Dorntherapy: its effect on electroencephalographic activity in tinnitus patients with craniocervical dysfunction

Dorntherapy was developed in the 1980s by Dieter Dorn, a nonmedical person, to cure his and his family members' vertebral problems. This technique achieves correction of dysfunctions of the vertebrae and joints simply by using natural movements of arms and legs or by applying gentle pressure (thumb) to the spinous process. Various observations suggest that craniocervical dysfunction can lead to tinnitus, thus causing changes in the electroencephalographic patterns. This study demonstrates that the successful application of Dorntherapy induced prominent changes of the electroencephalographic activity. Data analysis revealed a significant increase in the power of the alpha (8-13 Hz) and the alpha2 (9-11 Hz). Besides electrophysiological effects, changes in the quality of tinnitus and in the intensity of the tinnitus were noted. These results suggest that Dorntherapy must be an integral part of any tinnitus therapy.