What is vertigo? What should you do if you experience it? How do you know if it’s a vertigo episode or just a dizzying spell? These are just a few examples of the top FAQs on vertigo. It’s a debilitating symptom that can pose risks when combined with hazards like wet flooring or a moving vehicle.
Read our discussion below as we try to understand vertigo and its symptoms. Find out the answers to the seven most commonly asked questions about the spinning sensation.
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Vertigo is a condition known to millions of people in the USA as it affects around 40 percent of adults. It often gets mistaken for common dizziness, when in fact, it’s a more complex symptom. Essentially, it’s a type of dizziness that can cause severe disorientation and loss of balance.
Its sensation is quite similar to a ride on a merry-go-round. However, unlike the old days where you feel excited to keep on spinning, this sensation makes you feel sick. The worst part is that the spinning feeling doesn’t quickly stop even after you sit or rest.
Often, vertigo episodes don’t occur on their own. Instead, the existence of such a symptom frequently indicates another health problem. If you want to find an effective way to relieve your discomfort, you’ll need to know what triggers your episodes.
At least four underlying conditions can cause mild to severe spinning sensations. To know how you can differentiate them, check out their critical distinguishing characteristics below.
Both labyrinthitis and vestibular neuronitis can trigger the onset of vertigo. These infections can cause ear congestion that may pressure your vestibular nerve, a vital component in perceiving head and body orientation changes.
Undeniably, a significant fraction of vertigo attacks result from BPPV or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. If you have this disorder, it means that the calcium crystals or otoliths inside your inner ears somehow got dislodged.
When this happens, your brain senses false motion because the calcium crystals disrupt the normal flow of nerve signals. Besides causing vertigo episodes, BPPV can also trigger other symptoms like nystagmus or uncontrolled and rapid eye movements.
Vestibular migraine is among the leading causes of vertigo attacks. The episodes can last up to a few minutes to several days. It mostly gets triggered by sensory overload.
It’s a rare condition that causes temporary loss of hearing, vertigo attacks, and tinnitus. Primarily, the disorder develops due to abnormal fluid buildup in the inner ear.
Besides the four underlying conditions we listed above, there are plenty of other things that could trigger a false spinning motion. Some of these conditions include:
Dizziness is perhaps one of the most frequently used words by patients in a hospital. Often, many people confuse it for vertigo attacks. When you go to your physician or upper cervical chiropractor for help, be sure to use the proper term to describe what you feel.
Take note that by saying you feel dizzy, you meant any the following:
On one hand, if you say you have vertigo, this means that your brain is tricking you into feeling movements and changes in orientation even when you’re not moving. Unlike in a simple dizzying spell, your condition stems from a malfunction of your vestibular system.
Besides the question what is vertigo, many people wonder about the risk factors of the symptoms. Are there some people who don’t experience vertigo attacks? Who is more at risk? Here’s a quick list of vertigo risk factors for your reference:
Nowadays, people who have vertigo attacks can choose from an array of remedies, ranging from alternative medicine to the old-school approach. Primarily, you’ll need to narrow down the potential cause of your condition to determine which remedy would work well for you.
For example, if your condition arises from an inner infection like labyrinthitis, you’ll need to receive antibiotic treatment. Once the infection clears, your vertigo episodes will also most likely go away too.
If you BPPV, remedies like the Epley Maneuver and upper cervical care might provide you with desirable results. Once the otoliths go back to their proper place, you would have lesser worries about sensing false motion.
Several cases of vertigo attacks actually stem from spinal misalignment. If you have an atlas subluxation, your brainstem and your inner ear may suffer a lot. It can disrupt the natural flow of information sent to and from the brain via the brainstem. It can also affect fluid drainage, which could cause pressure inside the inner ears and your vestibular system.
By receiving upper cervical care, you can correct the cervical bone subluxation. Slowly, the bones move back into their neutral position, and you can ease the pressure on your brainstem and improve drainage of fluids like blood and cerebrospinal fluid.
Now that you know the answer to common questions like what is vertigo, are you ready to explore your relief options? Are you keen on trying a new and all-natural remedy for your vertigo attacks? Call a cervical doctor near you today and ask about upper cervical care!
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
