Can Chiropractic Care Help Vertigo and Dizziness?
Feeling frustrated by vertigo and dizziness? Chiropractic care may offer the help you need to keep these unpleasant sensations under control.
What Causes Vertigo and Dizziness?
Dizziness is the term used to describe feeling lightheaded or unsteady. Vertigo is a type of dizziness that makes it seem as if the room is spinning. Severe vertigo can lead to headaches, nausea, and vomiting and make it difficult to keep your balance.
Dizziness and vertigo are common complaints. About 20% of Americans suffer from these symptoms at least occasionally, according to a cohort study published in Laryngoscope Investigative Ophthalmology in 2023
Causes of vertigo and dizziness include:
- Cervical Spine Issues. Dizziness and vertigo may happen if the vertebrae in your cervical spine (neck) are misaligned. Misalignments, or subluxations, can press on nerves, causing negative symptoms. Subluxations may be caused by falls, repetitive stress, strain, whiplash, arthritis, and poor posture.
- Inner Ear Disorders. Several inner ear conditions can disrupt balance and cause dizziness and vertigo, including vestibular neuritis, Meniere's disease, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
- Neurological Issues. You may be more likely to experience vertigo and dizziness if you have a neurological condition, like migraines, multiple sclerosis, or stroke. Did vertigo and dizziness start after a concussion? Your symptoms may be due to trauma to the brain.
- Other Causes. Dizziness and vertigo may also be caused by stress, low blood pressure, medication side effects, ear infections, dehydration, or atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
How Your Chiropractor Treats Vertigo and Dizziness
Depending on the cause of your symptoms, your treatment plan may include:
- Spinal Manipulation. Commonly called an "adjustment," spinal manipulation realigns the vertebrae in your neck and back. Your chiropractor uses hands-on pressure or a small instrument to move the vertebrae back into alignment. Once your spine is properly aligned, pressure on nerves decreases, easing symptoms.
- Soft Tissue Treatments. Although your spine will be realigned after an adjustment, muscles and soft tissues may remain tight. Massage, myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization, and other treatments relax tight muscles and ease pain. Both spinal manipulation and soft tissue treatments reduce inflammation and improve blood flow. Increasing blood flow to the ears and brain may improve balance and prevent dizziness and vertigo in the future.
- Epley Maneuver. Chiropractors use the Epley maneuver to treat vertigo and dizziness caused by BPPV. BPPV happens when calcium crystals in the ear needed for balance move out of place. The Epley maneuver involves a specific series of head and body movements that restore the crystals to their normal position.
- Exercise and Advice. Your chiropractor may show you a few exercises that improve balance and strengthen the muscles in your neck. When your muscles are strong, it's easier to maintain good posture and avoid subluxations.
Is Chiropractic Treatment Effective for Vertigo and Dizziness?
Several research studies and case reports have demonstrated the benefits of chiropractic care for vertigo and dizziness. In a case report published in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research in 2022, researchers discussed the effects of chiropractic treatments on a 49-year-old woman suffering from neck pain and dizziness after falling off a harness. Adjustments improved dizziness, pain symptoms, and range of movement in the woman's neck.
An analysis of National Health Survey results published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine in 2015 showed that patients suffering from dizziness found chiropractic care to be helpful. According to the analysis, patients who saw a chiropractor were very likely to report that the treatments helped.
Chiropractic care offers an effective, natural solution to treating vertigo and dizziness. If you're struggling with these symptoms, contact our office to schedule an appointment with the chiropractor.
Sources:
Wiley: Laryngoscope Investigative Ophthalmology: Vertigo and Its Burden of Disease - Results from a Population-Based Cohort Study, 10/23/2023
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lio2.1169
American Medical Association: What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About Vertigo, 3/15/2024
Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research: Resolution of Cervicogenic Dizziness and Upper Cervical Pain in a 49-Year-Old Female Receiving Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic Care: A Case Report, 6/6/2022
Sage Journals: Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine: The Role of Chiropractic Care in the Treatment of Dizziness or Balance Disorders: Analysis of National Health Interview Survey Data, 9/11/2015
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2156587215604974
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative Treatment of Cervicogenic Dizziness Using Gonstead Method: A Case Study, 9/10/2011