Understanding Dizziness in Kids and How to Help

Do you have young children who frequently experience constant bouts of spinning sensations? Are you afraid that your kid might lose his or her balance and suffer from an injury to the head, neck, or back? Have you been looking for ways to help your kids cope but have failed to see desirable results?

Understandably, vertigo is a worrying symptom that can give sufferers the feeling of unsteadiness despite being perfectly still. This experience can make even the bulkiest and strongest of men and women crumble in pain, fear, and frustration. If that’s the case for adults then, you can just imagine how it would be like for children.

As a parent, watching your child suffer from any form of discomfort can be difficult and heart-wrenching, especially if the pain is something you can’t physically see and soothe like a bruise or a scratch.

Vertigo can be especially challenging for children, causing them to experience dizziness, unsteadiness, and pain that can significantly affect their life and view of the world.

So, whether your child’s vertigo is a new or recurring issue, it can be extra challenging to know what to do to help them feel better. This article will provide an overview of pediatric vertigo, its causes, and the safest and most effective form of vertigo relief for children. We hope that by reading this article, you'll feel empowered to help your child effectively manage this symptom.

What Causes Pediatric Dizziness?

Dizziness or feeling lightheaded is a widespread problem that does not only affect adults or aging individuals. Instead, it can also cause difficulty and discomfort in younger people like school-aged children and teenagers. Some of the usual causes of dizziness in children include the following:

• Standing in one place for a long time – Typically, this causes the blood to pool in the legs, lowering the blood pressure in the heart and brain. 
• Neurological issues – Central nervous conditions like vestibular migraines and Chiari Malformation can cause dizziness and vertigo attacks. 
• Malnourishment – Iron or other nutrient deficiencies can cause mild to severe bouts of dizziness accompanied by body weakness.
• Ear infection – Infection inside the ear like vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis can lead to vertigo and dizzying spells. This is because a child’s ability to detect and perceive balance and motion changes gets impaired due to inflammation in the infected ear. 
• Concussions – Contact sports such as football can sometimes cause concussions, a brain injury that causes various symptoms like vertigo attacks, dizziness, and light sensitivity.
• Previous neck trauma – Neck injuries like whiplash can impact the vestibular and nervous systems because of cervical subluxation (neck bone misalignment). The misaligned bone may cause the brain to receive mixed signals concerning the head’s movement or orientation.
• Failing to drink enough water – Dehydration or fluid loss also affects blood pressure. When a child doesn't drink enough water, blood might fail to reach the brain like it should, causing a spinning or dizzying sensation.

Before you start seeking natural remedies for dizziness, like calling a cervical chiropractor, we recommend pinpointing the root cause of the child’s symptoms. This way, you can use the best vertigo relief option and address the root cause once and for all. 

Children May Have Any of These Vertigo Types

Peripheral Vertigo

Thie issue originates from the inner ear. For example:

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) causes an overwhelming yet momentary feeling that you are in a whirling motion.
• Meniere’s disease is due to excessive fluid accumulation in the ear
• Vestibular neuritis happens when the vestibular nerve swells and disrupts the transmission of messages to the brain

Central Vertigo

This results from an issue in the spinal cord or brain. For example:

• Head trauma
• Strokes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Tumors of the brain and spinal cord
• Vestibular migraine

How to Know If a Kid is Dizzy

Kids often have a hard time verbalizing what they feel when they are ill. That's why many parents and guardians find it challenging to provide enough assistance or first-aid remedies. We suggest looking at the following indications of dizziness to help your child cope: 

• The body movements – Check if the child has trouble keeping his balance, especially while walking or running. If the kid can’t stand or walk properly, then he might be experiencing severe dizzying spells or spinning sensations. 
• Difficulty thinking – Lack of oxygen in the brain doesn’t only cause dizzying symptoms. Instead, it can also impair cognitive functions like processing information. 
• Child’s verbal cues – Look out for usual verbal cues such as “my head is spinning” and “I feel sick.” From there, check for other indications of dizziness, such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of balance. 

Generally, dizziness doesn’t require immediate medical assistance. However, there are some instances when you need to dial 911 or rush to the emergency room. Here are some examples:

• The child has a life-threatening condition
• The kid can’t walk, or you observe severe muscle weakness
• He has dizzying spells follow bleeding or an injury
• The child has slurred speech or can’t communicate
• You suspect poisoning
• The child says he feels rapid breathing or heart-pounding

The Story of a Child with Vertigo

A young girl experienced intermittent vertigo for a week. Her doctor noted moments when she felt that the room was moving swiftly, resembling that of a roller coaster ride. During one attack, she experienced stomach discomfort and felt the urge to throw up. She also complained of an inability to walk and maintain her balance. When these happened, the little girl just rested and laid down in bed to ward off the sensation.

Despite these uncomfortable symptoms, the eight-year-old girl did well in school. The girl was later diagnosed with otitis media and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Considering the family's migraine history, the doctor warned the girl and her parents against her triggers that likely worsened her condition. Thankfully, her vertigo disappeared later without drastic medical intervention.

However, not all children have the same fate. More often, a doctor or specialist needs to confirm the possibility of an underlying illness, and getting a diagnosis can take a while. It is crucial to know the root cause of children’s vertigo attacks so that utmost care and relief can be given to them.

Natural Remedies for Dizziness in Kids 

As parents or guardians, looking for natural remedies for dizziness is the best option in helping an ailing kid. However, most drug manufacturers formulate medications for adults, so we recommend trying natural and holistic approaches first unless you have a specific prescription from a pediatrician. Some of the most highly recommended dizziness remedies you can use include the following:

Monitoring for other health conditions

The presence of health problems like cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders might be why a kid feels dizzy. Alternatively, these health conditions might be a secondary cause of the symptom. Therefore, we strongly recommend getting the child checked by your doctor for a clear and accurate diagnosis. 

Keeping the child hydrated

As we have discussed above, dehydration can cause dizziness. Regardless of the child’s preferences for physical activities, we recommend keeping tabs on his water consumption. You can use graded water bottles or note the number of glasses your kid drinks each day. 

Addressing nutrient deficiency

Nutrient deficiencies can trigger the onset of various diseases that cause malaise. Many kids and parents mistaken malaise or general body weakness for dizziness. If you suspect a nutrient deficiency, we recommend talking to a pediatrician and determine the best food supplements or diet changes you should use. 

Trying the Epley Maneuver

While BPPV or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo primarily affects adults, it can also occur in kids. In fact, about 1 percent of the total BPPV cases are children younger than 15 years old. If the kid has BPPV, you can try the Epley Maneuver. It’s a specialized approach to addressing the root cause of BPPV: dislodged calcium crystals in the inner ears.  

Going to a cervical chiropractor

If the child previously suffered from a head or neck trauma, we highly recommend consulting with a cervical chiropractic doctor. Chances are, the dizzying or spinning sensations that the child experiences stem from misalignment of the upper neck bones. These misaligned bones can impact the central nervous system (CNS), specifically the brain and brainstem. Without them communicating clearly, a child is at risk of experiencing dizziness or false motions. 

With the help of a neck chiropractor, a kid can gradually restore his cervical spine alignment and reduce the pressure on his CNS. It can also help stimulate faster healing of the affected tissues, allowing the child to experience lesser dizzying spells. 

Are you interested in trying a proven natural remedy for dizziness? Then, get in touch with a cervical chiropractor near you so you can schedule your child’s neck bone alignment assessment.

to schedule a consultation today.