Cervicogenic Dizziness Treatment with our Joplin Chiropractor
Many patients that have presented to our office with the complaints of dizziness have come to us after being misdiagnosed with Meniere's disease which is a rare condition involving the vestibular system of the inner ear. Vertigo is a symptom that is directly related to the vestibular system, dizziness is not vertigo and not related to the inner ear. Episodes may be frequent to years apart from the duration. The episodes will not be relieved by anti-inflammatory, modalities, analgesic and muscle relaxers. Episodes may include feeling like you are being pushed to one side, swallowing problems, speech problems, unexplained falls, and severe headaches.
Cervicogenic dizziness literally means that the cause arises from the cervical spine. This condition is generally accompanied by neck pain, decreased ranges of motion of the cervical spine, headaches and usually a sequel of trauma to the head or neck. Dizziness may also be associated with cervical disc herniation, flexion-extension injuries (whiplash), severe cervical spine arthritis, and head trauma. The patient may complain of an unsteady gait while walking, spinning type sensation, intermittent or constant headaches, mal-position of the head, difficulty in reading, fatigue, have radicular symptoms in the upper extremities, jaw pain, nausea and vomiting, anxiety and aggravated by the position of the head. The dizziness can be episodic or can be constant. Some relief may be achieved with the use of anti-inflammatory, analgesics, and muscle relaxers. A thorough patient case history is vital to the diagnosis. Duration is episodic in minutes to hours, seconds to minutes, reoccurring on a frequent basis, transient and related to head position. Either of the conditions may be debilitating, limiting your capability to earn a living, and enjoy life.
The major difference is nystagmus, which is an uncontrolled abnormal movement of the eyes and most often accompanies vertigo. Simple testing can rule out the difference.
Chiropractic manipulation is the simplest treatment for cervicogenic dizziness. Treatment consists of manipulation to the Atlas (C1) and the axis (C2) relief is dependent on the length of the condition and the integrity of the upper structures of the cervical spine. Success can be as short as two to three treatments to upwards of ten manipulations, modality therapy has a tendency to shorten treatment time. A proper treatment plan can determine the re-occurrence of the condition.
Dr. Skaggs is successful in the treatment of cervicaogenic dizziness. If you have been recently diagnosed with vertigo and feel you have gotten no relief from your treatment it may not be vertigo, call Dr. Skaggs's office today for a simple examination to see if we can help.