Chiropractic Care for Vertigo
I get asked this question a lot, “Chiropractic care for vertigo?” My answer is the same for any condition that you can name. Chiropractic care is not the treatment of any condition or disease, it is profession that has the goal of detecting and correcting nervous system interference. So in short chiropractic is not limited to any specific condition or ailment. If you have nervous interference any where in the body it can cause any number of symptoms or health problems. For example if you are in a auto accident and start having headaches as a result.
As chiropractors we don’t try to treat the headache, we will look for the dysfunction in the neck as a result of the whiplash and address this issue. Then when the neck dysfunction is corrected the headaches will go away. Or, if you are pregnant and you are faced with a breech baby we don’t try to turn the baby, we will see if we can balance the pelvis and address any signs of uterine restraint (pelvis dystocia) and allow the baby to turn naturally because that is what it is innately programmed to do if there is no nervous system interference.
So Vertigo is no different, patients often get relief from vertigo through chiropractic care. Again not because we treat vertigo but because we can address the underling nervous system problem that causes vertigo. Lets go into this one a little deeper. Vertigo and dizziness account for over 8 million primary care visits each year in the United States. There are many origins for disequilibrium, they can include problems at what is called central origins meaning the brain stem, cerebellum, or other vascular structures that feed these organs. Then there are peripheral origins like the vestibular, visual, and spinal proprioceptive systems.
Where chiropractic care comes into play specifically is with the vertigo problems that they label “cervicogenic vertigo”. This term describes disequilibrium or dizziness that is caused by abnormal proprioceptive activity in the carvical spine. I short, nervous interference from the dysfunction of the neck. And this is what we located and correct as chiropractors.
Cervicaogenic vertigo has been debated for years but the research is clear that the upper cervical spine (C0-C3) facet joints are highly innervated with what are know as mechanoreceptors. And it is these mechanoreceptors that the research shows to be the primary cause with the condition of vertigo. In fact the upper cervical spine supplies 50% of all cervical proprioceptive input. So you can see that after a fall, auto accident, poor work ergonomics, sleeping wrong, or any abnormal stress to the upper cervical spine causing dysfunction of the cervical mechanoreceptors the the result could be vertigo.
If you have any of the classic signs of vertigo like light-headedness, floating, unsteadiness, or a general sense of imbalance you may be able to find relief with chiropractic care. To find out whether or not you have nervous system dysfunction that could be impacting your health schedule an appointment today for a complete evaluation.
If you would like more information on chiropractic care for vertigo please contact us at one of our two convenient locations:
Tempe Office: Mill and Baseline
250 W. Baseline Rd. #107
Tempe, AZ 85283
480-785-1355
Mesa Office: Recker and McKellips
6025 E. McKellips Rd. #102
Mesa, AZ 85215
480-721-0099
