Key result
KCUC chiropractic care linked to ~72% symptom improvement in a suspected Ménière’s disease case.
Why the study?
Ménière's disease and related peripheral vestibular disorders are difficult to manage with persistent symptoms despite pharmacological treatment, though cervicogenic mechanisms have been proposed as contributing factors.
Does knee chest upper cervical chiropractic care improve symptoms in a patient with suspected Ménière's disease?
Case Report (n=1)
Does knee chest upper cervical chiropractic care improve symptoms in a patient with suspected Ménière's disease?
Knee chest upper cervical chiropractic care was temporally associated with marked symptom improvement in a single patient with suspected Ménière's disease, highlighting the need for controlled studies.
May support upper cervical chiropractic in refractory Ménière's; hypothesis-generating and requires controlled trials before practice change.
Ménière's disease and related peripheral vestibular disorders are notoriously difficult to manage, and many patients report persistent symptoms despite pharmacological treatment. Cervicogenic mechanisms have been proposed as contributing factors in some presentations of chronic dizziness, and a small body of literature has explored upper cervical chiropractic care as a conservative intervention. We report the case of a 44-year-old female office worker with a three-year history of episodic vertigo, imbalance, right-sided tinnitus, aural fullness, headache, and anxiety, carrying a working medical diagnosis of Ménière’s disease and showing limited response to medication. Examination revealed upper cervical postural asymmetry, restricted cervical range of motion, positive modified Romberg and balance testing, and thermographic findings consistent with upper cervical dysfunction. The patient underwent knee chest upper cervical (KCUC) chiropractic care, with outcomes tracked using the Bournemouth Questionnaire (BQ) and serial clinical reassessment. Over 36 visits, BQ score improved from 60/70 at baseline to 17 at discharge from the initial care plan, with a marked improvement in vertigo frequency, balance, tinnitus, sleep, and anxiety. Partway through care, the patient was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent lumpectomy and radiotherapy; overall gains were largely sustained, though some objective findings showed mild regression coinciding with this diagnosis and its associated stress. This case documents a temporal association between KCUC chiropractic care and symptom improvement in a patient with suspected Ménière’s disease, with vestibular migraine as an unexcluded differential. The findings are hypothesis-generating only. Controlled studies are needed to clarify causality.
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Shaan Rai (2026) conducted a case report in Treatment-Resistant Vertigo and Suspected Ménière’s Disease (n=1). Knee chest upper cervical (KCUC) chiropractic care was evaluated on Bournemouth Questionnaire (BQ) score. Knee chest upper cervical chiropractic care improved the Bournemouth Questionnaire score from 60/70 to 17 in a 44-year-old female with suspected Ménière’s disease.
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