Vertigo

Vertigo is a feeling that the entire world around you is spinning. It causes a severe feeling of dizziness and hence a loss of balance. Vertigo is generally caused due to some defects in the brain or the inner ear. The disorder that most commonly causes vertigo is the vestibular system disorder. The vestibular system comprises of the inner ear, the vestibular nerve, brainstem and cerebellum. Vertigo is a very commn condition that plagues millions of people around the world and about 40 percent people in Canada.

Two Forms of Vertigo:

• Peripheral Vertigo – the most commonly found form of vertigo is caused by a problem in the inner ear. The inner ear is responsible for maintaining the balance of the body. Conditions such as “Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo” (BPPV), Vestibular Neuronitis, Meniere’s disease, etc. cause vertigo to develop:
• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) – the inner ear fluid and its movement helps us attain body balance. In BPPV, crystals fall off the inner lining of the inner ear into the fluid and confuse our vestibular system. It disorients the brain and the person starts to feel dizzy.
• Vestibular Neuronitis – Vestibular Neuronitis or Vestibular Neuritis is the result of an infection reaching the vestibular nerve in the inner ear. Since the nerve is crucial in maintaining body balance, infection in it causes dizziness, vomiting, nausea and pain in the ear.
• Meniere’s Disease – the cause of this condition is yet to be completely ascertained. The person suffering from this condition starts to feel dizzy with partial or complete hearing loss.
• Central Vertigo – Central vertigo is the result of some underlying illness (migraines, tumors, strokes etc.) or any injury to the brain (Central Nervous System) such as head injury. This form of vertigo gives no prior warning and the pain kicks in suddenly. It tends to last much longer than the peripheral vertigo and the pain is much more intense and severe.

The Primary Causes of Vertigo are:

• Peripheral Vertigo – BPPV, Vestibular Neuronitis, Meniere’s disease, head injury, ear infection, side effects of medication.
• Central Vertigo – Injury or brain disease like migraine, brain tumor, stroke, acoustic neuroma, multiple sclerosis.
• Our body balance is the result of the complex coordination of our eyes, sensory nerves and inner ear. While eyes determine our position in the surroundings by virtue of vision, the sensory nerves transmit messages to the brain and receive signals and the inner ear with its fliud system perceives gravity and motion. All these actions functioning in synchronization gives us proper body balance. Any disorder in the inner ear or the sensory nerve causes confusion in the brain and we lose our perception of balance and motion leading to vertigo.

Symptoms

Peripheral Vertigo Symptoms:

• Loss of body balance.
• Dizziness.
• impaired hearing.
• Vomiting.
• Nausea.
• Earache.

Central Vertigo Symptoms:

• Sudden loss of balance.
• Intense feeling of dizziness.
• Inability to stand or walk without help.
• Uncontrolled eye movement for prolonged periods.
• Intense headache.
• Weakness.

The Need for Proper Treatment

It has been found that vertigo in most of the cases, gets cured on its own. The brain somehow adapts to the abnormalities in the inner ear that wae causing the problem in the first place. But if the severity of the pain increases and starts to come up frequently, it might be an indication of some underlying defects or disease in the Central Nervous system. Such conditions should never be ignored and medical opinion must be sought at the earliest.

Chiropractic Treatment for Vertigo

Cervicogenic Vertigo is a condition where misaligned spine in the upper neck sends wrong signals to the brain about body position, confusing the brain and causing disorientation. Cervicogenic vertigo can be effectively cured using chiropractic methods. For vertigo emanating from disorders in the vestibular system, the Eply Maneuver is used by chiropractors to shift the debris of the inner ear to a harmless position. Exercises and diet are also prescribed by chiropractors to prevent future occurances of vertigo.

Scientific Approach to Treatment

The revolution in chiropractic treatment has been the ProAdjuster which holds the power of curing dislocation. This is especially helpful for the condition of Cervicogenic vertigo which is caused by misalignments in the upper spine. The ProAdjuster is a computerized equipment which enables the practitioner to locate the point of diclocation or misalignment of bones with pinpoint accuracy. The Adjuster provides graphic details of the anomaly and upon diagnosis can be used to correct the problem. It applies gentle mechanical pressure upon the problem area to relieve tension of the muscles, realign the dislocated bones and put an end to the pain.

Another major cause of vertigo is the falling off of crystal debris from the inner ear into the inner ear fluid. The Elite Adjuster is a small U-shaped vibratory tool that shifts the debris to a location where it no longer disturbs the inner ear fluid and the disorientation seizes.

Conclusion

A considerable percentage of Canadians suffer from various forms of Vertigo and are impaired from doing daily activities. Some of the cases get cured on its own while others develop complications with passing time. Spinewise houses chiropractors specially trained for treating vertigo. Chiropractic care has been found to be extremely effective in treating vertigo and preventing vertigo from occurring in future. Exercises and proper diet prescribed by the chiropractor are vital to prevent vertigo. We treat patients with traditional technique as well as the modern ProAdjuster. For your way out of the excruciating pain and regular discomfort of vertigo, contact us!!