Vertigo is a common condition affecting hundreds of thousands of people each year. Although it isn’t life-threatening, it does require immediate attention. If you or someone you know is experiencing vertigo, seeking chiropractic care can help. It may be the answer you’re looking for to treat a condition negatively impacting your life.
This guide is one that you can refer to whenever you need help finding relief from vertigo. It gives you options that you may not have considered before. It answers questions about the types of vertigo people experience and what causes it. The guide also helps you locate a chiropractor capable of providing you with long-lasting relief from the condition you’re experiencing.
We’ll explain what vertigo is and how many people it affects in the US each year. The information lets you know that you’re not alone. Your symptoms are manageable with the right treatment options.
What is Vertigo?
The sensation of spinning while sitting down is known as vertigo. The condition can be categorized as central vertigo or peripheral vertigo. Central vertigo is caused by a problem in the brain. Peripheral vertigo occurs when there’s an issue with the inner ear.
Peripheral vertigo is more commonly experienced than central vertigo. There are over 200,000 cases of it in the United States each year. The condition affects children and adults and can be treated by a medical professional if addressed early.
Vertigo can make it difficult to perform everyday tasks. People who have it should be careful when operating heavy machinery, including automobiles because of the risks. It can affect a person’s vision and judgment, making accidents a real possibility. If you’re suddenly stricken with vertigo while operating a machine, stop what you’re doing and call for assistance.
Knowing what the symptoms of vertigo are helps you seek the right type of treatment for addressing them. You’ll know what to expect when you do experience vertigo, too. That way, you can minimize its effects on your life. The more you know, the better you can treat the issue.
What are the Symptoms of Vertigo?
Dizziness is the most common symptom of vertigo. The room may feel like it’s in motion for several seconds to minutes at a time. If you’re not sitting down when you start to experience vertigo, you’ll need to find a safe place to rest. You could easily lose your balance and fall if your symptoms last a while.
Nausea, vomiting, fever, and ringing in the ears cause alarm. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, it’s time to seek medical care right away. Visit your local emergency room if you can’t get ahold of your primary care physician. Doing so can prevent a potentially bad situation from becoming much worse and impairing your health in other ways.
Some people with vertigo hear ringing in their ears, experience rapid eye movements, and even have difficulty concentrating. You should report all of your symptoms to your doctor and chiropractor to get the best help possible with what you’re feeling. The only way you can be treated for vertigo is for medical professionals to be made aware that you have it.
Is the Fear of Heights and Vertigo the Same Thing?
A common misconception is that the fear of heights is vertigo. It’s not. They’re two separate things. People who are afraid of heights have an irrational fear of falling.
Individuals experiencing vertigo are having actual symptoms caused by their head or ears. They, too, may fear falling, but it’s because they feel the room spinning and are dizzy in the process. It may only be partially true when a person says they experience vertigo when facing heights. Just because someone fears heights doesn’t mean they have vertigo.
Things That Make Vertigo Worse
Health conditions can make vertigo worse. If you’ve been involved in an accident with significant head injuries, you’ll likely feel symptoms of vertigo regularly. The same goes for people who have experienced a stroke. They’ll have central vertigo symptoms while sitting and lying down.
Vertigo can worsen if the following conditions are present:
- Migraine Headaches
- Stroke
- Arrhythmia
- Diabetes
- Ear Surgeries
- Prolonged Bed Rest
Certain medications can also cause vertigo. It’s important to read the side effects caused by the meds you’ve been prescribed and discuss the vertigo you’re experiencing with your doctor. Switching to a different med can help you eliminate your symptoms altogether.
Seeking different treatment options is the best way to get rid of vertigo. Chiropractic care has long been revered as an effective solution to both types of vertigo. The next section of the guide goes over what you can expect from a chiropractor. It also lets you know how frequently you should see a professional for the problems you’re experiencing.
How Does Chiropractic Care Help?
When you visit a chiropractor, it’s important to let them know about the vertigo you’ve been experiencing. They’ll want to go over your medical history and medications with you. A thorough discussion helps them determine the best treatment options for you.
Here are some of the ways that chiropractic care helps with vertigo:
- With exercises such as the Epley Maneuver, the Semont Maneuver, or the Brandt-Daroff exercises. It’s best to have a chiropractor perform the exercises for you. Dizziness is a side effect and something that can cause you to feel worse if not monitored closely. It typically takes a few weeks for patients to feel relief from the symptoms of vertigo with chiropractic care. Keep this in mind and attend all scheduled appointments with your doctor.
- Through chiropractic adjustments. Adjusting the spine positively impacts the ear, lymphatic, and nervous systems. The vertigo you feel could significantly improve after a few sessions with a chiropractor. Remember that there is often toxic release that comes with adjustments, so don’t be concerned if you don’t feel well after an appointment. It’s very common to feel like you have the flu because the symptoms of toxic release are similar. You could sweat profusely, have chills, and even feel achy.
Feeling relief from the symptoms of vertigo is possible with the right care. Having multiple treatment options makes it easier for you to feel relief quickly. You can explore what your chiropractor recommends to see which treatments feel appropriate for you and your condition.
Where to Find a Doctor to Assist with Chiropractic Care
Locating a chiropractor in the area isn’t difficult. However, one thing you want to consider is if the doctor offers consultations. If they do, you’ll have no trouble finding out if they can help you with the vertigo you’re experiencing. If they can’t, you’re no worse off than you were before the visit and can seek assistance from a different chiropractor.
Some effective ways to locate assistance are through referrals from your primary care physician and other medical professionals and recommendations from family and friends. You can also read through reviews left for the chiropractor to see what other people say about the doctor. Both ways are effective in helping you get the care you need fast.
The sooner you seek care, the better you’ll feel. Vertigo doesn’t get better without treatment. Discussing your options with a chiropractor allows you to get past a condition that can be very debilitating at times. It allows you to resume life as normally as possible.
Things You Can Do to Keep Your Vertigo from Worsening Between Visits
Practicing extreme self-care prevents vertigo from negatively impacting your life. Being mindful of the way you move your head and neck helps. So does elevating your head with a pillow when you lie down or sleep. Two or three pillows do the trick.
You’ll also want to be careful not to bend down suddenly. You may feel more dizzy than usual if you do. If you reach for an item on a top shelf, you could very well experience vertigo. Asking someone else to get things for you is an excellent idea as it keeps you from putting yourself at risk of losing your balance and falling.
In some instances, triggering your vertigo can help your brain become accustomed to dealing with it. You can discuss exercises that assist with this treatment option with your chiropractor. They’ll let you know if it’s something safe for you to do or not. Learning to live with vertigo may be the only option you have because there are no other medications you can take for another condition you’re treating.
Following up with regular doctor’s visits is the most effective way to deal with vertigo. It includes your primary care physician and your chiropractor. Making it a point to seek the care that you need to treat vertigo is how you can eliminate its most problematic symptoms. Since you now know what causes it and how you can treat it, you must seek help with the condition to feel better soon.
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