Vertigo & Dizziness Treatment in Parramatta

Vertigo is a disorienting condition that causes sensations of spinning, or swaying, and may come with nausea, vomiting, and sweating, —even when you are standing still or lying down.   It can significantly affect your balance, mobility, and overall quality of life. While vertigo has many causes, the good news is that many cases are treatable—especially with the right diagnosis and approach.

At Health plus Chiropractic in Parramatta, we offer  non-invasive vertigo and dizziness chiropractor care for vertigo, with a focus on treating the underlying causes and restoring your sense of stability.

Understanding Vertigo and Its Symptoms

Vertigo is more than just dizziness. It’s a neurological condition often triggered by problems in the inner ear or cervical spine.  Dizziness is one of the most common health problems experienced by adults, especially after head/neck trauma, and older adults are even more commonly affected.

Episodes typically involve sudden spinning sensations that may last from 20 seconds to several minutes.  Dizziness rarely indicates a serious or life-threatening condition, even though it can be very disabling.  These symptoms may be accompanied by: nausea or vomiting; headaches or migraines; sweating and clamminess; unusual eye movements (nystagmus); balance problems or unsteadiness; or hearing disturbances.

Causes of vertigo and dizziness include:

BPPV – one of the most common causes of vertigo and dizziness is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).  Generally about 20% of all cases of dizziness are due to BPPV and about 50% of all dizziness in older patients is due to BPPV.   BPPV involves intense, brief episodes of dizziness associated with moving the head, often on turning over in bed or sitting up in the morning.  It occurs when particles in the semicircular canals in the inner earbreak loose and fall into the wrong part of the inner ear. This gives a false sensation of spinning (vertigo).

It is a balance disorder and it is important to rule out other conditions such as labyrinthitis and Meniere’s disease. In some instances imaging of the head may be required.

Treatment involves teaching sufferers simple movements such the Dix-Hall-Pike and Epley’s manoeuvre.  Further, we can reduce the irritation that occurs in the head and neck due to ongoing vertigo.

Cervicogenic Vertigo – The neck plays a very important role in the stability and balance of the body. In some instances when the neck is irritated, the brain and vestibular systems understanding of where it is in space may become dysfunctional. For this reason some persistent neck disorders may result in the experience of dizziness or vertigo, which is called Cervicogenic Dizziness.

Vestibular Migraines – Some individuals experience vertigo in connection with or as a variation of migraines. In such cases, improving spinal function and reducing neurological distress can play an important role in overall symptom management.

Meniere’s Disease – These inner ear conditions may cause recurring vertigo episodes along with hearing loss, ringing in the ears, or a sensation of fullness in the ear.  While not all cases fall under chiropractic care, we can support many patients with balance-focused spinal treatment and refer when necessary.

Chiropractic Management –

  • Head exercises – called the Epley’s Maneouvre, these exercises will move the particles out of the semicircular canals of your inner ear to a place where they will not cause vertigo.
  • Irritation or injury to the joints, muscles or ligaments of the spine, particularly the neck can cause altered sensory supply to the brainstem and aggravate the vertigo condition. Chiropractors can use spinal adjustments to release joint restrictions, muscle work such as trigger point release and stretching,  and exercise prescriptions to correct balance in the biomechanics of the spine. This will enable complete and rapid recovery of the damaged tissues.
  • Balance exercises – many people with dizziness or vertigo have reduced ability to balance and such loss of function can greatly affect and be involved with vertigo episodes.  We have been teaching balance training in the Parramatta district for over 25 years.
  • Cervical spine function exercise – having been trained by Australian and international experts in neck and spinal rehabilitation, Anthony O’Reilly has a wealth of experience and an array of evidence-based exercises to improve neck function.
  • Vestibular Rehabilitation therapy (VRT) – uses a variety of strategies depending on the dysfunction found in the sufferer. These include oculomotor strategies such s gaze stabilisation, joint repositioning exercises, Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises and dynamic balance exercises.  Anthony has completed training in protocols in management of dizziness by Brain Hub Academia.

Here is a simple case study about cervicogenic vertigo