If you experience chronic dizziness, it may be reassuring to know that, while dizziness can be concerning and cause disruptions in daily life, it is rarely caused by a serious medical problem.
People suffering from chronic dizziness should pay close attention to the duration of their symptoms and triggers to help identify the underlying cause. When seeking treatment, it will also be important to recognize the difference between dizziness and vertigo symptoms. Dizziness will make you feel weak, unbalanced, and faint. Vertigo symptoms differ from “dizziness,” making people feel as if their surroundings are spinning around them.
This article will discuss common causes of dizziness and how abnormal spinal alignment is a common cause of dizzy spells. We’ll also discuss how PostureWorks can help you determine the source of dizziness and develop a treatment plan to alleviate your symptoms and get you back to living your best life.
Common Causes of Dizziness
Dizziness has many possible causes, including inner ear disorders, migraines, and cervical misalignment. In other cases, a person’s symptoms of dizziness are caused by an underlying health condition, such as poor circulation, infection, or injury.
What’s important is that you pay attention to how your specific symptoms of dizziness make you feel and try to identify potential triggers; this will help you identify possible causes. To help you evaluate the most common causes of dizziness, we’ve listed them below:
Vertigo (Inner Ear Problems)
Vertigo, as stated previously, will cause a person to feel as if their surroundings are moving or spinning around them. Inner ear disorders are the most common cause of vertigo. When a person has an inner ear problem, their brain receives information (or signals) from the inner ear that does not match sensory information from your eyes and other sensory nerves. This can cause signal misinterpretation in your brain, resulting in unpleasant sensations.
Disorders of the inner ear cause 50% of all dizziness cases, which include:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): This is one of the most common types of vertigo. BBPV is caused by rapid head movements and minor impact to the head, which dislodges the rock or crystal-like structures that float in the ear canals. These crystals or utricles float suspended in the fluid of the ear, moving as a group; however, when one becomes dislodged, your brain is told to balance in two different places simultaneously, causing vertigo. Chiropractors can easily test for this using the Hallpike Test and resolve it using the Epley maneuver.
- Vestibular neuronitis: Inflammation in the inner ear caused by an infection can cause sudden, intense symptoms of vertigo that can last several days, along with nausea and vomiting. This can be extremely disabling and may require bed rest. Fortunately, vestibular neuronitis is self-resolving, meaning the body can clear the infection independently and without treatment. The condition can be caused by a viral infection. If you experience sudden hearing loss, you may have labyrinthitis.
Migraine
Migraine sufferers may experience vertigo or other forms of dizziness even when they do not have a strong headache. Sometimes, a person may feel lightheaded and unbalanced or that their head is not in the correct position. Others may have vertigo or a mix of dizziness and vertigo. These episodes can range from a few minutes to an hour or more and are frequently accompanied by headaches and light and noise sensitivities.
Cervicogenic Dizziness
Cervical spine disorder is one of the most common causes of dizziness. Cervicogenic dizziness is a medical condition associated with the pathology of the tissues of the cervical spine. It is a medical condition that can lead to neck pain, long-term disability, psychological suffering, and high healthcare expenses.
Because this condition is frequently associated with cervical spine dysfunction, increasing importance has been placed on healthy cervical spine alignment. According to research, abnormal alignment of the cervical spinal area in some subgroups of individuals is the underlying cause of symptoms of dizziness. Because of this, improving cervical spine alignment in these patients can help alleviate their symptoms.
Other Causes of Dizziness
Dizziness can occasionally result from a medical problem, such as an underlying injury or illness. Your symptoms of dizziness, the duration of your symptoms, and your specific triggers will help determine the cause.
You should visit your doctor if you experience recurrent, sudden, severe, or prolonged unexplained dizziness or vertigo. If you suffer sudden, severe vertigo or dizziness combined with the following symptoms, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Sudden, severe headache or a sudden change in hearing
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Facial numbness or weakness
- Numbness or paralysis of arms or legs
- Fainting
- Double vision
- Seizures
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Confusion or slurred speech
- Stumbling or difficulty walking
- Continual vomiting
Can a Chiropractor Help With Dizziness?
If you’re suffering from dizziness, and considering how can a chiropractor help with dizziness, it will be necessary for your doctor to first determine the underlying cause of your symptoms. Your chiropractor will perform a medical evaluation and review your health history and symptoms to develop a treatment plan to address the central issue.
Chiropractic treatment can help alleviate symptoms of vertigo and dizziness. When the underlying cause of your symptoms is caused by cervical misalignment, chiropractic treatment will focus on reducing tension on the spinal cord, allowing the autonomic nervous system to function better.
Research suggests that reducing forward head posture and restoring your cervical curvature to its natural state is more effective at treating cervicogenic vertigo than other traditional treatments. Additionally, it reveals chiropractic treatment can help improve blood flow, eye-tracking performance, balance, and even reduce migraine symptoms.
A chiropractor can also treat the underlying causes of vertigo caused by inner ear conditions. As with other conditions, your specialized treatment plan will be based on your specific symptoms and will focus on treating conditions that can lead to blockages inside the ear canal.
Chiropractic Treatment for Dizziness
Treatment options for dizziness depends on the cause. Different types of chiropractic treatment are available to treat your symptoms and improve your range of motion. We’ve listed a few chiropractic treatments for dizziness below:
- Chiropractic Adjustments – Chiropractic adjustments, also known as spinal manipulations, may help to alleviate symptoms of dizziness. Adjustments can improve your range of motion and reduce inflammation in the treated areas.
- Epley Maneuver – This is a set of specific movements designed to reduce symptoms of BPPV and vertigo. Chiropractors are ideal providers of this treatment for the best results as they regularly perform manual therapy.
- Chiropractic Neurology – This is a chiropractic technique with its own set of testing and treatments that specifically target the different nervous system pathways related to balance.
- Chiropractic BioPhysics® – This is a specialized treatment protocol aimed at reducing dizziness and vertigo by restoring curvature to improve the nervous system, circulatory system, and balance function.
Chiropractic BioPhysics® Treatment for Dizziness
If you have dizziness (or vertigo), you should pay close attention to your symptoms and seek medical attention. At PostureWorks, our chiropractors can help you determine the root cause of your symptoms and return to a healthy, symptom-free lifestyle.
At PostureWorks, we provide unique chiropractic treatment for dizziness that gets to the root of the problem. Focusing on spinal alignment and overall structural health, our providers work to determine the cause of your symptoms and the best treatment options to restore you to optimal health. Our Chiropractic BioPhysics® technique incorporates traditional chiropractic methods, physiotherapy, and exercise to create a comprehensive treatment plan that not only eases your pain but resolves the problem long-term.
Chiropractic BioPhysics®, or CBP, is a deeply researched and results-oriented corrective care technique aiming to realign the spine to health and optimal function. CBP is a conservative, evidence-based, and non-invasive way to minimize and/or eliminate back and neck pain. If you’re asking yourself “Can a chiropractor help with dizziness?” contact us today to learn more about chiropractic treatments for dizziness or schedule an appointment!
