Dizziness or vertigo are common conditions that arise after a car accident. There are four major causes of this problem after a collision.
Cervicogenic Dizziness
The most frequent cause of vertigo is due to neck damage — or what's called cervicogenic dizziness. Your spinal column contains countless of nerves referred to as proprioceptors, and these nerves tell your brain the location of your body. Proprioceptors are how you can control your body in the dark or with your eyes closed, and are an important part of how your body maintains balance.
In the event that your neck is hurt, the proprioceptors can be disrupted, and this important data is no longer accessible to the postural control system of your brain, resulting in dizziness. Cervicogenic dizziness normally resolves itself with proper treatment of the damaged neck tissues.
BPPV
Yet another kind of vertigo is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. BPPV can be brought about by violent movement of your head, as you might encounter especially during a car wreck. Your inner ear contains tiny calcium crystals called otoliths. As you move your head, these crystals move against nerve endings in your inner ear, telling your brain about the position of your head. During a violent motion of your head, these otoliths can actually be jarred from their normal location to other parts of your inner ear. There, they send signals to your brain that don't make sense, causing confusion in your postural control system, and dizziness.
People with BPPV frequently report vertigo that occurs when they move their head and neck in certain ways. Treatment of BPPV is accomplished with a simple procedure called the Epley Maneuver, which positions your head to move the otoliths back to their normal position.
Vascular Damage
The third possible cause of vertigo after a car crash is vascular damage. Sometimes, the blood vessels of the neck are injured, causing restricted blood flow to the brain. This type of injury is often felt as a pain in the back of the head that grows stronger over time, and it can be on either side of the head or in the middle. In some cases the pain is felt as aching, and other times it might feel like a rise in pressure or a throbbing sensation.
This is an extremely serious type of injury and it's very important to seek medical attention right away if you have these signs or symptoms.
Brain Injury
The fourth possible kind of dizziness is brain injury. If your head struck something at the time of the collision or if the impact was severe, you can suffer a mild traumatic brain injury. If you suffered a brain injury, you might experience fuzzy thinking, confusion, dizziness, or memory loss after the collision. It's important that you seek medical attention if you have these symptoms.
Treatment
Chiropractic adjustments are a tried and tested way to help men and women with dizziness. We have patients in Nashville, TN who can attest to the success of chiropractic for vertigo and dizziness.
If you have been in a motor vehicle accident and have symptoms of back pain, Dr. Buczynski is here to help. We can help identify the root cause of your problem and formulate a treatment plan to help you restore your health. We have helped many people in Nashville, TN heal from auto injuries.
Call our office today at (615) 953-7544 for a consultation or for more information.
