Vertigo is the feeling that you or the things around you are spinning when there is, in fact, no movement at all. The most common type of vertigo is called BPPV or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. If you have this condition, when you move your head quickly, you experience a bout of vertigo. For example, you may roll over in bed and get vertigo.
Recently, osteoporosis has come into the picture in connection with vertigo. A study revealed there is a connection between these two conditions. Osteoporosis happens when you lose bone density. Osteopenia is another condition which happens when there is mild bone loss; it is not as serious as osteoporosis. The connection these two conditions have with vertigo may have to do with the age of the person suffering. These are all recognized more often in older adults.
An additional finding in the study is very interesting. Men with osteoporosis were twice as likely to get vertigo, while women were three times as likely. Similar results exist with those who had osteopenia. One reason is the decrease in estrogen in women’s bodies as they age, which causes a decrease in bone density. This was true even more so in those who were over the age of 50, when estrogen and bone mass decrease rapidly. Interestingly, vertigo was seen more in men at this age. We can now conclude that lower levels of estrogen are not the reason for vertigo.
The study did not look at one important factor, however. It did not show any information about the relationship vertigo has to a misalignment in the upper part of the neck, particularly the C1 and C2 vertebrae. A misalignment here can put the brainstem under pressure and cause it to send improper signals to the brain about what is happening in the body. For example, if the brainstem tells the brain the body is in motion when it is not, vertigo can ensue.
Upper cervical chiropractors have the ability to correct these misalignments and restore brain-body communication. This often results in a relief of vertigo symptoms as the body begins to heal from the damage caused by the misalignment.
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