Cervical vertigo, also called cervicogenic dizziness, is a feeling of disorientation or instability caused by a neck injury or health condition that affects the neck. It’s almost always accompanied by neck pain. Your range of motion can also be affected and is sometimes accompanied by a headache. It can also feel like the room is spinning—poor neck posture, neck disorders, or trauma to the cervical spine cause this condition.
Specific symptoms can include any or all of the following:
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, heavy-headedness, faintness, or feeling giddy
- Uncoordinated movement
- Posture changes
- Vision or eye difficulty
- Trouble walking due to feeling unsteady
- Nausea
- Upper cervical (neck) discomfort
- Headaches or neck pain
Vertigo can affect your ability to drive. You should avoid driving if you’ve recently had episodes of vertigo, and there’s a chance you may have another episode while driving.
Vertigo
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How Our Vertigo Care Plan Works
We Will Tell You If We Can Help
A chiropractor will also let you know if we can’t help and advise or refer you to a health care provider that can. We do a thorough complimentary consultation and, if we can help, a comprehensive examination that may include x-rays or other diagnostics.
A Customized Treatment Plan
We use the data collected from our consultation and examination and provide you with a written Report of Findings that your chiropractor explains. We will design a customized care plan that reflects your unique body and situation.
Get Back to Your Life
We initially expect your pain to subside quickly and your overall function and health to undergo correction. A chiropractor works to correct the underlying cause of the problem to fix that “leaky” roof, rather than just place buckets to collect the water.
How We Treat Vertigo in Fairhaven, MA
We first do an orthopedic and neurologic examination to help determine the source of your symptoms. We also take X-rays to examine your spinal alignment and rule out any other cause of your symptoms.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Fairhaven, MA
We have two primary techniques involved in aiding the body to heal so you can regain your sense of balance. The primary tool is a chiropractic adjustment. Chiropractic adjustment allows your nervous system to function at its best. Neck tension that causes dizziness and vertigo can be due to many factors. Alignment of spinal bones, neck muscle tension, and tightness in the fascia of the upper body can all contribute to dizziness, vertigo, and neck tension. The top three vertebrae in your neck have nerve endings in the joints that tell the brain what position your head is in so that your eyes stay level on the horizon. It is called the righting reflex. When the joints are subluxated (stuck), the signal to the brain is scrambled, and you can get vertigo.
We also give you rehabilitation exercises that stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles to improve your posture and create neck stability so your vertigo does not reoccur.
Nutritional Guidance
Your chiropractic treatment will include dietary recommendations to increase hydration and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride). If someone is dehydrated, these electrolytes could be thrown out of balance. Dehydration can cause lightheadedness, wooziness, faintness, and unsteadiness, triggering vertigo.
Drinks and foods with high sugar content can cause headaches and lead to vertigo symptoms.
Epley Maneuver
In the case of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), we can do a procedure called the Epley Maneuver to help settle the crystalized sediment in your inner ear to stop vertigo.
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Common Causes of Vertigo in Fairhaven, MA
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
BPPV results from a crystalized sentiment in your inner ear that whirls around when you move your head, provoking the vertigo sensation.
Meniere’s Disease
Inflammation of the inner ear (the semicircular canals) creates a constant vertigo sensation that does not depend on your position. This condition typically needs anti-inflammatory medication to resolve.
Caffeine and caffeine withdrawal can lead to headaches and vertigo as well. Caffeine can trigger a vertigo attack in people with true Meniere’s disease. People diagnosed with Meniere’s disease usually cut down on salt and caffeine to reduce attacks. For some people with vestibular migraines, caffeine can be a migraine trigger.
Inner Ear Infection
Ear infections can cause vertigo and typically needs antibiotics to help resolve the infection.
People can often feel lightheaded and incorrectly label this feeling as vertigo. This can be caused by low or high blood pressure, low blood sugar from diabetes, stroke, or migraines. It is crucial to identify your specific symptoms when getting care.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can cause vertigo to worsen?
Avoid extending your neck or looking down for prolonged periods – for example, while reaching a high shelf. Move your head carefully and slowly during daily activities. Do exercises that trigger your vertigo, so your brain gets used to it and reduces the symptoms (do these only after making sure you won’t fall and have support if needed). Spending extended periods on your phone or bending to read a book can exacerbate vertigo symptoms when you straighten up.
Stress, anxiety, and depression can all trigger vertigo attacks. Do what you can to avoid these pressures or to manage them when they can’t be prevented. Talking to a friend, relaxing, or using meditation techniques could help.
Lack of sleep can also trigger vertigo symptoms. Your body needs rest and sleep to allow muscles to relax. The suboccipital muscles at the base of your skull are very susceptible to spasms when you do not get enough sleep. This can activate vertigo.
Ibuprofen can restrict blood flow to the inner ear’s cochlea, so it doesn’t work as it should. Acetaminophen, especially, can damage ear structures that are there to protect the cochlea in your inner ear. Additionally, ibuprofen can even worsen symptoms of tinnitus, dizziness, and vertigo.
Vertigo can even be affected by the weather. Changing weather, especially changing temperatures, could trigger positional vertigo; however, other factors are most likely needed at the same time. These factors could be hormonal changes, infections, allergies, or more involved neurological factors.
Allergy-related nasal and sinus congestion can lead to dizziness or a more severe type of dizziness called vertigo.
How do you get rid of vertigo fast?
– Stay still and avoid sudden movements
– Change your head position slowly in different directions
– Focus on a fixed point to stabilize your vision
– Practice deep breathing to relax and reduce stress
– Drink plenty of water
– Rest
How should you sleep when you have vertigo?
Sleeping can be difficult when you have vertigo, as lying down may worsen your symptoms. Here are some tips on how to sleep when you have vertigo:
1. Sleep propped up: Sleeping with your head slightly elevated can help reduce the spinning sensation. You can achieve this by using extra pillows or sleeping in a recliner chair. Pillows that are too soft or flat can lead to various problems, including chronic neck, shoulder, and arm pain, stiffness, pins and needles or numbness in the hands and arms, painful headaches and migraines, and even vertigo or dizziness.
2. Sleep on your back: Sleeping on your back can help reduce the risk of sudden head movements during the night that can trigger vertigo symptoms. However, this may not be comfortable for everyone.
3. Avoid sleeping on your stomach: Sleeping on your stomach can increase the risk of sudden head movements during the night that can trigger vertigo symptoms.
4. Keep the room dark and quiet: Minimizing noise and light can help you relax and sleep better.