Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) makes up the majority of vertigo cases. Vertigo affects up to 40% of those middle-age or older. Well over 80% of patients either miss work days or suffer other interruptions of daily activities due to this condition. The financial burden on the US alone is somewhere in the range of $2 billion per year.
A part of this expense is the fact that doctors often prescribe medications like benzodiazepines or antihistamines to suppress the vestibular system as soon as the diagnosis is made. However, researchers discourage this practice since most cases of BPPV can be handled by natural means. When vertigo persists, the encouragement is for doctors to look for an underlying cause in the central nervous system rather than writing the symptom off as positional vertigo.
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The primary method promoted by physicians to care for BPPV is various maneuvers that reposition the head in order to reset the fluid in the ear. While this may be effective on a case by case basis, it does not address the underlying cause of vertigo. For example, is the buildup of fluid due to improper Eustachian tube function?
These tubes are designed to drain the proper amount of fluid away from the ears to avoid vestibular problems or infection. When the upper cervical spine becomes misaligned, Eustachian tube function can suffer. For this reason, many have found that upper cervical chiropractic care is an effective way to cope with vertigo.
Numerous case studies show the benefits of upper cervical chiropractic for vertigo patients. In fact, some studies have seen as many as 80% of patients free from vertigo after care. One thing that many of these studies have in common is that most or all participants suffered head or neck trauma in the past that could have been the cause of an upper cervical misalignment. When the misalignment was corrected, the benefits were reaped. That makes it especially important to seek upper cervical care if a vertigo patient has a history of head or neck trauma.
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TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
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.
