Vertigo is a common complaint among people, that’s why more and more people seek upper cervical chiropractic in Brentwood, TN, and all around the United States. Vertigo as a symptom is frequent in adults over 40 years old.
In this blog, we are putting a spotlight on a condition that causes severe and recurrent bouts of vertigo — PPPD, or persistent postural perceptual dizziness. I’ll be sharing five important facts about this condition and how our upper cervical chiropractic clinic in Brentwood, TN, can help patients who suffer from it.
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The name itself explaines what this condition is about. Persistent postural perceptual dizziness brings on chronic, recurring spinning that patients may experience for 15 days or more in a month. Episodic vertigo only lasts for a few minutes up to 24 hours and may not return for quite a while. People with PPPD have more days than vertigo-free days.
PPPD does not just come out of the blue. A person may have vertigo for many years before the onset of PPPD. Its development is commonly due to a direct cause. There are several possible causes, and here are the most common:
If a person develops Meniere’s disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), or multiple sclerosis, he or she may have PPPD. A stroke can also result in persistent vertigo.
As many as 40% of patients with migraines display vestibular symptoms and vertigo is one of those.
Vestibular migraine is the medical term for it. When these migraines are present for 15 days or more per month, the patient may be suffering from PPPD.
Getting into an accident or having a head or neck injury that led to whiplash or a concussion can bring on chronic vertigo. If your spinning involves headaches and certain other symptoms, it can be an indication of post-concussion syndrome.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Why isn’t PPPD common if it can develop following an injury or accident? Here’s the answer. It does not occur after every whiplash injury or concussion as it may be related to mood disorders such as depression or anxiety, at least that’s what researchers are considering.
Here are some results they discovered in one study:
Doctors look for many things when diagnosing a patient with suspected PPPD. They must rule out other health issues that may bring on similar symptoms before they come up with a definitive diagnosis. First, they examine the frequency of vertigo attacks. A patient must have more days than non-vertigo days. It may take three months or more to diagnose a person with vertigo as a persistent disorder. The severity may also vary depending on the underlying condition and even on the trigger of a specific episode. In the case of PPPD, common triggers are certain head positions and movements.
It makes sense to examine the function of the central nervous system when you have PPPD. A natural form of care that can help with this is upper cervical chiropractic. It is a specific division in the chiropractic profession that takes care of the C1 and C2 (atlas and axis), the two uppermost vertebrae of the spine. They sit under base of the skull.
Upper cervical chiropractors take precise measurements of misalignments of these vertebrae using x-rays and diagnostic imaging. In this way, they can know the exact angle of correction needed and make gentle adjustments of the bones. The frequency of adjustment varies from case to case. Misalignments are measured and corrected down to the smallest degree.
Many cases of vertigo have been resolved through upper cervical chiropractic. Following a whiplash injury or concussion, misalignment of the C1 and C2 vertebrae may happen. This can lead to dysfunction of the brainstem. If this happens, the brainstem, specifically right where it meets the spinal cord, receives too much pressure from the vertebrae. As a result, a person may experience migraines, vertigo, and other symptoms.
In addition, these bones play a role in the smooth flow of blood to the brain through the vertebral foramen, the small loops of bone where the vertebral arteries pass. Another thing a misalignment can have an impact on is the flow of cerebral spinal fluid. In other words, the central nervous system can feel the pressure too.
Fortunately, upper cervical chiropractic helps to realign the bones naturally. Correcting a misalignment can bring relief from and improvement in vertigo symptoms. Once the frequency of vertigo decreases, resolution of PPPD would likely happen next, even if vertigo attacks occur on some occasions.
Visit our website and schedule a consultation with me at Precision Spine Specialists to understand vertigo more and its connection to misalignments of the upper cervical spine. If you live with PPPD, or any condition that brings vertigo, this could be the solution for you. You may be a few adjustments away from recovery.
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
