Predicting the Risk of Hearing Impairment Following the Cervical Spine Diseases by Measuring the Cervical Range of Movements: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Cervical spine abnormalities can affect the ear vessels and or nerves with different mechanisms. Ear dysfunctions following cervical spine injuries can be manifested as hearing loss, vertigo, or tinnitus. Usually, cervical spine injuries can cause pain and Range of Motion (ROM) limitation. The major objective of this study was to determine which cervical ROM limitation was accompanied with higher level of hearing loss. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 42 volunteers (20 women and 22 men) with cervical spine injury and pain participated after giving their informed consent. Audiometry, tympanometry, and pure-tone threshold of individuals were taken in frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz in all cases. The ROM limitation in flexion, extension and rotation was recorded.  Results: About 53% of participants had bilateral hearing loss. In 40.48% (n=17) of cases, rotation to the left was limited. Flexion and extension motion were restricted on 23.8% (n=10) and 30.95% (n=13) of the participants, respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between sex and hearing loss but a significant correlation was observed between hearing loss and ROM limitation of rotation to the left in men. Conclusion: According to the present study, the likelihood of hearing loss was high in patients with cervical left rotation limitation, and that the incidence of hearing loss following the cervical spine injuries was more in men. It seems that left Rotation limitation can be used as a predictor to diagnosis of hearing impairment following the cervical spine injuries (especially in men).