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Vertigo (dizziness) (1) refers to the subjective sensation of rotatory movement, either of the individual or the environment, and having difficulty to orientate the body in relation to surrounding subjects.
There can be many causes (1) of vertigo (dizziness), some such as diseases involving the labyrinths the vestibular portion of the eighth cranial nerve, and their nuclei and connections. Drug and chemical toxicity, hyperventilation syndrome, multiple sensory disorders, psychiatric disorders, brainstem cerebro-vascular accidents, other neurologic disorders, and cardiovascular disorders.
In Chiropractic a common cause for vertigo (dizziness) is dysfunction of the cervical spine. The vestibular nerve, which is a nerve that connects to your ear, contains the mechanisms which control your balance, also having connections (2) with you neck (more specifically vestibulospinal tracts that travel in the spinal cord and influence cervical motor neurones).
They then relay messages to and from the joints and muscles of the neck, (cervical spine) so that your head movements occur in such a way to assist in maintaining balance. If there is dysfunction in the joints of your neck (cervical spine) afferent input is altered, more specifically to the spinal cord and its interconnections with the vestibular nerve causing the sensation of “dizziness” vertigo.
If you look at the photo below, you will perceive the sensation of vertigo
This diagram shows the neurological connections of the ear to the brain
References:
| (1) |
Chusid, J.G. (1985). Syncope & Coma. In J.G. Chusid. Conservative Neuroanatomy & Functional Neurology. (PG 436). Appleton-Century-Crofts: USA. |
| (2) |
Barr, L. B., Kiernan, J.A. (1983). Vestibular system. In M.L. Barr, J.A. Kiernan. The Human Nervous System, An Anatomical Viewpoint, FOUTH EDITION. (Pg 328). Harper & Row: USA. |
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