Vertigo can be described as the sensation of feeling like the room is spinning around you, or that you yourself are spinning when you’re really still. If you’ve ever spun around and around as a child or played a game of “dizzy bat”, you were able to create a very temporary version of what vertigo sufferers regularly experience.
Table of Contents
Vertigo and Your Body’s Balance System
The system in our bodies that is mainly responsible for our sense of balance is called the vestibular system. A normally functioning balance system does many things for us that we may take for granted. It allows us to:
- See clearly while moving
- Determine orientation with respect to gravity (are we upright, upside-down, or reclined?)
- Determine the speed and direction in which we’re moving
- Make automatic adjustments to our posture to maintain stability through varying conditions
Our vestibular system is constantly at work making micro-adjustments so that we can maintain our balance. It relies on input from multiple sources in order to function properly. It uses our sight and touch, as well as sensors within the inner ear to send signals to the brainstem and parts of the brain. Vertigo can arise when any component of this system is disturbed and not functioning correctly.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
5 Interesting Sources of Vertigo
Common causes of vertigo stem from problems with the inner ear. Conditions such as BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), Meniere’s disease, or labyrinthitis are better known for inducing vertigo episodes. Less frequently, vertigo can be caused by more serious underlying conditions such as stroke or tumor. However, we’ve come across some interesting vertigo and dizziness facts that you may not readily associate with the condition but can be equally as debilitating:
- Dizziness can be caused by a Vitamin B12 deficiency – low Vitamin B12 levels can lead to numerous neurological issues, including dizziness, feeling off balance, and low blood pressure (leading to decreased blood flow to the brain). Good sources of dietary B12 include meat and dairy, as well as fortified foods such as breakfast cereals. Vegetarians, particularly strict vegans who consume no animal products whatsoever, should take care to supplement with Vitamin B12 as needed.
- Dehydration can make you dizzy – when you’re feeling light-headed or dizzy, it might be caused or worsened by even mild levels of dehydration. Inadequate water intake can lead to a drop in blood pressure, causing dizzy spells. To ensure you’re staying well-hydrated, a good general rule of thumb to follow is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day (I.e. 80oz of water for a 160-pound person).
- A cruise or waterbed can cause dizziness – while it’s not at all strange to have wobbly legs or feel as if you’re still on a boat your first day back on land, for some people this sensation can drag on for months or years. This condition, known as mal de debarquement syndrome, can cause recurring episodes of vertigo.
- Dizziness and anxiety may be related – when anxiety sufferers are compared with people who don’t experience anxiety, people with anxiety disorders appear to sway more when exposed to a moving visual environment. This may point to the fact that anxiety sufferers may be abnormally sensitive to visual stimulation and that their dizziness increases when they are watching moving objects or in a large, bright environment such as a big store.
- Migraines can cause vertigo – approximately 40% of people with migraines also experience problems with vertigo or dizziness. Vestibular migraines, in particular, can cause severe vertigo, even without the headache normally associated with a migraine attack. While this might seem surprising at first, when you think about how sensitive migraine sufferers can be to light, movement, and sound it makes good sense.
Vertigo Relief Through Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
Having even a basic level of understanding of the vestibular system as we talked about above, it is easy to see how important of a role the central nervous system (the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord) play in your body’s ability to maintain balance correctly. The brainstem sorts and integrates the information gained through your senses (sight, touch, etc.) and then sends signals to control eye movements and to make postural adjustments.
When you look at the spine, the vertebrae in the upper part of your neck are positioned so that they provide a tough layer of protection for the brainstem as it exits from the base of the skull. This area is called the upper cervical spine, and it is made up of two unique vertebrae – the atlas (C1) and axis (C2). These bones are designed differently from the rest of the spinal column because they need to be able to afford us the ability to move our heads in all directions. Because they are able to move around so freely, they can also be vulnerable to misaligning when one experiences some type of accident, injury or repetitive use wear and tear.
If the upper cervical spine is not in proper alignment, then it can cause irritation or pressure to the brainstem. This can negatively influence the way that the brainstem is able to process information and then relay the correct response in order to maintain balance. It’s no coincidence that many vertigo sufferers have, at some point throughout their lives, experienced an injury to the head or neck. Upper cervical chiropractic care thoroughly analyzes this critical area with the goal of restoring normal alignment and allowing the body’s natural healing abilities to occur as optimally as possible. Upper cervical chiropractic adjustments are gentle and specific, and many of our vertigo patients report fewer, less severe episodes or even a complete resolution of their condition.
References:
https://medlineplus.gov/dizzinessandvertigo.html
https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/10-surprising-facts-about-dizziness-vertigo/
http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/human-balance-system
To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Hejny, call our Spring Lake Park office at 763-230-0116. You can also click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.