What is vertigo?
Vertigo is the sensation of feeling as if one is spinning, moving, or off balance. It is typically triggered by a change in position of the head and is often caused by problems with the inner ear and brain. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours and may come and go in intensity. Vertigo can interfere with a person's daily life as it often makes it hard to walk, may interrupt vision or hearing, and can occasionally cause nausea/vomiting.
How can a chiropractor help?
Chiropractic care can help with symptoms of dizziness and vertigo by performing different manipulations and exercises on the spine. A chiropractor can manipulate the vertebrae to realign the spine and get joints moving properly. Cervical vertigo is a form of vertigo that is caused by joints in the neck moving improperly. This causes misinformation about movement to be sent to the brain, in turn causing a person to feel dizzy. A chiropractic manipulation will realign the vertebrae of the cervical spine causing joints to move properly and information to be sent to the brain much clearer. Another common form of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This is due to the movement of crystals around the inner ear. These crystals make us sensitive to gravity. If they shift into other portions of the vestibular labyrinth, our center of balance can be altered and a person will feel dizzy for a moment. Chiropractors can move the head into different positions to help adjust the position of the crystals, placing them in the proper position so one's center of gravity is not affected. Misalignments of the spine can also cause nerve damage which will interrupt how the brain receives information. Nerve interference could be playing a role in vertigo so by correcting the misalignments and removing nerve interference, vertigo symptoms should be diminished.
