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It is often seen in those with fibromyalgia that dizziness accompanies it. Let’s take a closer look at why this may be the case and then discuss a simple, effective, and proven way to care for it.
What is Dizziness?
Dizziness is used to describe a variety of different sensations ranging from feeling like you are going to faint, to being lightheaded, to feeling the room is spinning. As many as 70 percent of people with fibromyalgia have dizziness as well. This type of dizziness can happen daily and last for a long period of time. This is unfortunate because it adds further disability and increases the risk that you may fall and become injured.
The term dizziness is most often used when describing the two following feelings:
- Vertigo: Feeling as if you or the things around you are spinning. It happens because of a conflict of signals within the brain sent by the balance-sensing systems within the body. If you are experiencing vertigo, you may feel nauseous, vomit, or have trouble walking and keeping your balance. You may even fall down.
- Lightheadedness: A feeling as if you are about to faint, but you do not have the sensation that your surroundings are moving. You may sometimes have clamminess, paleness, and nausea. This can be due to a temporary drop in blood pressure and a decrease in blood flow to the brain. It will often go away when you lie down.
Symptoms of Dizziness
This can be hard to pinpoint exactly as the symptoms of dizziness are different for each person and they depend on the root cause. The most commonly reported symptoms can include:
- Feeling faint
- Weakness
- Lightheadedness
- Problems concentrating
- Feeling as if the room is spinning
- Ringing in the ears
- Loss of balance
- Nausea and possible vomiting
- Feeling disoriented
- Fatigue
- Unsteadiness
- Visual disturbances
Reasons for Dizziness
No one is completely sure why people with fibromyalgia have such intense problems with dizziness. However, it has been noted there are trigger points in the jaw and neck that can create a sensation of dizziness. This may be due to the nerves sending signals to the brain about where the body is in its environment. If the brain is receiving faulty signals, they will not correlate with the signals from the eyes and other sensor systems in place throughout the body, leading to dizziness.
Another issue could be related to a problem with blood pressure, as this is common with those who have fibromyalgia. Most commonly, a drop in blood pressure, called hypotension, can cause a feeling of faintness or dizziness. There are a few classes of hypotension. These are:
- Orthostatic hypotension: A drop in blood pressure that happens when you stand up from a sitting or lying position. One form of this is POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and is described as an intolerance to change in body position from lying down to sitting upright. Your heart rate rises in response to sitting up, along with a drop in blood pressure. POTS has to do with inadequate blood circulation failing to get back to the heart when you stand up.
- Postprandial hypotension: A drop in blood pressure occurs after eating a meal. It happens often in those with high blood pressure or disorders that impede the function of the brain centers that control the autonomic nervous system, which controls digestion, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
- Neurally mediated hypotension: A nervous system reflex brings on a change in blood pressure. It may happen after exercise, standing for a long time or just sitting upright, an emotionally stressful event, or being in a very warm environment.
- Other reasons for dizziness: These could be an illness (a cold or the flu), allergies, low blood sugar, anxiety, panic attacks, hyperventilation, and anemia.
Is Vertigo the Same as Dizziness?
Vertigo is a type of dizziness, but it has a rotational component to it. It is a false feeling of movement. You may feel that you or the things around you are spinning. It is related to a dysfunction of the vestibular system, the part of the body that helps control balance and eye movement. It includes parts of the inner ear and the brain. If something causes this system to malfunction, the end result is recurrent, acute, or chronic vertigo.
Find Relief from Not Just Dizziness, but Fibromyalgia Too
As mentioned in the above information, dizziness can be due to a number of different things. But one thing seen in many cases is that a misalignment in the upper neck bones, particularly the C1 (atlas) and C2 (axis), can play a role in the development of dizziness. The brainstem is protected by these two specialized bones. Because of their position and shape, they are highly susceptible to misaligning due to a simple trip and fall or mild blow to the head. Many who have been in a car or similar accidents have seen the onset of fibromyalgia and dizziness a little while afterward. This is due to the misalignment putting stress on the brainstem, and it may begin to send the wrong signals to the brain. It may tell the brain that there is pain when there is little or no pain, leading to fibromyalgia. Or it may send conflicting signals to the brain about the body’s location, leading to the onset of dizziness.
Here at Source Chiropractic and Wellness in Draper, Utah, we use a gentle method to help realign the bones of the upper cervical spine. We do not have to resort to popping the neck or cracking the back to get positive results. Our method encourages natural realignment resulting in long-lasting results. This is often all that is needed to see an improvement in or an end to both dizziness and fibromyalgia.
To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Cheney, call our Draper office at 385-331-7035. You can also click one of the buttons below.
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