Almost everyone has experienced about of dizziness at some point in his or her life.  Usually, these episodes are short-lived and never thought about again.  However, people who live with chronic vertigo may experience frequent episodes that last anywhere from a few seconds to days on end.

To understand vertigo, it’s important to understand the way the body is able to maintain balance under normal conditions.  Three systems are responsible for relaying sensory information from the body to the brain about the body’s position:

1. your vision
2. your vestibular system (which includes the inner ear)
3. and your proprioception (sensors in the feet, trunk and spine that respond to touch)

Signals from these three systems are processed in the brainstem, an area of the spine that connects the brain itself to the spinal cord.  The brainstem is protected by the uppermost two vertebrae in the neck – the atlas (C1) and axis (C2).  When there is an interruption in the transmission of these signals, the brain becomes confused about the body’s position in space and the sensation of vertigo happens.

If you suffer from chronic episodes of vertigo or dizziness, it is important to have the alignment of the C1 and C2 vertebra checked by an upper cervical chiropractor.   Dr. Besso is an upper cervical specialist in Stow, Ohio who helps his patients with vertigo get back to living a normal life.  By working to restore normal spinal alignment of the upper cervical area, the pressure on the brainstem is removed so that signals between the body and brain can be received properly.

References:

https://vestibular.org/node/2