Vertigo Cures

I saw a young woman in my office this week, who presented to see if I could help her with her vertigo and dizziness, which she has been suffering with for several years. This is not an uncommon presentation in my office, in fact quite the contrary; it is what folks commonly come in to see me for. What made this case different was the fact that this young lady fell last year as a result of her balance being affected, not only from the vertigo and dizziness, but from the drugs being used in the failed attempt to treat her (the main side affect being that of dizziness). The fall resulted in a fractured shoulder, causing severe limitation of movement of that arm and as such, with her activities of daily living. As I talked to this young lady, I thought to myself, “if only she had come in sooner, I could have treated her successfully without the use of the drugs which likely caused her balance loss, which would have averted the fall and thus the fractured shoulder.” This is all too common a problem as individuals often times wait painstakingly long intervals in anticipation that the problems will resolve on their own, when in fact, they rarely do. Procrastination is the mother of disaster, causing a bad situation to become worse, especially with problems such as vertigo and dizziness. Over time, these conditions affect your balance by altering the pathways in your brain that monitor the postural systems. Ultimately, you wind up with a new problem, that of balance loss. With falls being the #1 cause of nonfatal injuries in all age groups, and the leading cause of accidental death in people over the age of 65, it is only a matter of time before something bad happens. Typically with dizziness types of disorders, the sooner an individual presents for treatment, the easier and less involved that treatment is, which is really true of almost everything. As the disorders progress, they oftentimes cause the introduction of new problems involving other areas of the brain or the neuraxis. If you or someone you love suffers with vertigo or dizziness, finding the cause and treating it early can make all the difference between getting on with your life vs. getting on with a lifetime of anguish and medical bills.

Dr. Scopelliti is a chiropractic neurologist, practicing at the 279 Professional Arts Bldg at the rear of Monmouth Medical Center, in Long Branch, NJ. He is also currently the president of the NJ Chiropractic Council on Neurology. His office specializes in the drug free management of vertigo, dizziness, balance loss, presyncope, dystonia and headaches. Dr. Scopelliti offers a free no obligation consultation to discuss your problem prior to the commencement of any examination/treatment. The office can be reached at (732) 229-5250 to arrange a free consultation, ($75 value). Dr. Scopelliti has a wealth of information updated weekly on the web at www.dcneuro.net.

Dr. Scopelliti has over 1000 hours in postdoctoral neurology, and is a board certified chiropractic neurologist, practicing at the 279 Professional Arts Bldg at the rear of Monmouth Medical Center, in Long Branch, NJ. He is also currently the president of the NJ Chiropractic Council on Neurology, (website: www.dcneuro.info). With over twenty years of practice, ten of those years specializing in neurology, his office focuses on the drug free management of patients with vertigo, dizziness, balance loss, presyncope, dystonia, various stages of coma, and many other neurologic as well as behavioral and cognitive disorders. Dr. Scopelliti is an author and lecturer of postdoctoral neurology, and has also written several software applications for vestibular rehabilitation; www.dcneuro.biz. Because of the nature of our practice and the high level of difficulty involved with the types of patients seen, our office customarily sees patients from several states for consultation and/or co-management. Dr. Scopelliti offers a free no obligation consultation including a balance test/risk of fall analysis prior to the commencement of any examinations or treatment. The office can be reached at (732) 229-5250 to arrange a free consultation, ($75 value), and balance screen. Dr. Scopelliti has a wealth of information updated weekly on the web at www.dcneuro.net. Visit our Guest Book link at www.dcneuro.net/guests.htm to see what real patients have had to say.

Vertigo is a medical condition characterized by dizziness with a feeling of spinning.  Because of the sensation of movement or rotation, many patients also sense nausea and can experience lightheadedness and balance problems. Vertigo is a common indication present in chiropractic patients, particularly after head and neck trauma. Chronic Vertigo sufferers have found to find relief with chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic cure involves correcting the position of the injured cervical vertebrae, mainly C1 and C2. Realigning these vertebrae reduces or eliminates many types of vertigo. There are several types of vertigo for which patients seek upper cervical chiropractic treatment. When the vertigo symptoms occur as the result of irritation to the neck vertebrae caused by trauma, chiropractic care can prove beneficial.

One of the prime causes of vertigo and dizziness is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), also known as Benign Vertigo or Positional Vertigo. Chiropractic doctors analysis this state after getting a full case history and performing a physical and neurological exam. Proper diagnosis is the first step for the chiropractic treatment for vertigo. This condition is then treated by certain repositioning manoeuvres. Chiropractic doctors at the various Chiropractic Centers are skilled to perform the Epley or Semont Manoeuvre, which is a easy and well-tolerated technique that can cure BPPV in most of the patients.

The chiropractic doctor will move the patient into specific positions depending on what has formerly been found in the assessment, using gravity to move the calcium carbonate crystals away into an area of the inner ear where they will cause no more symptoms.

This is followed by some home exercises. The chiropractic method is very effective and within 3-4 treatments 80% of cases are symptom free.

A study report from the November 8, 2006 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research shows how the patients suffering from vertigo were benefited by chiropractic care. In this research 60 patients who were diagnosed by their medical physicians as having various forms of vertigo, were given chiropractic care and the results were documented and published. All the 60 subjects in this study were rendered precise chiropractic care for the improvement of subluxations. The results showed that all of the patients in this research responded positively to the chiropractic care. The study concluded that the use of IUCCA protocol (a form of chiropractic care) appears to improve and/or reverse vertigo disorders. IUCCA Upper Cervical Chiropractic functions by correcting damages to the upper cervical spine (upper neck), the basic cause of cervicogenic vertigo syndromes. Usual IUCCA Upper Cervical Chiropractic treatment involves an initial spinal exam, detailed x-rays of the upper neck, computerized thermal spinal scans to determine neurological irritation, and proper chiropractic adjustments by hand to correct the uneven vertebrae in the upper neck.

Chiropractic treatment is not the only thing which will cure dizziness, but the manoeuvres and other chiropractic methods used is the same as patients would have if they go to medical clinicians who expertise in these conditions. These days a large number of dizziness cases seek chiropractic help. Chiropractic is not generally suited for all types of dizziness, and in such cases the chiropractic practitioner refers the patient to needed specialists.

Chiropractic cure can be a good treatment for Dizziness. In public interest by chiropractic tables manufacturer www.inlinetables.com

Many people aren’t aware of the relationship between upper cervical (neck) trauma and vertigo. With all that modern science has accomplished, there are still more unanswered questions than answered ones. This is also true in the case of vertigo research. It’s been difficult to pinpoint the exact reason(s) why certain people suffer vertigo. However, research is beginning to point toward upper cervical trauma as an underlying cause for many types of vertigo, including Meniere’s disease, Disembarkment Syndrome, and Benign Position Vertigo.

The upper cervical area of the spine refers to the two vertebrae located at the top of the spine, directly underneath the head. C1 (known as Atlas,) along with C2 (known as Axis,) are chiefly responsible for the rotation and flexibility of the head and neck. Like the rest of the vertebrae, they are extremely vulnerable to injury and trauma. In some cases, patients may recall a specific trauma to the head or neck (such as a car accident or a blow to the head.) In other cases, patients may not be able to point to a specific injury after which vertigo became a problem. This is not unusual, since it may take months or years for vertigo to develop after head trauma.

Because so many nerves transmit through the upper cervical spine (to and from the brain,) trauma to this area results in problems to other parts of the body. This is where the relationship between the upper cervical area and vertigo becomes evident. If these vertebrae become displaced, even slightly, vertigo can occur. Unless the neck injury is addressed, the symptoms persist.

Chiropractic care involves correcting the position of these injured cervical vertebrae, particularly C1 and C2. Realigning these vertebrae may reduce or eliminate many types of vertigo.

There are several types of vertigo for which people seek upper cervical chiropractic treatment. Meniere’s disease is associated with an abnormal amount of fluid in the inner ear. This imbalance of fluids creates dizziness, as though a person is constantly spinning. It may also cause persistent ringing in the ear and hearing loss. Episodes of vertigo are usually intermittent, but can be very debilitating. Episodes may last anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours. During an attack, a person may feel very sleepy. They may be unable to work, drive, walk normally, or even carry on with regular daily activity.

Another type of vertigo, Disembarkment Syndrome, can strike a person after being on a boat or even an airplane. While some dizziness may be normal after a cruise or plane trip, this usually disappears within minutes or hours. In people with Disembarkment Syndrome, the symptoms persist for months or years afterwards. Sufferers are left with the sensation that they are constantly in motion: rocking, bouncing, and weaving. This makes it difficult to walk and stand. Like Meniere’s disease, Disembarkment Syndrome affects a person’s ability to work, drive and carry on normal activity.

Benign Positional Vertigo (BPV) is another common type of vertigo. In a normal ear, the semicircular canal contains fluid which, when disturbed by movement of the head, send signals to the brain that the head is moving. When someone has positional vertigo (BPV), it is believed that small particles in the inner ear become dislodged. The result is a faulty signal being sent to the brain, indicating that the head is moving when it is not. This causes episodes of dizziness or vertigo.

When these conditions occur as the result of irritation to the neck vertebrae caused by trauma, chiropractic care may be beneficial. Treatments are given to relieve the irritation by realigning the vertebrae back into their proper positions. Once this occurs, the vertigo may diminish or disappear entirely.

Read vertigo case studies and vertigo research published by Dr. Erin Elster, D.C., upper cervical chiropractor, in Boulder, Colorado, at www.erinelster.com. Vertigo research includes patients with Meniere’s disease, labyrinthitis, Benign Positional Vertigo, and Disembarkment Syndrome..