Vertigo is the feeling of mild to severe dizziness and lack of balance, inner issues usually cause it, but it also has other possible causes. Although this condition isn’t dangerous, people suffering from it may suffer poor quality of life since the symptoms can abruptly appear and are often debilitating. Luckily, it is treatable, but you’re probably wondering, Does a Chiropractor Treat Vertigo? Yes, chiropractors can help by realigning your spine, preventing pain and other symptoms over time.
Table of Contents
Understanding Vertigo: A Disorienting Condition That Affects Everyone
When experiencing vertigo symptoms, it may take a while to figure out what’s happening to you since its symptoms are abrupt and disorienting, leaving most wondering if what they’re feeling is physical or mental distress. Although the specific symptoms of the condition vary per person, here are the most common symptoms:
- Moderate to severe dizziness
- A general feeling of tilting and swaying even when standing or sitting still
- A constant sensation of the ears ringing
- Temporary loss of hearing
- Sudden and jerking eye movements
- Nausea
- Excessive sweating
- Severe headaches
- A feeling of being off-balanced
- A feeling that the room is spinning.
Vertigo can be unpredictable and worrying since the symptoms can hit at any time, meaning you may suddenly feel like you’re being spun around when doing dangerous tasks like driving in the middle of a busy road or doing laborious functions at home. For some individuals, the symptoms happen nearly around the lock, while others only experience it randomly. That’s why many people with the condition often experience confidence loss regarding their ability to remain physically stable since the symptoms can be potent — but it is treatable!
Common Causes of Vertigo
Although there isn’t a definitive answer to why people develop vertigo, it’s generally believed that problems with the inner cause it. Regardless, here’s a rundown of causes often thought to cause vertigo:
- Migraines
- Medications
- Calcium buildups in the ears
- Fluid buildup in the ears
- Viral infections affecting the ears
- Head or neck injuries
When experiencing vertigo symptoms, it’s best to be examined by a medical professional to rule out other possible causes of the sensation. However, most people who suffer from the condition don’t owe their symptoms to issues like tumor growth. For most, treatment only needs to focus on restoring their head, neck, and surrounding areas to its balanced state.
Treatment of Vertigo
Although many vertigo treatments are available, they all usually come with side effects and different levels of risks. Most can’t remove vertigo since they don’t target to treat its cause. Vertigo is usually associated with inner ear issues, and chiropractic treatment has proven effective in eliminating problems in the inner ear, including vertigo. The condition is connected to excess fluid buildup in your inner ear and upper cervical vertebrae’s nerves.
When there’s a misalignment or compression of one of these vertebrae, your inner ear can’t function properly, including draining the fluid, causing vertigo. When chiros adjust the upper neck to remove any subluxation, it will induce proper fluid drainage, reducing vertigo symptoms. Although the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment for vertigo varies for each client, they usually treat the condition using the following techniques:
- Epley Maneuver — This technique allows the practitioner to move your inner ear debris to a safer area, preventing vertigo symptoms later on.
- Chiropractic Manipulation — Chiros may target affected joints utilizing spinal manipulation around the neck. However, this depends on each patient.
- Brandt-Daroff Technique — This treatment method requires patients to sit on the edge of a bed and fall first to one side of their body, stand up, and do the same for the other side.
- Change Your Everyday Habits — Chiros will advise you to modify your everyday habits and general lifestyle, including your diet, medication use, and caffeine consumption.
Getting regular chiropractic adjustments and treatment, expect your upper cervical vertebrae to have an easier time staying aligned and eliminate all the vertigo symptoms you’re experiencing — resulting in an overall better quality of life.
Does a Chiropractor Treat Vertigo: What You Should Know
Now that you know the answer to “Does a Chiropractor Treat Vertigo,” here’s what you should know about it. This treatment method has the potential to be efficient in treating vertigo stemming from varying causes. For instance, if the condition is caused by fluid build in your inner ear, the culprit behind your vertigo is more than likely an injury or trauma in the upper cervical vertebrae. Additionally, subluxations in the spinal cord typically result in the abnormal flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
Overall, this blockage can lead to the blockage in the inner ear, creating a painful sensation manifesting vertigo symptoms. Symptoms that manifest in the head and ears root from the neck and spine. That’s why merely treating inner-ear problems addressing pain relief, or drainage aren’t as effective. Chiropractors approach this issue to treat the root cause and not just the symptoms — keeping your upper cervical vertebrae in complete alignment.
Although it differs from each patient, general research studies have found that chiropractic treatments like spinal correction or manipulation generate positive responses in patients with vertigo. These practitioners usually use several specialized techniques designed to treat the condition and often decide which ones to include in the treatment plan depending on your specific symptoms. However, many people find that their vertigo symptoms usually subside after a single session with a chiro.
Beyond Alignments – Creating the Perfect Treatment Plan
Most people successfully treat dizziness, headaches, neck pain, and other vertigo symptoms with chiropractic care alone. That’s because the practice is based on a holistic and full-body approach — healing your body to the core. That’s why getting treatment from a chiro for vertigo always focuses on lifestyle problems that may be contributing to or triggering your vertigo symptoms.
After all, several things can trigger vertigo, including particular foods or consuming excessive caffeine, amplifying the symptoms further. Additionally, using improper posture whenever sitting at desks or performing repetitive tasks as part of work may exacerbate vertigo. Overall, considering all these factors, in addition to the discomfort you’re experiencing, can help chiros make detailed and comprehensive treatment plans for each patient.
If you’ve had vertigo for a while and feel desperate for your sense of normalcy to return, pursuing a natural treatment is your best choice. So, does a chiropractor treat vertigo? Yes, it’s one of the best treatments for the condition, and Dr. Herring can help you throughout the process. Working with her allows your body to get into “restoration mode,” helping you go back to normal in no time. Also, she can help you tweak your lifestyle to prevent vertigo symptoms in the future — promising to rid of your vertigo and ensuring it stays away!
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2786230/
https://www.advanced-wellness.net/2017/09/12/vertigo-symptoms-can-chiropractor-help/
https://www.caringmedical.com/prolotherapy-news/vertigo-treatment/
https://getgreaterlifechiropractic.com/can-chiropractic-help-vertigo/
