Experiencing dizziness, neck pain and headaches are all very common symptoms. Here at Warwick Chiropractor Lacey Olympia WA, we encounter many people suffering from these conditions. Some even experience these conditions at the same time, but it is more common that they occur independently from one another.
This article will be focusing more on dizziness and some of the causes.
It most cases, dizziness is caused when you stand up too quickly. This is when you are relaxed, and at rest, and you suddenly move into the standing position, with dizziness resulting. This is refered to as Orthostatic Hypertension (OH). It is a benign symptom and is not generally one to be concerned about.
When laying down at rest, the heart doesn’t need to work very hard. Everything is calm and relaxed, but when we suddenly bolt upright, quickly, the heart has to quickly pump faster, with much of the blood moving down the body to the legs. This causes an imbalance in the body, as the brain is momentarily starved of its blood supply, while the heart pumps harder to catch up and distribute blood evenly throughout the body.
It is this imbalance that causes a feeling of light headedness and thus the effect of dizziness.
What Exactly is Orthostatic Hypertension?
OH is considered a blood pressure drop considered 20mg/Hg systolic. This means that the heart is in full contraction mode, or at its full beat. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the diastolic state, where the heart is at rest, and ready to commence another beat cycle.
There are actually two types of OH. Delayed Orthostatic
Hypertension (DOH) which occurs within 3 minutes of standing. Then there is the OH which occurs immediately on standing as already discussed. It is this condition that can be serious and thus requires checking and treating.
In the journal ‘Neurology’ in 2016, a study was performed on 165 patients who had undergone testing for dizziness. The average age of the patients was 58, with 48 showing to have DOH, 42 with full OH and the remainder were clear of either condition.
The study followed these patients over a ten year period and found 54% of the DOH group had manifested into the OH category, with 31% of these succumbing to brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease or dementia.
The early death rate of this study found that 29% of those with DOH died early, and 64% for the OH group. Those suffering with neither condition showed just a 9% early death rate.
The conclusion showed that had either DOH or OH groups been diagnosed and treated early enough, an early death may have been prevented. It is also the first time a study has described OH or DOH as a potentially serious condition.
Thus, dizziness is not a condition to be taken lightly, and your doctor should assess these symptoms seriously if you suffer from them.
We offer Short term care for your neck and back pain.
Walk Ins Welcome. No Appointment needed. Visit our website at DrDavidWarwick.com for more information or on-line scheduling or call us 360-951-4504 for your appointment today.
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