At Neuroworks, your Chiswick chiropractor, we specialize in diagnosing and treating all kinds of dizziness. If you or someone you know suffers from dizziness please call to arrange an appointment on 020 8566 3757 now.
Dizziness is a poorly defined term that can mean different things to different individuals. So the first thing the clinician will do is try and determine what specifically you mean when you say you are “dizzy”.
Dizziness can be described as a perception of unsteadiness, light headedness or giddiness. It is the sensation that something within themselves is not quite right.
People often get confused about the difference between dizziness and vertigo. Actually, vertigo is a very distinct symptom, which occurs due to a variety of specific conditions. One of the first things your clinician will do is try and ascertain whether your dizziness is due to vertigo or not.
Specifically, vertigo is a type of dizziness. It refers to the sensation that you are moving or spinning even though you are standing still.
There are two types of vertigo: peripheral vertigo and central vertigo. A peripheral disorder is one that either affects your inner ear or the vestibular nerve, connecting your inner ear to your brain. Examples of peripheral vertigo include BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), Menieres and labrynthitis. This is different from central vertigo, which refers to a disorder specifically affecting the brain.
However, there are many other causes of dizziness that do not specifically cause vertigo. One type of dizziness is cervicogenic dizziness. This refers to issues with neck muscles and joints that presents as dizziness. It is common after whiplash or concussion-type injuries where there is damage to the neck muscles and joints, however may occur in anyone with significant cervical (ie. neck) dysfunction. When the cervical joints are restricted or the neck muscles are tight, sensory input to the brain is affected. This means that these structures are not doing their job properly in telling the brain where exactly the neck is in space (this is known as proprioception). All of a sudden, the sensory input coming from the neck to the brain is different to that which is coming in from the inner ear (the balance centres) and the eyes. This incongruence of sensory information then results in dizziness.
Other causes of dizziness can include high or low blood pressure (particularly when changing from sitting-standing, known as postural hypotension), infection, alcohol, high or low blood sugar and persistent postural perceptual dizziness, amongst many others.
If you are suffering from dizziness, it is important to have it assessed by your chiropractor or other health professional. Treatments will vary depending on the specific type of dizziness or vertigo from which you suffer. Please call to arrange an appointment on 020 8566 3757 now and let us help you today.