Have you ever heard about BPPV? You hit your head on the kitchen cabinet, got into a fender bender in the parking lot at the grocery store, or took a hit on the sports field, and suddenly you feel like the world is spinning around you.  Does this scenario sound familiar?  If so, you might be experiencing the most common type of vertigo – benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

What is BPPV? 

BPPV can bring on periods of dizziness ranging from mild to severe.  Different movements can trigger an attack, such as tilting your head up and down, or sitting up from a lying position.  There are several factors that may make people more prone to developing BPPV as well, including:

1. Osteoporosis
2. Diabetes
3. Pre-existing inner ear condition
4. Prior head injury

BPPV Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is the most common type of vertigo and is also common following a head injury.  Vertigo symptoms arise when the head is placed in certain positions.  A head injury can also cause damage to the tissues of the central nervous system, such as the cerebellum and brainstem, both responsible for the body’s sense of balance and location in space.

How Can Upper Cervical Chiropractic Help

Whether you’ve had a head injury or not (even a seemingly mild one) and are experiencing vertigo symptoms, having your neck checked by an upper cervical chiropractor can be an important part of the healing process.  The atlas vertebra is positioned at the very top of the spine, just beneath the base of the skull.  It has a shape that is completely different from the other vertebrae in your spine and forms a protective ring around the brainstem.  A head injury from a slip and fall, fender bender, or otherwise, can cause the atlas to shift out of normal alignment, putting abnormal pressure on the brainstem and surrounding tissues of the central nervous system.  This can lead to symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

At the Besso Clinic, we specialize in the upper cervical area of the spine.  Day in and day out, we identify atlas misalignments that are the root cause of people’s vertigo attacks, as well as many other conditions.  Once we are able to determine if an atlas misalignment is contributing to your condition, we work to restore normal alignment.  Given the proper amount of time, the body is able to heal and restore normal function, leading to a reduction in the frequency and severity of vertigo issues.

References:

https://www.healthline.com/health/benign-positional-vertigo#Overview1

https://american-hearing.org/disorders/post-traumatic-vertigo/