Dizziness
‘Dizziness’ is a term that can be used to describe a whole host of conditions that can present in numerous ways. Some people may experience feelings of ‘spin’ or ‘vertigo’ sometimes with accompanying tinnitus, while for others it is more of a sense of light-headedness or unsteadiness.
Some patients may only feel dizzy at certain times in the day, when they move their head to the left, after a specific trigger, when rolling over in bed, when stepping off the tube, when spending too long looking at a screen…the list is extensive!
The role of a Chiropractic Neurologist is to explore these patterns to pinpoint what is causing the symptoms and more importantly, why. Some dizziness symptoms are the result of a specific condition, you may have already come across some of the more common ones; BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), Meniere’s disease and labyrinthitis. In other cases the symptoms may be the result of an inner ear infection or a past trauma or injury.
Balance, Co-ordination and Fall Prevention
Falls are one of the leading causes of injury in our society, with 1 in 3 people over 60 and half of all 80 year olds falling each year. One of the key factors involved with falls is a loss of balance. Balance conditions can range from feeling slightly unsteady when transitioning between movements right through to the need to use walking or mobility aids. There can be many factors that contribute, and for some patients the condition may be attributable to a specific trauma or injury, in other cases the unsteadiness may have developed gradually over time.
Our goal is to correctly identify the cause of the imbalance, enabling us to treat and correct your condition before further injury or falling occurs.
The Technical Part
The primary goal of your brain is movement. Your brain uses your eyes, your ears and the feedback from your muscles and joints to create a 3D map of your body and your environment. All movement is based on these sensory maps. If you’re suffering from pain, dizziness, balance or coordination problems this may be due to a physical lesion or it may be that your brain is having trouble creating these sensory maps and healthy movement patterns.
Your brain and nerves are highly adaptive throughout your lifetime. As a child this allows you to learn to walk, talk and play. As an adult it allows you to learn new skills. It also allows us to heal remarkably well from injury. However, sometimes this adaptive response is incomplete and occasionally it can work against us, leading to a more chronic condition, anxiety or stress. This is where we may be able to help.
Correct diagnosis is paramount when treating these conditions, there is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment plan. This is why we allow longer for our Chiropractic Neurology appointments, the extra time enables us to understand your history, how your symptoms started and are progressing and to perform specific tests to pinpoint the cause of them. It also ensures we are able to support patients through their recovery and the rehabilitation process.
Assess Your Condition
What to Expect
Chiropractic Neurology Appointment times are longer than standard appointments. Initial consultations can often last up to 75 minutes, the examination is more detailed, and treatment will almost certainly involve special treatment modalities and exercises.
Assessment
The goal of the initial consultation is to find out what’s the problem, why it’s there, and how to fix it. Your appointment will begin with a full health history to enable us to learn more about your condition and any other health concerns. This will be followed by a physical and neurological examination. During this time, we carefully assess movement, balance, posture and pain, in particular, the function of the nerves, spinal cord and brain.
Report of Findings
Following your examination your chiropractor will talk through their findings with you and discuss a proposed plan for treatment going forward. This will include details on the techniques that will be used, how long treatment is likely to take to see a significant improvement in your symptoms and how long it may take to rehabilitate movement, balance and posture to prevent recurrence of your symptoms.
If X-rays, other imaging or further testing is required, your referral options will be discussed with you at this point.
Treatment
Once you are happy with your treatment options and have had any questions answered, your first treatment can start. Treatment is similar but different to a standard chiropractic treatment. The assessment will have identified which areas of the nervous system are working too much, too little or are having trouble integrating information. The goal of treatment will be to repetitively stimulate the neurological pathways that travel to or from the affected area.
Exercises
In order to continue to stimulate the neurological pathways you will most likely be prescribed simple, daily home exercises. With enough intensity and repetition this should start to create ‘plasticity.’ They normally will take 5-10 minutes twice per day.
Until fairly recently, the nervous system was considered “fixed” after childhood, meaning that if you suffered an injury you just had to put up with it. Luckily, these days we know that’s not true. The nervous system has a remarkable ability to adapt, heal and learn which means if we can identify where issues are occurring we can look at ways to combat them, resulting in reduction of symptoms.
Can’t praise Jake enough. I came to Jake about 4-5 months ago with significant balance, co-ordination and eye issues, after a nasty mountain bike fall. I’m glad to say I’m now 95% better now. There’s very little real support in UK for neurological issues so I was blessed to find Jake. He is very personable and with knowledge in multiple areas. I’ve felt very confident with his treatment. Which to be honest has been a great help in what’s been a very dark episode. Thanks Jake!
Dean
PLASTERER
Excellent service, and would recommend to anyone – thanks for fixing me and my BPPV!
Hannah
ACCOUNTANT
Why choose us?
Convenient healthcare
We are open 6 days a week and can offer appointments up to 7pm to suit your commitments.
We aim to accommodate new patients within 48 hours of enquiry.
Conveniently located with easy access from central London and the A3.
Easy to use online booking system with instant confirmation; book with us anytime, from anywhere.
Ground floor premises with free onsite parking.
Treatment can usually be started on your first visit.
Experience, expertise and clinical excellence
One of only 16 chiropractors in the UK to have passed the American Chiropractic Neurology Board exams.
Awarded the ‘Clinic Management Quality Mark’ and the ‘Patient Practice Quality Mark’ by the Royal College of Chiropractors for clinical excellence and consistently exceeding our customers’ expectations.
All our Chiropractors are registered with the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) and General Chiropractic Council (GCC) and the chiropractic profession is regulated by law.
Our practitioners are registered with most health insurance companies and we offer direct billing with Bupa for Neurology appointments.
Friendly and honest team
Our highly trained reception team are on hand to answer your queries via phone, email or in person.
We are genuinely interested in helping you get better and stay that way.
No gimmicks or sales pitches, We charge a flat rate for our appointments and you pay as you go.
Our team regularly co-manage patients, to ensure that you are receiving the best treatment and get better quicker.
Personalised treatment plans to suit your specific needs.
If we don’t think we are the best people to help you, we will tell you… and then help find you someone who is!
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Send a direct enquiry to Jake
To speak to Jake directly please complete the form below. Please note enquiries made via this form will be sent directly to Jake and bypass our main reception team. All enquiries will be responded to within 48 hours.
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