Ear Infections and the Upper Cervical Spine

In the upper cervical spine, there are four main structures to focus on. They are:

1. The Foramen Magnum of the Occipital bone 

2. The Atlas vertebra (1st cervical bone)

3. The Axis vertebra (2nd cervical bone) 

4. The Brainstem of the Nerve System. 

The Brainstem exits from the Foramen Magnum. The Atlas and Axis bones protect and surround the Brainstem. The brainstem connects all the nerves from the brain to the nerves of the body. 

Regarding ear infections the secondary focus is on 5 nerves:

1. Trigeminal Nerve

2. Facial Nerve

3. Glossopharyngeal Nerve

4. Vagus Nerve

5. Upper Cervical Spinal Nerve Branches

The Trigeminal nerve comes out of the skull close to the foramen magnum. It supplies function to the muscles of the inner ear canal. 

The Facial nerve leaves the skull in close proximity to the Trigeminal Nerve. It supplies function to the middle ear.

The Glossopharyngeal nerve also leaves the skull with the Vagus Nerve. It supplies function to the middle ear canal, eardrum, and throat.

The Vagus nerve comes out of the skull next to the foramen magnum with the Glossopharyngeal Nerve. It supplies function to the outer ear and ear canal.

Branches from the cervical spinal nerves communicate with the 4 cranial nerves: Trigeminal, Facial, Glossopharyngeal and Vagus. 

The Nerve System in general has four main functions: 

1. It controls all the movements we make

2. Senses everything we feel

3. Regulates all our body organs

4. Relates us to the outside world

When nerves get stressed, it effects their sensitivity, perception and behavior to perform these functions. The stresses are physical, chemical and emotional in nature. These stresses create nerve tension and spine imbalance.

One specific job of the brainstem is to adapt to these stresses and help bring the spine back into balance. If the stresses are too great for the brainstem to adapt, compensations arise. One particular compensation that occurs in the upper cervical spine is a Vertebral Subluxation.

A vertebral subluxation will cause the Atlas and Axis bones to lock in a misaligned position. This lock will sustain Nerve System tension and spine imbalance. This tension leads to abnormal sensitivity, perception and behavior of the brainstem and connecting nerves.

Over time, this disruption can lead to symptoms of the involved nerves. The usual symptoms of Ear Infections are:

• Ear pain, especially when lying down

• Tugging or pulling at an ear

• Trouble sleeping

• Crying more than usual

• Fussiness

• Fever of 100 F (38 C) or higher

• Drainage of fluid from the ear

• Headache

• Loss of appetite

Ear infections can happen to anyone but are more prevalent in toddler-aged children (1-3 years old). Examples of toddler nerve stress include:

• Developing/restricting motor patterns (physical) 

• Lactose intolerance/food allergy (chemical)

• Separation anxiety (emotional)

If we reference the 5 nerves from above (Trigeminal, Facial, Vagus, Glossopharyngeal and Cervical Spinals) we can see that all five of those nerves associate with ear infection symptoms. 

The goal of Chiropractic is not to medically treat the symptoms of an ear infection. The aim of Chiropractic is to correct nerve tension and spine imbalance. Chiropractors correct this by adjusting the vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine. 

Correcting the subluxation better optimizes the function of the brainstem and associated nerves. The Nerve System overall can sense, perceive and behave at a greater potential when a subluxation is corrected.  

- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP

Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.