What is Vertigo and can massage help?
Vertigo is a spiraling feeling of dizziness all around you that upsets your balance. Inner ear issues, such as infections, are the most common cause. Bright lights, sudden movements, and anxiety can all make vertigo worse. Calming massage techniques that reduce stress and increase blood flow through the head and neck arteries can help treat some of the symptoms.
Feeling anxious or stressed can make symptoms worse. A well-accepted method for dealing with vertigo is to dim the lights, lie down, and try to relax. In other words, put yourself in an environment that is very similar to that in which massage is often performed.
As well as being recognized for reducing stress or anxiety, a therapeutic massage can help cure the headaches and neck pain that bouts of vertigo can cause.
When you are suffering from vertigo, going outside to travel is not an appealing idea. Booking a mobile massage service where the acupressure therapist can visit you at home instead helps you avoid traveling through the bright and noisy streets of London, all of which can worsen symptoms.
Can massage cause vertigo?
It is very unusual for a massage to cause vertigo. However, it is quite common for some people to feel a little lightheaded or dizzy for a short while after getting a therapeutic massage. This can be especially true for those people who do not regularly receive massages or have low blood pressure.
To avoid feeling dizzy after getting a massage, it is best to remain to lie down at the end of your treatment for a minute or two and then to get up slowly. Sit down somewhere comfortable and sip a glass of cool water or lukewarm herbal tea. Allow yourself at least 10 minutes of additional rest time whilst you finish your drink and you should not feel dizzy at all.
Vertigo is a type of dizziness felt like a shift in a person’s relationship to the normal environment (a feeling that the room is spinning is common) or a sense of movement in space.
Although dizziness and vertigo are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. While all vertigo is dizziness, not all dizziness is vertigo.
True vertigo, from the Latin “vertere,” to turn, is a distinct, often severe form of dizziness that is a movement hallucination.
Description
There are four major types of dizziness – vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, and lightheadedness.
Most patients with true vertigo have a peripheral vestibular disorder, such as benign positional vertigo. This is usually associated with tinnitus and hearing loss.
Central disorders, such as brain stem or cerebellar lesions, tend to be more chronic but less intense than peripheral disorders and are not associated with hearing loss. Central disorders account for only 15 percent of patients with vertigo.
Vertigo is the illusion that you – or your surroundings – are moving. You may feel that you are spinning, tilting, rocking, or falling through space. You may vomit or have ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Also, your eyes may uncontrollably jerk back and forth (a condition called nystagmus).
Causes
There are several causes of vertigo:
Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder of the inner ear. The cause usually is unknown, but an upper respiratory tract infection or a minor blow to the head may be responsible. This type of vertigo occurs abruptly when you move your head up and down, or when you turn over in bed. Symptoms can be distressing but they fade in a few seconds. Avoiding positions that bring this on may reduce its occurrence.
BPPV is the commonest form of vertigo, with attacks lasting 30 to 60 seconds, typically set off when rolling over in bed, moving the head to one side, or reaching for something (“top-shelf vertigo”). Sufferers can usually describe specific head movements that trigger it.
Although BPPV often occurs for no apparent reason, it can follow an ear infection, head or ear injury, and is thought to result from the dislodgement of normal crystalline structures in the ear’s balance detectors. People with BPPV are often relieved to hear that it is due to an inner ear condition and does not signify some serious disorder such as a stroke or tumor.
Labyrinthitis refers to a variety of conditions within the inner ear. It may be associated with inflammation, an upper respiratory infection or nerve deterioration, but often occurs independently of other problems.
Central nervous system disorders that can cause vertigo as a symptom include multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neck injuries, certain forms of migraine, acoustic neuroma, cerebellar and brain stem tumors, and TIAS (transient ischemic attacks).
Symptoms
A patient may experience severe vertigo for days or weeks. Nausea, vomiting, and involuntary eye movements are common. The condition gradually improves, but symptoms can persist for weeks or months.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. A complete medical evaluation is recommended for anyone with vertigo. This can reveal the true cause and suggest one or more solutions based upon treating the underlying disorder.
Characterized by extreme dizziness, lightheadedness, a feeling of unsteadiness or even nausea, vertigo brings on the feeling of motion where there isn’t any. Affecting somewhere between 20-30% of the population, it is one of the most common medical complaints that doctors hear from patients today.
Often vertigo is caused by infection or fluid buildup in the inner ear. However, the inner ears are certainly not the only cause of vertigo, but one of many possible causes. Just as the inner ear sends balance and position information to the brain, other sources of balance information come from the neck muscles and joints. Because the brain relies on both the inner ear to supply motion and position sense about the head and the neck supplies information about the relation between the head and the body, problems in either area can cause vertigo.
Dr. Janet Travell, the author of “The Trigger Point Manual” and President JFK’s physician during his presidency, points to the uppermost joints of the spine and the neck muscle known as sternocleidomastoid (SCM) as the most likely culprits that induce vertigo. “Trigger points in the SCM muscle have been shown to produce all kinds of symptoms, including tearing of the eye, headache, sinus congestion, ear and jaw pain, pain with swallowing, and vertigo. The joints of the neck also have strong effects on the whole head region, with similar effects.”
Myofascial trigger points, also known as trigger points, are described as hyperirritable spots in the skeletal muscle. They are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. They are a topic of ongoing controversy, as there is limited data to inform a scientific understanding of the phenomenon.
While these problems can often be overlooked, a trained doctor or therapist can identify the location that is causing a patient’s vertigo. Not only has chiropractic neurology been shown to be extremely effective in the treatment of vertigo, but Chiropractic Neurologists are experts at determining the root cause of conditions such as vertigo through non-invasive techniques. In fact, one study by the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research showed that of the 60 subjects who participated in the study, ALL of them responded positively to chiropractic care from improvement to complete reversal of the condition. Chiropractic treatments are fast-acting too… nearly 80% of cases becoming symptom-free within 3-4 treatments.
In addition, Chiropractic Neurologists are experts in trigger point therapies. Suitable for nearly every type of patient, trigger point therapies can not only help identify and alleviate some types of vertigo but are also effective in treating a wide array of conditions including migraines, chronic pain, sciatica, and more. And unlike treatment plans that depend on drugs that may leave patients feeling extremely fatigued and unable to perform normal daily tasks, Chiropractic meets the growing demand for drug-free care. This approach brings many patients fast and marked improvement, eliminating the need for lengthy, drawn-out treatment programs.
Self Help and Massage Links for Vertigo
http://triggerpointrelief.com/cdrom/trapezius.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1769463/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/270378-how-to-treat-vertigo-with-massage-therapy/
http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/natural-remedies-for-vertigo.html
*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis, or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company, or specific massage therapy technique, modality, or approach. All trademarks, registered trademarks, brand names, registered brand names, logos, and company logos referenced in this post are the property of their owners.der.