Vertigo is a specific form of dizziness – one that causes a false sensation of spinning. The dizziness that characterizes vertigo arises from either the inner ear or from parts of the nervous system that give the body its sense of balance. Other symptoms that can come along with vertigo are nausea, vomiting, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and even hearing loss itself.
When it comes to treatment options, the common options are few. Usually, it's either medications or therapies to try and remedy the problem. However, research shows big promise for those looking for a natural and lasting solution.
A look at the facts of two separate studies sheds some good light on the connection between the health and alignment of your spine and vertigo. One study looked at 139 people with medically diagnosed Meniere's disease, of which vertigo is a major component. Every one of the people in the study suffered some type of trauma to the neck, most from car accidents, that caused a whiplash-type injury. Under upper cervical chiropractic care, 136 of the 139 experienced an absence or dramatic reduction in their symptoms. Another study looked at 60 patients with chronic vertigo. Of the 60, 56 of them could recall some kind of trauma to the head or neck, whether it was from a car accident, sporting injury, or just a slip and fall. All of the patients in this study either saw a disappearance or reduction of their symptoms.
What do these people have in common? As a result of injuries, all the people in these studies suffered from an upper cervical misalignment. Your atlas vertebra is the one that sits just beneath the skull, and when you sustain some type of trauma to the head or neck, it is very likely to misalign. When this occurs, the brainstem and spinal cord that the atlas usually protects are compromised, and normal signals that travel between the brain and body can be obstructed. This can lead to the many symptoms of a vertigo attack. At Advanced Spinal Care, we take each of our patients through a thorough analysis to determine if an atlas misalignment is at the root of your vertigo. If it is, you may become another success story like those in the studies above through upper cervical chiropractic.
References:
Burcon MT, Upper cervical specific protocol and results for 139 patients with medically diagnosed Meniere's disease. J Vert Sublux Res 2010; Nov:1-10.
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Vertigo is the sensation that a person or things around him are spinning. In order to understand why vertigo happens, let’s take a deeper look at how the body works. The tissue that keeps the spine in place is called connective tissue. An accident or injury can tear or break down this tissue. This negatively affects the spine causing it to lock into a position of stress.
The part of the spine that is most often damaged is the upper cervical spine. While this area of the body has a great range of motion, allowing the head to move in many directions, it also puts it at risk for injury. If the top two bones in the neck become misaligned, it can affect the entire body. If a misalignment in the neck causes the head to tilt, vertigo can be the end result. Why?
When the head tilts to compensate for a neck misalignment, something called the righting reflex kicks in. This is a mechanism designed to keep the eyes level with the horizon line. It also affects the fluid-filled ear canals. When this occurs, mixed signals are sent to the brain about where the body is positioned in its environment. This is when vertigo happens. An upper cervical chiropractor can fix this misalignment and potentially help a person break free from vertigo.
A 23-year-old female began seeing an upper cervical chiropractor 5 months after she received a concussion due to falling. She showed the typical symptoms of post-concussion syndrome: vertigo and headaches. Headaches were not new to her as she had endured them before the fall. But they became much worse after her concussion. It was determined that due to a misalignment in the upper neck, revealed through x-rays, her entire body was extremely out of balance.
After just one adjustment, her vertigo and her headaches went away. The next day it was noted that her muscle spasms had decreased immensely, and her legs had become more balanced. Proper spinal alignment can indeed lead to a decrease or elimination of vertigo, dizziness, migraines, and similar conditions.
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Dr. Pete Tsiglieris of Advanced Spinal Care in Redwood City, California is an Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). His upper cervical clinic also serves San Mateo, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and Sunnyvale. They are uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines and other headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain and weakness. More information can be found on our website at https://bayareanuccacare.com/
