Have you ever felt like everything around you started spinning all of a sudden?  Or as if you’re having a hard time keeping your body balanced, not being able to go about your day? 

Maybe you’re experiencing vertigo, and even though many people think it’s a condition, the truth is that it’s more of a symptom your body’s showing because something is not right.

Don’t confuse vertigo with being lightheaded; it’s not the same thing. People with vertigo feel as though they are actually spinning or moving.

Chiropractors can help you ease some of these symptoms after performing a physical exam,  providing you with a report of findings and a plan to help you feel better.

Most common symptoms of vertigo:

These may often be triggered by quick changes in the position or direction of your head. 

• Spinning
• Tilting
• Swaying
• Loss of balance
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abnormal or jerking eye movements 
• Headaches
• Ringing in the ears or hearing loss

Causes and types of vertigo

The most common types of vertigo are peripheral, central, and carcinogenic, which are caused by different factors.

• Peripheral Vertigo:

Peripheral vertigo is the most common type in patients, and it originates in the inner ear area that controls balance.

It may also involve the vestibular nerve, which is the nerve between the inner ear and the brain stem.

Diseases linked to this type of vertigo are:

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): Occurs when small calcium crystals get loose and start to float in the fluid of your inner ear. Sometimes an ear injury can lead to BPPV.
• Vestibular neuronitis: Causes severe vertigo that comes on all of a sudden and lasts for 2 to 3 weeks. Doctors think an infection with a virus may be the cause.
• Meunière’s disease: Combines symptoms of vertigo with occasional hearing loss. Causes aren’t conclusive, although stress can be a trigger, along with eating salt or drinking caffeine and alcohol.

• Central Vertigo:

Central vertigo is rooted in issues in the central nervous system, usually in the brain stem or the back part of the brain (cerebellum).

This type of vertigo could be linked to:

• Blood vessel disease
• Drugs, such as anticonvulsants, aspirin, and alcohol
• Multiple sclerosis
• Seizures (rarely)
• Strokes
• Tumors (cancerous or noncancerous)
• Vestibular migraine

The difference between central and peripheral vertigo is that symptoms last for a longer time on this one and may have other ones such as difficulty in swallowing, double vision, facial paralysis, slurred speech, and weakness of the limbs.

• Cervicogenic Vertigo:

Cervicogenic vertigo is caused by abnormalities, nerve blockages, or damages in the cervical spine area, better known as the neck.

These can be produced by injuries, herniated or slipped disks, osteoarthritis, or spinal disorders.

When this happens, nerves cannot send signals to the parts of the body associated with stability, such as the inner ear or brain stem.

It’s when nerve signals fail to function properly or blood flow is stunned that vertigo symptoms kick off.

When diagnosing this type of vertigo, doctors must first eliminate the possibility of the patient suffering from any of the two types mentioned before since those are more common.

Chiropractic Treatments for vertigo

Chiropractic adjustments help your nervous system function at its best. 

By adjusting the spine and cervical area,  communication between the brain and the body flows, including the ear, lymph, and the immune system.

The Epley maneuver is another approach used to relieve vertigo, frequently used to treat BPPV.

This is a 15-minute exercise of movements that helps return the crystals controlling balance to the correct place in your inner ear.

Another option for ear-related vertigo is precise exercises targeting the vestibulocochlear nerve (inner-ear).