If you are having dizziness, your chiropractor can help.
When someone experiences dizziness, also called vertigo, the whole world can seem to spin out of control. Vertigo is a common complaint, especially after head and neck trauma. It may come from problems in the inner ear, or from disturbances in pathways in the nervous system. The experience can be impact your whole world, causing nausea, vomiting, and sweating.
Your chiropractor may use manipulation targeting joints that are not moving properly. In the upper neck, faulty motion patterns create misinformation about body position and movement going from the joints to the brain. This type of vertigo, called cervicogenic vertigo, can be helped by chiropractic manipulation.
Positioning Maneuvers: The inner ear houses the body’s balance center, the vestibulocochlear system. This complex system of fluid-filled tubes lined with hair-like sensors provides information to the central nervous system about position and movement. In some individuals, debris may accumulate in there. If this debris settles on sensitive areas within the tubes, it may result in vertigo.
If the patient’s vertigo appears to be coming from the inner ear, a chiropractor may use the Epley Maneuver to reposition the debris to a more innocuous position.
Your chiropractor will discuss your diet and lifestyle to identify other factors that could contribute. Tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, and other substances that stimulate or depress the nervous system may become triggers. And non-prescription sleeping pills or antihistamines can spark dizziness. Your chiropractor may also suggest meditation, relaxation, or breathing techniques to regain control.
