If you've ever experienced vertigo, you know how frightening it can be.

One moment you're fine. The next, it feels like the room is spinning around you. 

You may feel like you're moving even though you're perfectly still. 

Your stomach flips. 

Your balance disappears. 

And suddenly, you're grabbing onto furniture just to stay upright.

When it comes to vertigo, I've had patients tell me they're afraid to roll over in bed, bend down to tie their shoes, look up at a shelf, or even walk across the room without holding onto something.

When your world won't stop spinning, it's terrifying to think about moving in any direction.

Thankfully, many cases of vertigo are treatable.

The first step is figuring out what's causing it. 

What does vertigo feel like?

Vertigo is more than simply feeling dizzy.

It's the sensation that you—or your surroundings—are moving when they aren't.

Most people describe it as:

• The room spinning
• Feeling like they're rocking or tilting
• Feeling pulled to one side
• Feeling like they're moving even while standing still

Vertigo often comes on when you change the position of your head.

You may notice it when you:

• Roll over in bed
• Look up toward the ceiling
• Bend over
• Turn your head
• Go from lying down to sitting up

Many people also experience:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Difficulty walking
• Feeling unsteady
• Anxiety about triggering another episode

With vertigo, anxiety can really affect your life. 

Every movement becomes something you have to worry about, and that’s exhausting. 

For older adults especially, this fear can lead to reduced activity, loss of confidence, and an increased risk of falls.

What causes vertigo?

One of the most common causes of vertigo is a condition called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).

Despite its long name, the condition is actually pretty straightforward.

Inside your inner ear is your vestibular system—your body's balance center.

Part of this system contains tiny calcium crystals that help your brain understand where your head is in space.

Sometimes these crystals become dislodged and move into one of the balance canals where they don't belong.

When you move your head, the misplaced crystals send incorrect information to your brain.

Your eyes, neck, and inner ears suddenly disagree about where your body is.

That's what creates the spinning sensation.

The symptoms can be dramatic—but thankfully, the problem is often very treatable.

Anyone with an inner ear can experience vertigo.

Here in our office, I commonly see vertigo in:

• Older adults
• People after a minor fall or bump to the head
• Adults after amusement park rides (yes—even after a ride on the Giant Dipper!)
• People who wake up one morning with symptoms that seem to come out of nowhere

Although vertigo can happen at any age, it becomes more common as we get older and is slightly more common in women.

I know how unsettling vertigo can feel because I've experienced it myself.

One day my spouse and I hiked to Maple Falls.

We stopped for about twenty minutes to admire the waterfall. I was sitting with my head tilted upward and turned to the right the entire time.

When we stood up to hike back, the world suddenly started spinning.

I immediately sat back down.

At first, I thought I was experiencing one of my occasional vasovagal episodes.

But after trying to walk for a few minutes, I realized something wasn't right.

Thankfully, I remembered what I'd learned in chiropractic school.

I found a place where I could safely lie down and performed the Epley maneuver on myself.

Within a short time, the spinning stopped.

That experience gave me an even greater appreciation for just how frightening vertigo can be.

Being suddenly dizzy when you’ve got a long way to hike is no joke. 

It’s even scarier when you don't know why you’re feeling so dizzy. 

Did you know that sudden dizziness doesn’t automatically mean vertigo?

Although BPPV is common, it isn't the only cause of vertigo.

Sometimes dizziness can come from:

• Neck dysfunction (called cervicogenic dizziness)
• Certain medications
• Concussions or head injuries
• Inner ear disorders
• Neurological or cardiovascular conditions

That's why simply searching online for "How do I stop my dizziness?" isn't enough.

In order to choose the best treatment for your dizziness, you need to know what's causing it.

Sometimes your neck is causing your dizziness.

Your brain relies on information from three systems to maintain your balance:

• Your inner ears
• Your eyes
• Your neck muscles and joints

The joints and muscles of your upper neck contain thousands of tiny sensory receptors that constantly tell your brain where your head is positioned.

If your upper neck becomes stiff or irritated from arthritis, poor posture, whiplash, muscle tension, or a fall, those signals can become inaccurate.

When the information from your neck doesn't match what your eyes and inner ears are reporting, some people experience:

• Feeling off balance
• Lightheadedness
• Difficulty turning their head
• Dizziness associated with neck movement

This is called cervicogenic dizziness.

In these cases, the crystals inside the ear aren't the problem.

The condition of your neck is.

How we determine what's causing your vertigo

When someone comes into Golden Chiropractic with dizziness, we don't just assume it's coming from the neck—or from the inner ear.

We start with a thorough health history and examination to figure out what’s going on.

Depending on your symptoms, your evaluation may include:

• Questions about when the dizziness occurs
• Assessing your neck movement
• Positional testing to see whether changing head position triggers symptoms
• Looking for nystagmus—the involuntary eye movements that often occur with vertigo

Nystagmus happens because your inner ear and brain work together to keep your vision stable as your head moves.

When the balance system is disrupted, your eyes may automatically move back and forth, up and down, or in a circular pattern—even though you're not trying to move them.

Those eye movements help us understand what's happening inside your vestibular system and guide the next step in treatment.

How chiropractic care may help with vertigo (or other causes of dizziness).

Your treatment plan will depend entirely on what's causing your symptoms.

If your dizziness is caused by BPPV, we may perform the Epley maneuver.

This is a series of gentle head and body movements that uses gravity to guide the misplaced crystals back where they belong.

During the maneuver, it's normal to briefly feel dizzy as the crystals move through the canal.

Many patients notice significant improvement after just one treatment, although some need additional treatments or home exercises.

If your dizziness appears to be coming from your neck instead, treatment may include:

• Gentle upper cervical chiropractic adjustments
• Soft tissue therapy
• Mobility exercises
• Balance exercises
• Home care recommendations

The goal is always the same:

Identify the underlying cause and match the treatment to the problem—not simply treat the symptom of dizziness.

What does home care for vertigo look like?

Depending on what's causing your vertigo, you may benefit from habituation exercises or home repositioning exercises recommended by your healthcare provider.

While you're recovering, it also helps to:

• Move slowly
• Avoid sudden head movements
• Sleep slightly propped up if comfortable
• Avoid repeatedly provoking the dizziness by looking upward
• Stay well hydrated

Because every cause of dizziness is different, it's important to know why you're dizzy before trying any exercises you find online.

When should you seek emergency care for dizziness?

Fortunately, most cases of vertigo are not life-threatening.

However, dizziness can occasionally signal a much more serious condition.

Seek immediate medical attention if your dizziness occurs along with:

• Sudden weakness or numbness
• Difficulty speaking
• Double vision
• A severe headache unlike anything you've experienced before
• Chest pain
• Loss of consciousness

These symptoms require emergency evaluation.

When in doubt, get checked out! 

You don't have to live in a spinning world.

Most people improve significantly once the true cause of their dizziness is identified.

Whether your symptoms are coming from your inner ear, your neck, or something else entirely, the first step is getting the right diagnosis.

If you're experiencing dizziness, lightheadedness, or the sensation that the room is spinning, we'd love to help you figure out what's going on.

Here in our Aptos office, we'll take the time to listen to your story, perform a thorough examination, and determine the best next step for you.

If your symptoms are related to BPPV or cervicogenic dizziness, chiropractic care may be able to help. 

If your symptoms are caused by something outside the scope of chiropractic care, we'll make sure you know where to go next.

You don't have to navigate vertigo alone.

Book online to see one of our highly-rated chiropractors.