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Conditions · Cadillac, MI

Vertigo: when the room spins

Vertigo is the false sense that you — or the room — is moving. It's a symptom, not a diagnosis, and the treatment that helps depends entirely on what's causing it. Some causes respond well to in-office care. Others don't, and pretending otherwise helps no one.

What causes vertigo?

  • BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) — the most common cause. Tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear drift into a canal where they don't belong, triggering brief, intense spinning when you change head position: rolling over in bed, looking up, bending down.
  • Inner-ear inflammation (vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis) — often following a viral illness.
  • Ménière's disease — episodes of vertigo with ear fullness, ringing, or hearing changes.
  • Vestibular migraine — vertigo as part of a migraine pattern, with or without headache.
  • Neck-related (cervicogenic) dizziness — dizziness driven by dysfunction in the upper neck.
  • Other causes — medication side effects, blood-pressure drops, and, less commonly, problems in the brain itself that need prompt medical attention.

The Epley maneuver — and why it can feel like magic

When vertigo is BPPV, Dr. Brown performs the Epley maneuver in the office: a specific, unhurried sequence of head positions that uses gravity to guide those displaced crystals back where they belong. No cracking, no medication — just geometry.

And when it's the right fix, it's amazing. People walk out feeling like magic happened to them — the spinning that ambushed them every time they rolled over in bed is simply gone. Not every case resolves in one visit, and not every vertigo is BPPV. But when it is, few things in this office are more satisfying to treat.

The honest part

Depending on the cause, vertigo may need to be referred out — some types belong with your physician or an ear specialist, and the evaluation is designed to sort that out early. But certain types, BPPV especially, respond to in-office care, and it costs you one honest evaluation to find out which kind you have.

Worth knowing: sudden vertigo that arrives with double vision, slurred speech, numbness, weakness, or a severe new headache isn't a chiropractic problem — it's an emergency. Call 911 first, not our office.

Tired of the spinning?

Call or text (231) 468-3777 or request an appointment — new patients are usually seen within the week. Active Chiropractic of Cadillac serves Cadillac and the surrounding Wexford, Missaukee, and Osceola County communities. See what a visit costs before you come in.

Also see how Dr. Brown approaches sciatica and shoulder pain.