Dizziness can be a very concerning and disabling condition. There are many causes of dizziness and some require further detailed investigation, whilst others are easily treated with manual techniques that produce good, quick and efficient relief.
If you are concerned that you are suffering with dizziness, please do first consult your general practitioner.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is one of the types of dizziness that we as manual therapists can effectively diagnose and treat. It causes short episodes of intense dizziness (vertigo) when you move your head in certain directions, such as laying down on one side. Vertigo is the sensation that you or your surroundings are moving.
BPPV is thought to be caused by tiny solid fragments (otoconia) in the inner ear canals. It can be diagnosed by 3 separate manoeuvres, the Dix-Hallpike, the Side Laying test and the Roll test. If positive, these tests then dictate the type of manoeuvre used to treat the condition.
A simple series of movements and positions of the head over a few minutes and vastly improve symptoms and are effective in 70-90% of cases. The treatments uses gravity and positioning of the head to move the tiny fragments away from where they are causing problems.
Cervicogenic dizziness another type of dizziness, characterised by the presence of imbalance, unsteadiness, disorientation, neck pain, limited cervical range of motion (ROM), and may be accompanied by a headache. The cervical spine may be considered the cause of the dizziness when all other potential causes of dizziness are excluded. To be considered Cervicogenic dizziness, dizziness should be closely related to changes in cervical spine position or cervical joint movement.
More research is needed into the mechanism of cervicogenic dizziness as it is generally a diagnosis of exclusion, but cervicogenic dizziness patients tend to respond well to physical therapy to improve neck range of motion and sense of balance. Stretching techniques, manual therapy, and training on proper posture and use of your neck help to improve this condition.
At Blackberry Clinic we have practitioners who are experts in many painful and debilitating musculoskeletal conditions that can affect every day life, work and sport. We offer accurate diagnosis and aim to get to the cause of your issues with full physical assessment and history taking. With a condition like dizziness it is important that you seek medical advice from your GP prior to coming for an appointment but with certain kinds of dizziness there can be remarkable improvement with manual therapy such as chiropractic treatment, physiotherapy and osteopathy.
