Vertigo and Dizziness Relief

I have had so many patients come in complaining of vertigo and dizziness this spring!

Vertigo is the false feeling that you or your environment are moving or spinning. It arises because of muscle tightness and vertebral misalignment of the neck, inflammation of the inner ear (allergy/infection), or, more rarely, damage or dysfunction of the vestibular nerve or brainstem from things like a bleed or a tumor.

Neck and or head trauma can cause a benign form of vertigo. A whiplash injury is a classic cause. But sometimes people have tightened neck muscles and misaligned vertebrae, and this may be the cause of vertigo. For this problem, we do trigger point release work, active release technique and gentle vertebral adjustments with 80% effectiveness!

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most common form of vertigo and comes on with sudden head movements in a certain direction. This type of vertigo is rarely serious and can be treated in the chiropractic office. For this, we do the Epley maneuver. You can also do it at home. Check out this link: Epley Maneuver Video.

Vertigo may also be caused by inflammation--usually due to viral infection or allergy-- within the inner ear (labyrinthitis). You will feel a sudden onset of vertigo and might experience hearing loss. This is hard to diagnose definitively because your doctor cannot see into your inner ear with an otoscope (one can only see the middle ear with this tool. The middle ear, just past the eardrum, is where the painful ear infections without vertigo occur.) You can try a decongestant or a drug like Claritin. If this clears up the problem, then the fluid from the infection or allergy was causing the problem. Using a neti pot rinse could be a drug free and extremely effective solution.

If you have episodes of this triad of symptoms, you could have Meniere's disease: vertigo, ringing in the ears, and hearing loss. People have the abrupt onset of severe vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, as well as periods in which they are symptom-free. This is very difficult to treat, but getting regular chiropractic care and avoiding sodium like the plague can help.

Acoustic neuroma is a type of tumor that can cause vertigo. You would feel vertigo with one-sided ringing in the ear and hearing loss. This tumor is usually benign and is removed surgically.

If you have these symptoms, call 911 or have someone take you to the emergency room immediately: vertigo, splitting headache, extreme difficulty walking, and inability to look toward one side. This means you could be bleeding into your cerebellum and or brainstem.

Sometimes Multiple Sclerosis is the cause of vertigo. Usually other symptoms will be present like numbness or weakness of the arms and or legs on either or both sides, constipation, urinary difficulties, or blurry vision.

Migraine, a severe form of headache, may also cause vertigo. The vertigo is usually followed by a headache. There is often a prior history of similar episodes but no lasting problems.

If you want us to check out your vertigo to see if we can help, don't hesitate to call!

Hugs and health!

Dr. Lisa Stein