Dizziness and Vertigo

Does dizziness have you feeling upside down? Vertigo and/or dizziness is a common symptom presenting in many chiropractic patients, especially after a car accident, fall or head and neck trauma. Vertigo and dizziness are often disabling complaints. Dizziness/vertigo is often described as a false feeling spinning or an inability to stand. Nausea, vomiting and sweating are often associated with dizziness and vertigo. Of course dizziness and vertigo can have many different causes however in most cases it is easily treated with chiropractic and repositioning exercises. However, in some cases you may have to be referred to a neurologist for further evaluation. The course of care is dependent on my examination and diagnosis.

Do I have dizziness or vertigo?
Dizziness produces a sense of light-headedness or you may feel faint. You may feel disoriented and have balance issues.

Vertigo produces a sensation of spinning, whirling or turning. Many people experiencing vertigo feel that the room is actually moving around then and they have difficulty standing or walking.

What type of vertigo do I have?

Cervicogenic Vertigo

What is Cervicogenic Vertigo?
This individual complains of vertigo with certain head positions, this individual may also have head and neck pain. There is usually a history of whiplash or neck trauma.

What causes Cervicogenic Vertigo?
Cervicogenic vertigo is caused by a subluxation (bone out of place) causing overstimulation, nerve interference and/or degeneration of the neck or positional neck receptors. This causes distorted information leading to the perception of vertigo.

What can chiropractic do for cervicogenic vertigo?
Chiropractic adjustments to the neck along with some balance exercises are very beneficial when treating cervicogenic vertigo. The goal of the chiropractic adjustment is to decrease nerve interference and allow proper signals to get from the “sensors” to the brain thus alleviating vertigo.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

What is BPPV?
This person also complains of vertigo that occurs with certain neck positions. However they don’t complain of neck pain, headaches and have no known trauma. Attacks can last for seconds to minutes. Changing head positions (looking up or down) often brings on recurrent attacks.

What causes BPPV?
BPPV is considered an inner ear problem. This inner ear conditions often begins after whiplash (most common), a cold or flu, head trauma, a minor stroke or use of ototoxic medications (aspirin, gentamicin). As individuals age, degeneration of the inner ear becomes prominent and chances of getting BPPV are increased. Dix-Hallpike test is used to determine is used to determine if you are suffering from BPPV or some other form of vertigo.

What can chiropractic do for BPPV?
Here at Abundant Life Chiropractic repositioning maneuvers (Epley’s, Sermonts) along with some well-placed chiropractic adjustments are used to treat BPPV. Not only do we want your inner ear functioning properly, we also want your nervous system performing at its best.

Meniere’s Disease

What is Meniere’s Disease?
This conditions is described as sudden and recurrent sever attacks of vertigo with associated hearing loss, ringing in the ears and a feeling of fullness in the ears. Each episode can last for several hours to days. This condition is very debilitating and some individuals actually have fall to the ground without loss of consciousness.

What causes Meniere’s disease?
Overproduction and retention of fluid along with a head injury or previous infection is what causes Meniere’s disease. Pregnant females and high stress individuals are often more susceptible to Meniere’s disease.

What can chiropractic do for Meniere’s disease?
Chiropractic adjustments restore proper nerve flow to the cervical spine thus reliving pain and decreasing muscle tension. Decreased muscle tension allows for increased blood flow and oxygenation to the head which may alleviate the symptoms of Meniere’s disease. Due to the Nature of Meniere’s disease and its common overlap with cervicogenic vertigo; improper nerve flow, muscle tension and decreased blood flow may in fact contribute to this condition.

These are the most common forms of dizziness and vertigo that chiropractic may help with. If you or anyone you know is suffering from vertigo or dizziness send them in to our office. We can help!