Overview
Vertigo is the term often used to describes any type of dizziness. "Dorland's Medical Dictionary" indicates that vertigo is a type of dizziness associated with an illusion of movement, often a spinning sensation, which may be from a disease of the inner ear or from disturbances in pathways in the nervous system. Chiropractic treatment is an option for the treatment of certain types of vertigo.
Manipulation
Chiropractic manipulation targets joints that are moving improperly. In the upper neck, faulty motion patterns can result in misinformation about body position and movement being communicated from the joints to the brain. This type of vertigo, called cervicogenic vertigo, is more likely to benefit from chiropractic manipulation. In a study published in the October 1991 "Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics," chiropractor Don Fitz-Ritson reported a 90 percent success rate when treating this type of vertigo with manipulation.
Positioning Maneuvers
The inner ear houses the body's true balance center, the vestibulocochlear system. This complex system of fluid-fulled tubes lined with hair-like sensors provides information to the central nervous system about position and movement. In some individuals, debris may accumulate in the vestibulocochlear apparatus. If this debris settles on sensitive areas within the tubes, it may result in vertigo. If the source of the patient's vertigo appears