Vertigo Treatment

Few symptoms are as disorienting and frightening as vertigo - the sensation that the room is spinning around you when you are perfectly still. Vertigo disrupts every aspect of daily life, from driving safely on College Park roads to simply getting out of bed in the morning. While many vertigo sufferers are told to wait it out or take motion sickness medication, chiropractic treatment offers a more targeted approach by addressing the structural and neurological factors that trigger vertigo episodes. At Georgia Injury Network, Dr. Daniel Dierdorff helps patients identify the source of their dizziness and implement treatment strategies that restore stable, reliable balance.

What Causes Vertigo

Vertigo is a symptom with multiple potential causes, and effective treatment depends on accurately identifying which mechanism is at play. The most common causes seen at our College Park clinic include:

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

BPPV is the single most common cause of vertigo. It occurs when tiny calcium carbonate crystals (otoconia) that normally reside in the utricle of the inner ear become dislodged and migrate into one of the semicircular canals. These displaced crystals create false signals of head movement, producing brief but intense spinning episodes triggered by specific head positions - rolling over in bed, looking up, or bending down.

BPPV responds exceptionally well to repositioning maneuvers - specific sequences of head and body positions that guide the displaced crystals out of the semicircular canal and back to their proper location. Dr. Dierdorff is trained in the Epley maneuver and other canalith repositioning techniques that resolve BPPV, often in a single treatment session.

Cervicogenic Vertigo

The cervical spine plays a critical role in balance and spatial orientation. Proprioceptive receptors in the cervical joints and muscles continuously send position data to the brain, which integrates this information with signals from the inner ear and eyes to maintain equilibrium. When cervical vertebrae are misaligned - from injury, poor posture, or degenerative changes - the proprioceptive signals become distorted, and the brain receives conflicting information about head position. The result is dizziness, unsteadiness, and in some cases, true rotational vertigo.

Cervicogenic vertigo is particularly common after car accidents and whiplash injuries, where the cervical spine sustains significant trauma. Many patients develop vertigo weeks or months after the initial injury, long after the acute neck pain has partially resolved, making the connection between the cervical injury and the vertigo symptoms easy to miss.

Post-Concussion Vertigo

Concussions - whether from car accidents, falls, or sports impacts - frequently produce persistent vertigo and balance problems. The concussive forces can displace inner ear crystals (causing BPPV), damage vestibular nerve pathways, and disrupt the brain’s balance processing centers simultaneously. Post-concussion vertigo often requires a multimodal treatment approach that addresses both the peripheral (inner ear and cervical) and central (brain) components.

Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease is a chronic inner ear condition characterized by episodes of vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of pressure or fullness in the affected ear. While the primary pathology is in the inner ear, cervical spine dysfunction can exacerbate symptoms by altering blood flow and nerve function in the region. Chiropractic treatment serves as a valuable complement to medical management of Meniere’s disease.

How Chiropractic Treatment Helps Vertigo

Upper Cervical Adjustment

The atlas (C1) and axis (C2) vertebrae sit in direct proximity to the brainstem and the vertebral arteries that supply blood to the balance centers of the brain. Misalignment of these vertebrae can alter both blood flow and nerve transmission in ways that contribute to vertigo. Precise upper cervical adjustments restore proper alignment, normalize proprioceptive input, and improve vascular flow to the vestibular system.

BPPV Repositioning

For patients with confirmed BPPV, Dr. Dierdorff performs the appropriate canalith repositioning maneuver based on which semicircular canal is affected. The Epley maneuver addresses the posterior canal (the most commonly involved), while the Lempert roll and other techniques address the horizontal and anterior canals. These procedures are performed in-office and typically produce immediate improvement.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Exercises

Chronic vertigo often deconditions the vestibular system - the brain learns to rely less on balance signals it no longer trusts, which paradoxically makes the dizziness worse. Vestibular rehabilitation exercises retrain the brain to properly process balance information from the inner ear, eyes, and cervical proprioceptors. Dr. Dierdorff prescribes gaze stabilization exercises, habituation exercises, and balance training protocols tailored to each patient’s specific deficits.

Postural and Ergonomic Guidance

For patients whose vertigo is driven or worsened by cervical dysfunction, correcting the postural habits that perpetuate cervical misalignment is essential for long-term resolution. This includes workstation ergonomics, sleeping position, and awareness of head positioning during activities that trigger episodes.

Regain Your Balance

Vertigo does not have to control your life. If you are experiencing dizziness, spinning, or balance problems in College Park or the surrounding Atlanta metro area, call Georgia Injury Network at (470) 397-1527 or schedule your evaluation online. Dr. Dierdorff will determine the cause of your vertigo and implement targeted treatment to restore your stability.