Vertigo

The vertigo sufferer feels that he is moving or that objects are whirling around him. Other symptoms can include dizziness, faintness, lightheadedness or disequilibrium.

Cervicogenic vertigo and chiropractic, managing a single case - a case report. Cagle P, Journal of the American Chiropractic Association May 1995 p.83-84.

Case study of a 71 year-old woman who had “sudden onset of severe disabling vertigo.”

From the abstract:

The patient tried standard medical care for almost a year with very little relief. Then, she went for chiropractic care. The cervical adjustments she received resolved the vertigo.

This short paper includes a well-written section on the causes of vertigo, and discusses the theories of cervicogenic vertigo’s causes.

A combined approach for the treatment of cervical vertigo. Bracher ESB, Almieda CIR, Almieda RR, et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Feb. 2000:23(2), pp.96-100.

Fifteen individuals who suffered from cervical vertigo were given “spinal manipulation” with various other interventions including analgesic electrotherapy, labyrinth sedation, surface electromyography biofeedback and an exercise program.

After five treatment sessions over 41 days 60% of patients reported complete remission of vertigo. Twenty per cent of patients reported consistent improvement with rate, mild recurrence of symptoms. Only two patients were still using medication compared to nine originally.

Note from Dr. Koren: with all the interventions employed, which one got the patients better? Who knows? That is a major weakness of this paper, too many variables.

Vertibulospinal reflexes in patients with cervical disequilibrium (“The cervical staggering”). Hulse M, Holzl M. HNO 2000;48(4):295-301.

67 patients with suspected vertigo received chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine. Using cranial corphorpography and posturography the patient’s vestibulo reactions were tested before and after adjustments.

Results revealed “A highly significant improvement in pathological vestibulospinal reactions after chiropractic…these results show that a functional disorder of the cervical vertebrae influences the vestibulospinal reactions.”

Treatment of vertigo: a case report. Keith K. Et al. Chiropractic Dec. 89;2(4):95-96. Describes a correction of vertigo under chiropractic care.

Cervicogenic vertigo: a report of three cases. Cote P, Mior SA, Fitz-Ritson, D. J of the Canadian Chiropractic Assoc, 1991; 35:89-94.

Case #1: A 65-year-old man with a 20-year history of vertigo. Motion palpation revealed a C1-C2 dysfunction; adjusted 8 times over a three-week period. The patient reported complete relief with no return of symptoms at 18-month follow-up.

Case #2: A 62-year-old man with a 10 year history of vertigo associated with neck pain, headache, interscapular pain, and occasional nausea. C1-2 fixation was adjusted.

After the first visit patient stated the vertigo was gone but some neck pain persisted. At six year follow-up the patient complained of occasional exacerbations of vertigo (approximately once per year) that were quickly relieved by upper cervical adjustment.

Case #3: 30-year-old female with headache, neck pain and dizziness following auto accident. Likely TMJ involvement. Upper cervical and thoracic adjustments in conjunction with soft tissue work for the TMJ. After one month, the patient no longer complained of dizziness or headache. At 3 year follow-up, the patient reported only one recurrence of vertigo which resolved after chiropractic visit.

Assessment of cervicogenic vertigo. Fitz-Ritson D. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1991;14:193-8.

This is a report of 112 cervicogenic vertigo patients who had excellent results following chiropractic cervical subluxation correction.

A combined approach for the treatment of cervical vertigo. Bracher E, Bleggi C, Almeida C et al. Proceedings of the 5th Biennial Congress of the World Federation of Chiropractic. 1999:154-155

This is a report of 16 cervicogenic vertigo patients who had excellent results following chiropractic cervical subluxation correction.

Mobilization of the Spine. Grieve GP Churchill Livingston, London/New York, 4th edition (1984) 22-23.

All those experienced in manipulation can report numerous examples of migrainous headaches, disequilibrium (vertigo), subjective visual disturbances, feelings of retro-orbital pressure, dysphagia, dysphonia, heaviness of a limb, extra segmental paraesthesia, restriction of respiratory excursion, abdominal nausea and the cold sciatic leg being relieved by manual or mechanical treatment of the vertebral column.


Copyright 2004 Koren Publications, Inc. & Tedd Koren, D.C.