Dizziness and vertigo are not the same thing, though they're often confused. Dizziness is a general sense of lightheadedness or imbalance. Vertigo is a specific sensation of spinning — either of yourself or your environment. Both can be significantly disruptive to daily life, and both have causes that are often treatable.
Cervicogenic Vertigo
A significant percentage of dizziness and vertigo cases have a cervicogenic origin — meaning they arise from dysfunction in the cervical spine, specifically the upper cervical joints. The joints, muscles, and proprioceptors of the upper neck play a critical role in balance and spatial orientation. When they're not functioning properly — due to injury, degeneration, or dysfunction — they can send inaccurate information to the brain, producing sensations of dizziness or instability. Chiropractic care directed at the upper cervical spine can be highly effective for this type of dizziness.
BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo — a condition in which calcium crystals in the inner ear become displaced and stimulate the balance organs inappropriately. It produces brief but intense episodes of spinning triggered by head position changes, such as rolling over in bed or looking up. BPPV is typically treated with a repositioning maneuver called the Epley maneuver, which we perform in the clinic. Most patients experience significant relief after one to three treatments.
We will conduct a thorough evaluation to identify the likely cause of your dizziness before beginning treatment, and will refer you to the appropriate specialist if the cause falls outside our scope.