Vertigo relief in Riverton, UT is not so hard to attain if people would only gain more knowledge about their condition. The first step toward relief calls for patients to get the right diagnosis.
Many illnesses and conditions could be behind the occurrence of vertigo. Vertigo is the fake feeling of spinning of either you or your environment. In most cases, vertigo sets in due to an issue involving the vestibular system, which regulates the body’s balance.
Before we go over the list of all possible causes of vertigo, let us discuss first the debilitating symptoms that accompany it.
VERTIGO SYMPTOMS AND FACTS
A study showed that as many as 26 million Americans visited an emergency room due to vertigo over the past decade.
Three body parts manage the detection and control of our posture and balance— the vestibular nerve, the inner ear, and the brainstem. Therefore, these three require vital care to work properly and not to cause vertigo.
Because vertigo itself is a symptom of an underlying disorder, many other symptoms accompany it, including:
- Hearing loss
- Numbness or weakness
- Feeling faint
- Nausea and vomiting
- Tinnitus — ringing noise in the ears
- Nystagmus — uncontrollable eye movements
- Dysarthria — slurred speech or problems talking
- Ataxia gait — difficulty walking
- Diplopia — a blurry vision
- Oscillopsia — visual disturbances
- Diaphoresis — sweating
When you visit a hospital for a consultation, give your doctor an accurate and detailed description of the symptoms you experience to get an accurate diagnosis. This can help you get vertigo relief in Riverton, UT.
VERTIGO-ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS
Many conditions can be the culprit behind balance disorders and vertigo. Here’s a list of some of them.
LABYRINTHITIS
Labyrinthitis is due to the swelling of the labyrinth of the inner ear. Together with the vestibulocochlear nerve, they are responsible for the sending of messages about the body’s movement and head position. It can stem from a viral infection like cold or flu. It can cause episodes of vertigo that last for a few hours to days.
MENIERE’S DISEASE
This disease develops due to an excessive amount of fluid in the inner ear. If vertigo is due to Meniere’s, it may last for a few minutes to a few hours. Patients with Meniere’s may also experience tinnitus, feeling of pressure in the ears, or fluctuating hearing loss.
BPPV (BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO)
BPPV is the number one cause of vertigo in many patients. It occurs when small calcium crystals in the inner ear, migrate toward any of the three semicircular canals. Since they should not belong in any of these locations, the disruption in the inner ear results in vertigo. BPPV patients deal with temporary vertigo attacks when they move their head or change their position. This often happens when they turn their head fast, roll over in bed, or bend over to pick an object from the floor.
NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS MAY ALSO BRING ABOUT VERTIGO SYMPTOMS, SUCH AS:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Migraines
- TIAs (transient ischemic attacks)
- Brain tumors
- Strokes
OTHER CONDITIONS MAY ALSO RESULT IN VERTIGO, INCLUDING:
- Hyperventilation
- Medication side effects
- Anxiety or panic attacks
- Heart arrhythmias
- Diabetes
- Orthostatic hypotension (drop in blood pressure when you stand up)
HOW TO DIAGNOSE CAUSE OF VERTIGO
Since vertigo is one of the first indicators of an underlying disease, patients need to undergo multiple examinations so that doctors can assess the functions of these body systems:
- Visual system (eyes)
- Vestibular system (inner ear)
- Somatosensory system (the flex and pressure sensors in your feet)
These tests aim to verify if these body systems are functioning just right or if the problem originates from one of them. There may be three categories for the tests:
- Positional or positioning: This targets the vestibular system. The physician may instruct you to move your body and head to know how your vestibular system responds to any movement and shift in gravity.
- Oculomotor: The visual system for balance is referred to as the oculomotor system. This test observes voluntary eye movements when you complete exercises while staring at a dot on a light bar.
- Calorics: The physician will place a cold and warm air into your ear canals to evaluate the function of your vestibular system. Then, the doctor will compare the reaction of your vestibular system in each ear. Patients may experience a mild sensation of movement at the beginning of the test, but it will subside after a while.
UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTIC ADDRESSES ROOT CAUSE OF VERTIGO
Vertigo that has serious underlying causes would not simply go away. The best solution is addressing the cause of the problem right at its root.
In this aspect, upper cervical chiropractic care can come in handy. Studies have backed the effectiveness of this natural therapy that realigns the topmost bones of the neck. We are referring specifically to the C1 and C2 vertebrae of the upper cervical spine. If one of these is out of alignment, the brainstem would have to suffer from damage and pressure. This can result in its malfunction.
Being the communication vehicle between the body and brain, the brainstem may transmit inaccurate signals to the body or brain. Vertigo is an undesirable outcome. Here at Balanced Chiropractic in Riverton, Utah, we use a gentle technique to return the bones into their proper place safely and naturally.
If you seek vertigo relief in Riverton, UT, visit our office or contact us to start getting upper cervical chiropractic care. We practice the Blair technique of upper cervical chiropractic. In short, we use radiographic analysis to try to figure out the spinal misalignments of patients.
To schedule a consultation with Balanced Utah Chiropractic, call our Riverton office at 801-477-7222. You can also click the button below.