Originally posted 04/10/2009:

Some very interesting research has been done examining somatic causes of tinnitus.    In the book “Tinnitus: Theory and Management” by James Byron Snow, research studies and case studies are reviewed on somatic effects on tinnitus.  For example, jaw movements or putting pressure on the TMJ joint were observed to affect tinnitus volume.  In fact, a very high percentage of tinnitus sufferers were able to modulate their tinnitus by somatic maneuvers.  Try it yourself.  Place your hands on your forehead and then push your head forward with force.  However, keep your head steady with a backward force by your hands.  Notice how your tinnitus level fluctuates.  My tinnitus level definitely increased with this procedure. 

Studies even showed that tinnitus perception could be elicited in 60% of people with no clinical tinnitus by somatic testing.  So, a strong link between somatic (mainly head and neck) factors and tinnitus seems to really exist. 

Given that muscle tension could increase my tinnitus, I tested the converse.  Could muscle relaxation of the head and neck reduce my tinnitus?  Sure enough, moist heat application several times a day to my jaw and neck areas resulted in reduction of my tinnitus.  Over a period of two weeks, I was able to keep the level down, but I have seen an increase back to near normal levels lately.  One possible reason for this is the difficulty in keeping up with the repeated moist heat applications through the day.  I just could not keep it going.  I will need to experiment with this some more.  Try it yourself and post your results.

4/12/2009 Alan- Site Administrator wrote:

Thank you for your post.  Given that you state that you have tight muscles in the neck, I would try moist heat treatment to the relevant areas.  Also, muscle massage is a good idea.  Try it several times a day for several days and see what happens.

5/11/2009 Daniel Tarlow wrote:

Hi Jay,

I would back you up on the effectiveness of craniosacral therapy. I an a therapist and I see a lot of good results with people suffering from tinnitus. I would also advise it, Catherine, for helping your neck problems and that might also help with tinnitus. I would also suggest some relaxation and meditation exercises, as well as all over body muscle relaxation exercises. Often we find that people have general muscle tightness which can make a person very tense and this can agravate the tinnitus.
I wish you all a speedy recovery from your situations
Daniel Tarlow, CranioSacral therapist