VERTIGO DIZZINESS

WHAT IS IT?

There is general medical consensus that drugs should only be used for the first 24 hours, if at all, in the treatment of this condition. Thereafter patients are encouraged to leave their beds and start moving - failure to do so limits recovery.

A blood pressure test should first be done.

Why in a chiropractic website?

However, having said this, every chiropractor recognises that this is one of the areas in which s/he should tread particularly warily.

In a very large study done by Thiel and Bolton (JMPT March 2008) where data was collected from 28 807 chiropractic treatment consultations, it emerged that “fainting, dizziness, light-headedness” were predictors of immediate worsening after treatment. (However, overall patients reported 70%-95% immediate improvement.) Thus it makes sense in this case to consider whether other treatment options are available.

Vertigo is also caused by many other conditions such as hypertension, Meniere's disease, multiple sclerosis, posterior brain mass lesions (particularly in the cerebellum) and lack of blood to the brainstem.

BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO (BPPV)

For example, backing a car, turning in bed or looking up in the sky.

An immediate sense of dizziness, apprehension and disequilibrium begins, usually lasting less than a minute. Anyone observing the eyes may notice a rhythmical darting movement called nystagmus.

The condition may trouble the patient for years, but usually responds immediately to a simple treatment that can be learned, and repeated at home. This treatment is called the Epley manoeuvres.

Basic anatomy

Three are found in the ampullae situated in the semi-circular canals, and the other two are found within two organs called the utricle and the saccule.

When one of these organs starts to send information that is not consistent with the others, or is inconsistent with what your feet or eyes are telling the brain, then vertigo dizziness occurs.

They control and coordinate movements of the eyes when the head is moving. For example, when trying to strike a ball with a baseball bat, it is very important that the eyes remain focused on the ball when your head begins to move during the stroke. This is enabled by these five organs.

If you suffer from debris in the semi-circular canals, not only will you sometimes experience vertigo dizzines, but you will miss the ball!

DIAGNOSIS

There is a simple test. It is called the Hallpike Dix test. It should be stressed, as with all orthopaedic and neurological testing, that artful testing can and should only be done by an experienced practitioner. The aim of these tests is to provoke the condition. The Hallpike Dix test can make you extremely giddy.

If you are game, a simple version is to lie on your back with your head and neck extended. Turn your head slowly to the left and wait for 60 seconds. Return slowly to the midline. Now turn slowly to the right, still with head and neck extended.

If you experience vertigo dizziness then you probably have BPPV, and there is a very simple treatment for the condition - clearing the debris out of the semi-circular canals.

This test is usually done in a more vigorous manner which will not be described here - it should only be done by an experienced practitioner.

If you have neck pain, or have had neck surgery, this test should NOT be done.

TREATMENT FOR BPPV

You will feel uncomfortable, and occasionally awful after the procedure. However, it is almost always successful.

While the treatment will not be described here, your practitioner will teach you how to do it at home. I can almost guarantee 100% success if it is done correctly.

At Chiropractic Tips you will find a well known exercise routine, called the Brandt-Daroff Habituation Exercises, that usually help in the home treatment of vertigo dizziness.

Vestibular Migraine

The vertigo dizziness may be severe, causing patients to actually fall, or least affect the way they walk. It is also often associated with motion sickness, sailing, and travelling as a passenger in a car, and even walking or climbing stairs. During an attack the eyes flick to the side in a motion called nystagmus, confirming that the headache has to do with the inner ear, and it's neurological pathway. Hence the name "vestibular" migraine.

Migraine is very common, affecting one-in-five women, but much less in men. There may be an aura of nausea, and sensitivity to light and noise, but this is not necessarily so.

The headache is described as pulsating, on one side of the head only and because of the nausea may be described as a "sick" headache. Sometimes there is also ringing in the ears.

The best treatment is to attempt to find the cause. It could be pain in the neck or jawjoint, pain in the neck, or jaw joint exercise, hunger and a long list of foods, and smoking.

For more information on the foods associated with migraine, click here.

FOR CHIROPRACTORS ONLY