Vertigo: How Chiropractic Care and the Epley Maneuver Can Help Restore Balance
If you’ve ever felt like the room was spinning, the floor was moving, or your balance suddenly disappeared, you know how frightening and disruptive vertigo can be. Simple activities like getting out of bed, bending over, or turning your head can trigger intense dizziness, nausea, or unsteadiness.
While vertigo is often misunderstood, the good news is that chiropractic care can play a powerful role in relieving vertigo, especially when it’s related to inner ear dysfunction or neck issues. Chiropractors are also trained to perform the Epley maneuver, a proven technique that helps resolve one of the most common causes of vertigo.
What Is Vertigo?
Vertigo is not a condition on its own—it’s a symptom that creates a false sensation of movement or spinning. It often feels worse with head movement and can be accompanied by:
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Nausea or vomiting
Balance problems
Headaches
Neck stiffness or pain
Difficulty focusing or visual disturbances
One of the most common causes of vertigo is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
What Causes BPPV?
Inside your inner ear are tiny calcium crystals (otoconia) that help your body sense movement and position. With BPPV, these crystals become displaced and move into the wrong part of the inner ear canals.
When you change head positions—such as lying down, rolling over in bed, or looking up—the misplaced crystals disrupt normal balance signals, causing sudden spinning sensations.
How Chiropractic Care Helps Vertigo
Chiropractic care focuses on restoring proper alignment and function of the spine and nervous system, which play a major role in balance and coordination.
Here’s how chiropractic can help with vertigo:
1. Addressing Neck and Upper Cervical Dysfunction
The upper cervical spine (neck) has a direct relationship with balance, posture, and nerve communication between the brain and body. Misalignments or restricted motion in this area can:
Disrupt signals involved in balance
Increase muscle tension and stiffness
Contribute to dizziness and unsteadiness
Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper joint motion, reduce nerve irritation, and improve overall balance function.
2. Improving Nervous System Communication
Your nervous system integrates information from the eyes, inner ear, and spinal joints to maintain balance. When spinal alignment is improved, the nervous system can process these signals more efficiently—often reducing dizziness symptoms.
3. Reducing Tension and Headaches Associated with Vertigo
Vertigo is commonly accompanied by neck pain and headaches. Chiropractic care helps relieve muscle tension and joint stress that often develop as the body tries to compensate for balance problems.
How Chiropractors Use the Epley Maneuver for Vertigo
For patients with BPPV, chiropractors can perform the Epley maneuver, a specific series of guided head and body movements designed to reposition displaced inner ear crystals.
What Is the Epley Maneuver?
The Epley maneuver is a non-invasive, highly effective treatment that helps move the calcium crystals back into their proper location in the inner ear where they no longer cause vertigo.
How the Epley Maneuver Works
During the maneuver, the chiropractor gently guides the patient through a sequence of positions, allowing gravity to move the crystals out of the affected semicircular canal.
This process:
Reduces or eliminates spinning sensations
Improves balance
Often provides rapid relief—sometimes after just one session
Why Chiropractors Are Well-Suited to Perform the Epley Maneuver
Chiropractors are experts in spinal biomechanics, head and neck movement, and neurological function. Before performing the Epley maneuver, they carefully assess:
Neck mobility and safety
Posture and spinal alignment
The specific ear and canal involved
This ensures the maneuver is performed safely and effectively, especially for patients with neck stiffness or spinal issues.
Chiropractic Care + Epley Maneuver: A Comprehensive Approach
While the Epley maneuver can reposition inner ear crystals, chiropractic care addresses contributing factors that may increase the likelihood of vertigo returning, such as:
Poor posture
Upper cervical misalignments
Muscle tension
Previous injuries (whiplash, falls)
Together, chiropractic adjustments and the Epley maneuver offer a more complete approach to vertigo relief.
What to Expect During Chiropractic Care for Vertigo
Your chiropractor may:
Take a detailed health history
Evaluate posture, balance, and neck mobility
Perform neurological and orthopedic testing
Identify whether BPPV is present
Perform the Epley maneuver if appropriate
Provide gentle spinal adjustments
Offer guidance on head positioning and home care
Final Thoughts: Finding Relief From Vertigo Naturally
Vertigo can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to live with constant dizziness or fear of movement. Chiropractic care provides a safe, non-invasive, and effective approach to addressing vertigo by improving spinal function and nervous system communication.
When appropriate, chiropractors can also perform the Epley maneuver, helping reposition inner ear crystals and restore balance—often quickly and naturally.
If vertigo is disrupting your life, chiropractic care may be the missing piece in your recovery.
