibular nerve resulting in permanent right ear hearing loss.

The surgery exacerbated many of his health issues and created several additional health issues. These previously existing and newer issues included: dizziness, headaches, migraines, TMJ issues, neck pain and stiffness, sinus problems, numbness in arms and hands, stomach disorders with irritable bowels, hip and lower back pain with numbness in legs and feet, multiple joint pains, nervousness, and gastric reflux.

The man received a thorough history and chiropractic examination, as well as a thermal instrumentation analysis, x-rays, and motion spinal x-rays known as videofluoroscopy. It was determined from these procedures that subluxations were present and specific forms of chiropractic adjustments were started.

After 9 visits, the patient was re-evaluated, and it was reported that he had improved significantly in many of his symptoms including 100% improvement in dizziness, migraines, and nausea. A Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life (HWQL) survey was also used to determine the man’s progress under chiropractic care. The results of this self-survey showed a vast improvement in all areas measures with a most significant degree of improvement in the areas of mental and emotional stress.

In the study conclusion the authors wrote, "The case presented in this study displayed how specific chiropractic care helped improve both QOL and post-surgical symptomatology." They also commented, "Subluxation based chiropractic care has the potential to not only improve the QOL and vestibular dysfunction in VS patients, but any post-operative procedure, and therefore must be further researched."