The term vertigo describes the sensation of false movement.  People who experience vertigo attacks can feel as if they are moving or that the environment around them is moving.  Not everyone that experiences a dizzy spell is having a vertigo attack, however.  There are often other symptoms that accompany a vertigo episode, such as:

• Vertigo
• Hearing changes
• Spatial disorientation
• Loss of balance
• Vision disturbances
• Nausea or vomiting

Vertigo can be incapacitating.  Many sufferers report disruptions to their daily routines.  Vertigo episodes can get in the way of your ability to drive a car, do your job, or care for your family.  In order to understand how to best care for vertigo, knowing how your body maintains its sense of balance is key.

How Does My Body Know How to Balance?

Your body has a system, called the vestibular system, that helps to control how our body is positioned and how it maintains your center of mass over its base of support.  Many of us take our ability to balance well for granted, but when we're walking over uneven ground or have to change positions suddenly, there are many things that need to occur in order for this to happen properly.  A vertigo episode can completely disturb this system, causing unsteadiness, vision problems, as well as difficulty with concentration and memory.

Your body's ability to maintain its balance relies on information received by the brain from three main sources:

1. Your vestibular system – made up of components of your inner ear, this system is responsible for maintaining your body's equilibrium, spatial awareness, and motion.
2. Sight – your vision gives your brain cues about how your body is positioned relative to your environment.
3. Proprioception – proprioception is information delivered to your brain from your sense of touch.  Your skin, muscles, and joints contain sensors that are sensitive to pressure or stretching.  For example, during walking, sensors on the bottoms of your feet will tell your brain where your legs are positioned in order to maintain balance.

All of this information relies on clear nerve pathways in order to deliver accurate information to the brain.  If these signals become confused somewhere along the line, then the brain can also become confused and this can result in vertigo or a loss of balance.

To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

Vertigo and the Brainstem

There is one component to your body's balance system that is central to keeping it running smoothly.  That part is the brainstem.  As your brain exits your skull and transitions into your spinal cord, that's where the brainstem lies.  It is a critical part of your body's central nervous system.  When it comes to vertigo, your brainstem is responsible for sorting out and integrating all of the information gained from your vestibular system, your eyesight, and your proprioception and generating the appropriate response in order to keep your balance.

Your brainstem, like the rest of your central nervous system, is so integral to your body's ability to function that it is completely protected by bone.  Your brain sits inside your skull, and your brainstem and spinal cord are surrounded by the vertebrae of your spine.  Your brainstem is protected by two very unique vertebrae, the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), that make up your upper cervical spine.  These vertebrae are shaped very differently than those that make up the rest of your spine because they need to hold your head up and provide for your head's remarkable range of motion.

Typical Vertigo Treatment Options

As with any health condition, treatment options are based on your particular symptoms, health history, and a thorough examination.  Depending on the particular cause of vertigo, it can be treated in various ways.  Some of the most common options include:

• Canalith repositioning maneuvers: if your vertigo is a result of BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) than certain physical maneuvers can be performed in an attempt to relocate displaced calcium crystals back to their correct place in the inner ear.
• Dietary changes: people who suffer from Meniere's disease have an excess buildup of fluid within the inner ear.  Sometimes a low-sodium diet is recommended in hopes that a decrease in overall fluid retention will have a positive effect on the inner ear.
• Medications: commonly prescribed medications for vertigo include nerve suppressants such as diazepam, antihistamines, and anti-nausea drugs to mitigate various symptoms.

Vertigo Treatment Brentwood TN

Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care Brings Lasting Relief Naturally

There are many vertigo sufferers who are looking for a natural means of attaining relief.  Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of long-term medication use simply for symptomatic relief.  Many vertigo sufferers are turning to upper cervical chiropractic care in order to address the underlying cause of their condition.  Upper cervical chiropractic care focuses on addressing misalignments of the uppermost vertebra in the spine, your atlas.  Under normal conditions, the atlas is responsible for protecting your brainstem.  Nearly every signal that travels between your brain and parts of your body in order to coordinate function pass through the brainstem.  However, when the atlas misaligns due to accident, injury, or wear and tear, rather than providing protection it can actually prevent normal communication between the brain and body.  The atlas vertebra also sits very close to the structures of the inner ear.  When the atlas misaligns, it can disturb the Eustachian tube and prevent normal fluid drainage, which can lead to vertigo-causing conditions such as Meniere's disease.

At Precision Spine Specialists, we take great care to thoroughly assess each of our patient's upper cervical spine.  Since this area is very complex and so important for overall body function, it requires a precise and delicate approach.  If an upper cervical misalignment is present, it can certainly be the unaddressed, underlying cause of your condition.  Using gentle adjustments, our goal is to guide the atlas back to normal alignment, relieving pressure on the brainstem and surrounding structures.  Many of our vertigo patients report a reduction in the severity and/or frequency of their episodes, and others report that their condition has completely resolved.

References:

http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/symptoms

http://www.entnet.org/content/menieres-disease

http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/ear,-nose,-and-throat-disorders/approach-to-the-patient-with-ear-problems/dizziness-and-vertigo

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Hall, call our Brentwood office at 615-488-7891 or just click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com

People often use the term dizziness to refer to a number of different conditions, such as vertigo or disequilibrium. It is important to learn what type of dizziness one is experiencing so as to best explain it one’s healthcare provider. We are going to take a closer look at dizziness and vertigo and see what each of these mean and how to find help for them.

 

Dizziness vs. Vertigo

To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

• Dizziness is described as feeling  lightheaded or as if one might pass out. It is not uncommon to have nausea also accompany dizziness.
• Vertigo is a spinning sensation. The person may feel as if he is spinning or it may seem as if the room and the things around him are spinning. Simply put,  it is the feeling of movement when there is none. Unlike the popular film of the same name, vertigo is not a fear of heights (referred to as acrophobia).

Now the question remains: how does one cope with dizziness, and is there any way to get rid of it?

 

Help for Those Suffering from Dizziness

Almost everyone has had a spell of dizziness at one time or another. This is generally harmless until it becomes a regular occurrence. Then it is vital to find out if there is something causing the dizziness. Interestingly, an underlying cause of dizziness is often due to misaligned bones in the upper cervical region. Thankfully, this is something that can be easily corrected by seeking the care of a specialist.

Here at Precision Spine Specialists in Brentwood, TN, we offer our patients a pain-free alternative to help them cope with dizziness. It involves special x-rays to locate the exact location of the misalignment. We then use a gentle method that allows the bones to move back into place naturally rather than forcing them by cracking or popping the neck. Once adjusted, the damage is repaired and the pressure placed on the brainstem by the misalignment is removed. This allows the body to communicate better about where it is located in its environment. The end result is often an improvement in dizziness.

 

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Hall, call our Brentwood office at 615-488-7891 or just click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com

Because the sensations of dizziness and vertigo can be hard to put into words, many people use the words "dizziness" and "vertigo" interchangeably. Additionally, people with the same underlying disorder might give very different descriptions of how they are feeling. Someone might report feeling light-headed, faint, unsteady, or off-balance.

Vertigo itself is not a diagnosis. It is a description of a sensation of spinning, whirling, or being pulled to one side. There are many possible explanations for spinning and a variety of conditions for which vertigo is one component. Vertigo is a subset of general dizziness and can be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, changes in hearing, and difficulty with balance.

Upper Cervical Chiropractic and Vertigo

To understand vertigo, we need to understand how the body maintains a sense of balance. The vestibular system is the main neurologic system involved. It includes:

To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

• Components of the inner ear
• The vestibulocochlear nerve, which conducts signals between the brain and inner ear
• Components of the brainstem and cerebellum – critical parts of the body's central nervous system

The job of the spine, particularly the vertebrae positioned at the very top of the neck, is to protect the spinal cord. The atlas vertebra sits just beneath the skull and provides a ring of protection around the brainstem. Even a subtle shift of the atlas might be enough to disturb the normal function of the vestibular system, your body's main balance system. This misalignment can lead to the onset of vertigo.

At Precision Spine Specialists, our focus is on the upper cervical spine as it relates to your central nervous system. We look for specific misalignments of the atlas vertebra and determine if it is an underlying factor in your condition. NUCCA is a gentle way to realign the atlas so that normal brain-body communication is restored. This may improve vestibular function and greatly reduce or eliminate spinning symptoms.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Hall, call our Brentwood office at 615-488-7891 or just click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com