Dizziness is a very common problem that has many different causes. Some of the causes of dizziness are very serious, such as high blood pressure, tumors and strokes, and if these are suspected causes, your chiropractor will refer you to a medical doctor for co-management. Fortunately, the serious causes of dizziness are not NEARLY as common as those that can be conservatively managed by your chiropractor.
Your sense of balance is made up of several factors, and the disruption of any one of these can cause dizziness. First, your inner ear is made up of fluid-filled tubes that sense your position in space and all of your movements. There are small bones in the inner ear that help to determine if you are moving or holding still. These bones are supposed to stay in place, but sometimes they break loose and float around. When this happens, they stimulate nerves that make it feel like you are moving when you are actually not. This leads to dizziness. Also, if the tissue in the inner ear becomes infected with a virus, you will feel like you are moving, causing dizziness.
The second thing that makes up your sense of balance is special nerve receptors called proprioceptors. These special nerves are in most of the muscles of the body. Their purpose is to sense and adjust muscle tone so that you don't fall over. They work without you even knowing it. For instance, when you trip, you automatically step to the side to catch yourself. It is a reflex. If these nerves aren't working properly due to spinal misalignment, you can feel dizzy.
The last major thing that makes up your sense of balance is your vision. The reason blind people use a cane is so they can use it to, "see" the environment around them. The cane helps them determine where they are because their eyes can't do it for them.
If your dizziness is caused by spinal misalignment that causes your muscles and proprioceptors to malfunction, chiropractic adjustments are likely to benefit you tremendously, but only after a thorough history and examination, will Dr. Flaskey be able to determine if you are a candidate for chiropractic care.
