Feeling lightheaded and unsteady can be disorienting, not to mention dangerous when combined with safety hazards like a slippery floor. But why does it happen in the first place? Can a chiropractor help with vertigo and dizziness? Do you need to deal with these two symptoms your entire life? Understandably, you might have plenty of questions piling up in your head as you wonder how to cope better when you experience an episode. Is there a chance to live a normal life?

Let’s find out as we look at one of the worst debilitating effects of chronic vertigo attacks – persistent postural perceptual dizziness or PPPD.

Fact #1: PPPD Can Cause Major Disruptions in Your Life

As its names suggest, PPPD or persistent postural perceptual dizziness can trigger recurring dizzying episodes. Sometimes, an attack can last anywhere from 24 hours to several days. Besides dizzying spells, it can cause the following symptoms:

• Feeling as if your body is floating
• Non-spinning vertigo attacks (instead of perceiving a spinning sensation, your brain thinks you’re experiencing rocking or swaying movements)
• Loss of balance (you constantly think that you will fall, trip or slip whenever you move around)

Sadly, the PPPD symptoms can leave quite an impact on your schedule. It could prevent you from functioning properly, especially when the attack drags on for several days.

Fact #2: PPPD Can Sometimes Affect People with Mood Disorders 

A study explains that while disorder often arises from vestibular problems, it can also get triggered by an emotional illness. This is most likely why most people who have PPPD and wonder, “can a chiropractor help with vertigo and dizziness?” also report mild to severe mood shifts. 

Unlike in a normal condition, the brain enters a hypersensitive state when you have PPPD. That’s why you often fear that you might slip or fall every time an episode occurs. 

Here are additional statistics from Vestibular.org to help you understand PPPD and mood problems. 

• 6 out of 10 patients who have PPPD experience anxiety attacks
• Only 25 percent of PPPD patients don’t report mood shifts 
• About 45% of PPPD sufferers are clinically depressed

Fact #3: PPPD Can Stem from Various Underlying Conditions 

When seeking answers to your question, “can a chiropractor help with vertigo and dizziness?” it’s pivotal to trace the likely causes of your PPPD condition. This would help you find the most suitable approach to use. Below are the main underlying health problems that often triggers the onset of PPPD.

• Vestibular disorders

Most cases, patients with Meniere’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), tend to become prone to developing PPPD. 

• History of neck or head trauma

A concussion or whiplash injury often results in a neck misalignment that impacts your brainstem's normal function. It can also trigger a long list of vestibular problems such as Meniere’s and BPPV. 

• Migraines

Roughly 4 out of 10 migraineurs also experience vestibular issues. If you have chronic vestibular migraine episodes, you are also quite likely to experience PPPD symptoms. 

Fact #4: PPPD Diagnosis Can Be Tricky

Diagnosing vestibular disorders are generally hard to do. Moreover, not many people come forward to have their symptoms checked, so they never know that their persistent dizzying spells and vertigo attacks actually result from vestibular problems.

When diagnosing a suspected PPPD case, doctors need to conduct a series of tests to rule out other possible causes. For starters, you need to provide details on the frequency and severity of your vertigo episodes. Then you might need to undergo other tests like balancing tests and blood tests. Sometimes the diagnostic procedure can take up to three months or more, so you need to be extra patient. 

Fact #5: Upper Cervical Care Provides Vertigo Relief

Upper cervical chiropractic may help in curbing the impact of your PPPD symptoms in your life. Essentially, the procedure involves correcting any structural problems with your C1 and C2 or upper cervical bones. These two sit under your skull as they support your head and allow for maximum movements. These two bones also protect your brainstem. 

In most cases, patients who previously suffered from neck and head injuries have neck bone misalignments. This triggers a chain of problems ranging from irritation of the brainstem to the onset of terrible health problems such as vertigo attacks and even PPPD. 

As a result, seeking upper cervical care might provide you with much-needed relief from your PPPD symptoms or other vestibular disorders. 

What Makes Upper Cervical Chiropractic Effective for PPPD Relief?

Indeed, having PPPD can present you with many challenges because it’s a chronic form of vestibular disorder. It could ruin a perfect day with your loved ones, affect your work productivity levels and make you prone to injuries and accidents. Thankfully, you can tap into a natural remedy to start experiencing less frequent and severe PPPD attacks. 

Upper cervical care is a promising approach to vestibular disorders like PPPD because it corrects the issue's most likely cause – a misaligned neck. The sooner you have your neck alignment fixed, the less severe symptoms you experience. It will also restore your brainstem’s normal function, allowing your body to recover from PPPD and its disabling symptoms. 

Still wondering about the answer to your question, “can a chiropractor help with vertigo?” Find a nearby upper cervical care doctor to discover the fantastic benefits of getting your spinal alignment fixed. 

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