Seeing your kids have fun and hearing them laugh while playing outside is one of the many joys of being a parent. Conversely, seeing them disoriented and flustered because of a vertigo attack during playtime can be a nightmarish experience. As it turns out, vertigo and dizziness in kids are more common than you think. That’s why thousands of parents are on the hunt for effective vertigo relief options.

Young Kids Can Experience Vertigo Attacks Too!

To date, about 90 million Americans seek medical assistance due to dizziness, vertigo, and other related balance disorders. A large fraction of them have painstakingly tried every vertigo relief option they can find to experience a semblance of a normal life. As you may know, vertigo and dizziness can leave a significant impact on your day-to-day schedule, especially when you lead a busy life. 

While many think that only adults can experience vertigo attacks, case studies and medical reports show that it is also a big problem among kids. In fact, according to Children’s National, pediatric vertigo or dizziness can stem from even the most ordinary things, such as: 

• Standing up for an extended period 
• Changing position abruptly
• Sweating excessively due to sports or strenuous physical activities
• Skipping meals or eating a lesser amount of food
• Forgetting to drink water in between physical activities
• Running out of oxygen in the head because of a neck or brain injury

Usual Underlying Causes of Pediatric Vertigo and Dizziness

Besides the vertigo triggers we enumerated above, several underlying health problems can also cause vertigo episodes in children. Some examples of these are: 

• Infection (viral or bacterial) in the inner ears – Inner ear infections like labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis can lead to dizziness and vertigo in children. 

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo - BPPV mainly occurs in adults, but it can also develop in young children and teenagers after a traumatic brain injury or neck trauma. The symptoms tend to worsen when a child moves or tilts the head. 

• Hypotension or low blood pressure – Certain medications, anaphylactic shock, and arrhythmia can cause low blood pressure in children. Consequently, hypotension can trigger vestibular problems and dizziness. 

• Meniere’s disease – This vestibular disorder rarely occurs in kids. However, it can cause debilitating bouts of dizzying and spinning sensations, ringing in the ears, and temporary loss of hearing function. 

• Pediatric migraine - About 10 percent of 5 to 15-year-old kids and 28 percent of teenagers in the USA experience migraine attacks. Unfortunately, besides unbearable headaches, pediatric migraines can also cause vertigo. 

It would help to consult with a pediatrician to understand why your child experiences vertigo. You can expect the doctor to request a series of diagnostic examinations to pinpoint the exact or most likely reason behind the symptom.

How to Help Kids and Teens Who Experience Vertigo

Children, especially those who can’t express themselves clearly, find it difficult to cope with vertigo attacks. They might also find it hard to stay in school or play with their friends because of the dizzying sensation they experience. Teenagers who experience episodes, on the one hand, can become frustrated and distant due to the impact of their symptoms on their routine and relationships. 

To help a young child or a growing teenager cope and experience lasting or temporary vertigo relief, you can try the following approaches: 

• Trying the Epley Maneuver – If your child’s vertigo symptom stems from BPPV, the pediatrician might recommend the Epley Maneuver. Essentially, this approach aims to restore dislodged calcium crystals to their proper places.  

• Using antihistamines to prevent inflammation – Kids who have Meniere’s sometimes use antihistamines to cope. That’s because this drug helps reduce inflammation, a critical factor that influences the severity of Meniere’s disease.

• Treating the inner ear infection with antibiotics or antiviral medicine – Some patients who experience vertigo attacks find relief after treating their ear infection. It helps improve fluid drainage and reduce inflammation in the inner ear chamber. After the infection clears, the symptoms go away, helping a child go back to normal life. 

• Working with an upper cervical doctor – Some cases of pediatric vertigo trace their origins to cervical subluxation. The approach aims to fix abnormalities in the C1 and C2 bone alignment and restore balance in the child’s nervous and vestibular system.  

Giving Vertigo Relief to Children by Fixing Their Neck Bone Alignment

Surely enough, vertigo doesn’t always require emergency visits to the pediatrician. Sometimes, all it takes is finding a sustainable and effective source of vertigo relief, such as upper cervical chiropractic. If your child has a history of TBI, whiplash injury, or other similar health concerns, we suggest talking to an upper cervical doctor. After all, spinning sensations or vestibular problems can stem from cervical subluxation or shifting of the neck bones. 

By getting your child’s neck assessed by an upper cervical doctor, you can check for postural problems and schedule the initial adjustment. Many young patients have experienced significant changes in their vertigo attacks and vertigo-causing symptoms because of upper cervical care. That’s because it’s a leading approach that promises to restore spinal health so the nervous system and vestibular organs can do their job. 

Some patients immediately seek a neck chiropractor to help their kids experience relief. Others, on the one hand, turn to this procedure when other remedies fail them. Regardless of where you fit in these two situations, you might find it beneficial to consult a nearby upper cervical doctor. 

Schedule your appointment with a nearby upper cervical chiropractic practice and see how the procedure can help your child experience vertigo relief.

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