Do you experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or vertigo often? It can be incredibly frustrating and limiting. Vertigo is an unsettling condition that can cause a person to feel like they are spinning or moving even when they are stationary.
While there can be many causes for vertigo, one relatively unknown solution is osteopathy. Osteopathy is a manual therapy that uses specific techniques to treat the body as a whole.
Osteopathy is an effective treatment for vertigo and can help patients regain their stability and quality of life.
What is vertigo?
Vertigo is a symptom of a medical problem, not a disease in and of itself. Vertigo is a common condition that affects approximately 40% of the population at some point in their lives. Vertigo is a complex condition frequently caused by several factors and is hardly straightforward.
Vertigo sufferers describe the sensation as “dizzy spells” and “the room spinning” when moving their necks or changing positions. This dizziness can cause nausea, vomiting, and the sensation that one’s eyes are flickering.
The most common type of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which accounts for 20% of all dizziness episodes. It is critical to have a medical practitioner evaluate the cause of vertigo since multiple factors, conditions, and diseases can cause it.
What causes vertigo?
It can be divided into a few broad categories. These are problems with your blood pressure or blood pressure medications, other medications, inner ear infections, a virus, problems with your neck that affect a specific nerve, and benign vestibular apparatus problems that governs balance.
The most common cause of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV is actually an ear condition that gives you a sudden spinning sensation as if your head is spinning from within. This can last for seconds or days.
BPPV is caused by crystals in your inner ear moving from their normal position and circling the ear canal. The increased movement of the crystals gives the brain a false sense of motion when moving the head.
When people have vertigo, they feel that the room is spinning, especially when they move into certain positions, such as rolling over in bed.
A problem in the part of the inner ear that controls balance causes peripheral vertigo. The vestibular labyrinth or semicircular canals are the names given to these areas. The vestibular nerve may also be involved in the problem. This is the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain stem.
Common symptoms of vertigo
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Loss of balance
- Mild or intense dizziness
- Fatigue
- Light-headedness
- Unsteadiness
- Vomiting
Osteopathic treatment for vertigo
A series of very gentle treatments to relieve pressure and irritation in your neck, combined with the most recent vestibular apparatus rehabilitative exercises, can significantly reduce your symptoms.
It’s incredible how a patient with severe vertigo can improve dramatically with gentle, targeted treatment.
Treatment includes a series of head movements that helps to dislodge the crystals that form in the ears allowing very rapid relief of the spinning sensation.
We strongly encourage you to try gentle osteopathic treatment to relieve and treat your vertigo because we believe it is a very effective treatment regime.
Alternative medical treatments, such as taking stematil, do not address the cause of your vertigo but may relieve your symptoms. The bombardment of tests you can receive in the hospital is quite unpleasant. It should be avoided if at all possible.
Is cranial osteopathy good for vertigo?
Craniosacral osteopathy is an effective treatment option for people who suffer from chronic peripheral vestibular pathology.
What is the fastest way to resolve vertigo?
Fortunately, your osteopath can help you relieve the symptoms of BPPV-related vertigo. Your osteopath may use simple positioning techniques and a series of questions to help categorise the symptoms to determine which type of vertigo is present.
Many people who suffer from vertigo benefit from vestibular rehabilitation training (VRT), which is a series of exercises for people who suffer from dizziness and balance problems.
If you have vertigo, the best thing you can do is lie down in a quiet, dark room, close your eyes, and take deep breaths. This may help alleviate nausea and reduce the sensation of spinning.
Final thoughts on Osteopathy For Vertigo
Traditional treatments like medication and surgery may not be the right fit for all patients with vertigo.
We think you should consider osteopathy as a treatment option. Osteopaths are specially trained to treat the whole body, not just the symptoms. We can help to restore balance and reduce or eliminate your vertigo symptoms.
If you are suffering from vertigo, don’t hesitate to explore the possibility of osteopathic treatment. You may be surprised at how well it works!
If you’re struggling with vertigo, book an appointment with one of our osteopaths at Foundation Health for an assessment and treatment plan.
