ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM VERTIGO?
Are you struggling with vertigo or dizziness? People who are suffering from dizziness or vertigo can experience their symptoms in many ways. Sometimes patients will say, “the room is spinning or I have no balance and I’m going to fall down.” We understand that the symptoms can vary between patients. Very often, our patients have tried other health care providers with little relief. We believe it is important to educate our patients on how vertigo works and identifying the cause, unfortunately it can be a difficult question to answer. But we are here to help.
IS A PROBLEM IN YOUR NECK CAUSING YOUR VERTIGO?
THE SYMPTOMS OF VERTIGO
There can be many causes of vertigo; dizziness is not the only symptom associated with this disorder. For some people vertigo is just annoying while for others it can be debilitating. In either instance, it could be a sign that something more serious is happening within your body. For this reason, it is important to schedule a consultation with the Vitalign Spine Clinic if you are having trouble concentrating or focusing your mind, if you are having problems hearing or have fullness in your ears, if you have tinnitus or ringing in your ears, if you feel off-balance or can’t maintain your balance, if your eyes can’t focus or have blurry vision, if you are experiencing episodes of being nauseous and you don’t know why.
And just like vertigo patients can express their symptoms in many different ways, there can be many vertigo inducing conditions associated. Here is a list of some common conditions:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo – This is one of the most common causes of Vertigo and begins with an abrupt spinning sensation. It is often triggered by movements of the head and neck. This type of Vertigo is usually the result of a PRIOR head or neck injury, car accident, or sports injury.
- Meniere’s Disease - This condition specifically affects the inner ear and creates three symptoms. Vertigo, Tinnitus, and hearing loss. Some also feel a pressure in the ear. This type of Vertigo can occur at any age but is more common in to people in their 40’s and 50’s
- Vestibular Neuritis – This condition is due to inflammation of the vestibular nerve in the ear. This nerve is responsible for balance and is vital in sending proper signals to the brain in regards to body movement. Inflammation of this nerve disrupts the signal and leads to dizziness, hearing loss, and ringing in the ear. This type may also be triggered by something as common as a cold or flu.
- Labrynthitis – This type of Vertigo is due to irritation and swelling of the inner ear and can often lead to hearing loss. Sinus and respiratory infections often trigger this condition.
- Cervical Dizziness – This unique type of Vertigo does not cause a feeling of dizziness and is thus called non-rotatory. In this condition, a person often feels unsteady due to sporadic movement of the head and neck. Cervical dizziness has no clear cause but research points to a problem in the neck. Researchers find dysfunction in the proprioceptors of the muscles and joints of the upper neck. Proprioceptors are small nerve-like structures which help tell your brain where the body is in relationship to your surroundings. Proprioceptors allow you to touch your finger to your nose even though your eyes are closed, and they are especially important in the upper neck. This type of dizziness is often noticed years following a neck injury which may have been a big deal like a whiplash or car accident. Or it could have been a smaller injury like bumping your head when you were not looking where you were going.
We will conduct a very detailed and thorough history and examination, hopefully uncovering what may be the source of the symptoms. This will be important in having the most focused treatment. We understand how frustrating and scary living with dizziness or vertigo can be so if you or someone you love is suffering, please call Vitalign Spine Clinic for a free consultation so you can get some answers and start the healing process.