Ugh…I just don’t feel right!

Do you ever feel dizzy, lightheaded, or just “not right,” but the world doesn’t spin when you change positions? Most people think that anytime they are experiencing dizziness, it is due to the “crystals” in their inner ear. But I more frequently will have patients that report feeling dizzy without a spinning sensation.

When this happens, it’s most likely due to your inner ear aka vestibular system not working like it’s supposed to. We have a reflex between our eyes, our inner ears, and back of our brain called the vestibular-ocular reflex. How it works in a nutshell, when our head stops, our eyes stop, but if we didn’t have this reflex our eyes would keep moving when our head stops. When the connection gets a little off and doesn’t work at 100%, we can have dizziness and other symptoms.

There are numerous things that can cause this reflex to not work at 100% such as after air travel, dental work, or even a bad sinus infection/head cold, but sometimes it’s a gradual thing that just happens. The eyes and the inner ear work together to keep us upright and functioning, but when things stop working together, people will have a variety of symptoms that can seem unrelated. I’ve had patients tell me walking down grocery store aisles, eating in a noisy restaurant, riding on an elevator or escalator, and shopping in big box stores will cause them to get really dizzy.

Vestibular rehab will provide eye exercises that can retrain and “strengthen” the reflex just like we can strength our muscles. Other treatments include balance and gait training and simulating activities that cause dizziness to decrease the intensity of symptoms experienced.

If you are experiencing any of symptoms of BPPV and are interested in treatment or want to learn more, don’t hesitate to call/text me at 701-318-4731 or email me at alison@pinnalcetherapywellness.com and don’t forget to follow on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the happenings at Pinnacle Therapy & Wellness.