3 Potential Causes If You’re Suffering from Migraine Associated Vertigo

If you suffer from frequent migraines or headaches, you may also experience bouts of vertigo or dizziness. Vertigo is a sensation that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving and can be very debilitating to the one suffering from it. If you suffer from migraine associated vertigo, there are a few different things that could be the cause.

Basilar Artery Migraines

Otherwise known as basilar migraines, are headaches, and the sufferers usually have a history of migraines. These types of migraines start in the lower part of the brain, in the brainstem which causes a variety of possible migraine symptoms such as: 

• Dizziness
• Double vision
• Lack of coordination
• Nausea
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Body tingling
• Loss of consciousness
• Temporary blindness

Before any pain begins, the sufferer experiences an aura, which is a set of visual symptoms such as seeing flashing lights that are not actually there. While the aura usually only lasts an hour, the pain from these types of headaches can last from anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and usually leaves the individual exhausted.

Though these types of migraines with brainstem auras are still not well understood, there are a few triggers that may be causing these bouts of migraines.

• Lack of sleep
• Stress
• Alcohol consumption
• Bright lights
• Certain medications
• Overdoing physical activity

Some of these symptoms can also happen with life-threatening conditions such as a stroke. It’s important to seek medical help if you begin suffering from these symptoms and have not been diagnosed with MBA.

Treatment for these types of headaches usually involves medication, but you may be able to avoid having them all together by doing a few different things, such as avoiding activities that tend to trigger the headaches and living a healthier lifestyle.

• Get enough sleep
• Avoid alcohol and drugs
• Limit caffeine
• Avoid foods that may be triggering your headaches

Vestibular Migraines

This type of migraine is a nervous system problem that can cause repeat episodes of vertigo or dizziness. The word vestibular refers to the inner ear and the balance systems within the body, which is associated directly with vertigo. 

A vestibular migraine is the second-most common cause of vertigo in adults, and the vertigo attack can occur at any point during a vestibular migraine. Unlike other migraines, the individual may not always have a headache, as the main symptom is a dizziness that comes and goes. If you are suffering from vestibular migraines, you may experience:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Balance issues
• Dizziness that lasts for several minutes
• Extreme motion sickness
• Feeling disoriented, confused or unsteady
• Vertigo before, during or after the migraine begins

The exact cause of these types of headaches is not yet known. There is also no known cure besides preventive medications, but there are some non-drug options to try out that may help you in finding relief such as:

• Avoiding foods with the preservative MSG (cheese, alcohol, chocolate), as this is a trigger for some individuals.
• Get enough sleep at night
• Avoid missing meals
• Practice meditation or another type of stress management

If you believe you may be suffering from vestibular migraines, it’s important to seek out a professional in order to properly diagnose the issue and take the proper steps to find relief.

Cervical Vertigo

Also known as cervicogenic dizziness, is a condition in which you experience disorientation or unsteadiness that is caused by a neck injury or health condition that is affecting the neck. It can last for hours, and the symptoms can recur for years. Your cervical spine plays a huge role in balance, and cervicogenic dizziness could be caused by a disturbance to it or the tissue that surrounds it. Cervical vertigo causes include:

• Body degeneration
• Joint problems
• Inflammation
• Trauma to the muscles
• Herniated disks 

The symptoms include:

• Dizziness
• Change in posture
• Difficulty with vision
• Headaches, migraines or neck pain
• Upper cervical discomfort

Treatment for cervical vertigo usually requires several different things, such as posture improvement, massage or physical therapy as well as specific exercises targeting the eyes, balance, and neck movements.

Getting Treatment for Migraines and Vertigo

With any occurrence of migraine associated vertigo, it’s important to find the root cause of the issue to ensure proper care is implemented. At Align Wellness Center, we have helped thousands of patients that have suffered with migraines and vertigo for any length of time and those patients are finally starting to find relief from their symptoms for the first time. Vertigo and migraines can improve drastically through corrective chiropractic care.

 If you or someone you know is suffering from migraines and vertigo, they need to be looked at by a corrective chiropractor and ensure your cervical spine is in alignment as well as other areas of your body. If you’re looking for a chiropractor that will take a natural and holistic approach to helping with your vertigo, give us a call, even if you’re out of our area, we can look to connect you with a chiropractor near you.

We offer an in-depth exam to determine exactly what we can do to help with as much detail for you as possible. It is called the 3-Dimensional BioStructural Analysis, and the process involves the following:  

• Timeline history
• Digital posture exam
• 3-Dimensional posture exam
• Chiropractic, Neurological, and Physical Exam
• Spinal radiographs (if needed)
• Digital biomechanical analysis of your spine
• Insurance verification (by our insurance team)
• Separate time to go over the results of your test within a day or two, where we will go over:
  • What is going on
  • If we can help
  • What the best next step is for you
  • Any investment in your health that is necessary

If you’re interested, you can schedule an appointment for a 3-Dimensional BioStructural Analysis here. If you’d like tips on how you can stay healthy and well without drugs and surgery, go ahead and check out other articles on this site. If you continue to struggle with vertigo and dizziness or want more information on how to resolve your migraine associated vertigo, give us a call at Align Wellness Center (847) 860-6599 or schedule an appointment online. Contact us today or stop by the office. We’re located at 900 Skokie Blvd., Suite 113, Northbrook, IL, 60062.