Vertigo & dizziness. Screen carefully. Treat what's ours. Refer what isn't.

Dizziness has many causes, some of which are serious and none of which should be guessed at. Two kinds commonly respond to care here: positional vertigo from loose crystals in the inner ear, and dizziness driven by the upper neck. We screen for everything else first and refer when the picture doesn't fit.

Call (715) 748-4433 Get directions
Your first visit
  • History and hands-on exam first
  • X-ray on site, only when the exam calls for it
  • A plain-language explanation and a plan, or a referral

What to expect →

Sound familiar?

What vertigo & dizziness usually feels like.

  • Brief spinning when you roll over in bed, look up or bend down
  • Unsteadiness or a 'floating' feeling that goes with neck stiffness or pain
  • Dizziness that started after a neck injury or whiplash
  • Lightheadedness with turning the head
  • Nausea with the spinning episodes

What's usually going on

The mechanics behind it.

Your sense of balance comes from three inputs: the inner ear, the eyes, and position sensors in the joints and muscles, especially the upper neck. When those inputs disagree, you feel dizzy. BPPV is a mechanical inner-ear problem: tiny crystals drift into a canal and send a false spinning signal with certain head positions. It is diagnosed with a positional test and treated with a repositioning maneuver that guides the crystals back out, which we perform in the office.

Cervicogenic dizziness comes from the neck. The upper cervical joints are dense with position sensors, and when they're stiff or injured, as after whiplash, their signal is wrong and conflicts with the ears and eyes. Restoring upper-neck motion often resolves it. Both are treatable here. Everything else on the list above isn't, and recognizing that is the most important part of the first visit.

How we treat it at Borealis

Find the cause. Treat it. Keep it from coming back.

1

Find the cause

A detailed history of the episodes, neurological and cardiovascular screening, positional testing for BPPV, and examination of the upper neck. If anything points to a cause outside our scope, you're referred the same day.

2

Treat it

For BPPV: a canalith repositioning maneuver, often effective in one to three sessions. For neck-driven dizziness: gentle upper cervical adjusting and soft-tissue work, plus balance and gaze retraining exercises.

3

Keep it resolved

Home positioning advice after BPPV treatment, neck mobility for cervicogenic cases, and clear instructions on what would warrant going straight to medical care if it recurs differently.

Services involved ChiropracticPhysiotherapy & rehabMassage therapy

Questions

What people ask about vertigo & dizziness.

Don't see yours? Call and ask. The front desk will get you an answer or put you through to a doctor.

Can a chiropractor treat vertigo?
Two specific kinds, yes: positional vertigo (BPPV), with a repositioning maneuver, and dizziness driven by the upper neck. Other causes need medical care, and screening for them is the first thing we do.
How do you know it's BPPV?
A positional test reproduces the spinning and produces a characteristic eye movement. It takes a minute and is diagnostic.
Is upper-neck adjusting safe for someone who's dizzy?
Screening comes first, every time. If the exam suggests a vascular or neurological cause, we don't adjust; we refer. Where neck treatment is appropriate, it's low-force and specific.
My doctor said it's an inner-ear problem. Can you still help?
If it's BPPV, yes. If it's another inner-ear condition such as Meniere's or vestibular neuritis, that belongs with an ENT or vestibular therapist, and we'll say so.

Describe it. We'll figure out the rest.

Call and talk to Dawn at the front desk, or walk in Monday through Thursday. You'll leave your first visit knowing what's going on.

Call (715) 748-4433 Get directions