Vertigo — the sensation that you or the world around you is spinning — is one of the most disorienting and underserved conditions in medicine. Patients with persistent vertigo often cycle through primary care, ear/nose/throat specialists, neurologists, and vestibular therapy without finding lasting relief. Dr. Thomas French has successfully treated vertigo and dizziness at his Norwalk, CT practice, including cases where conventional medical approaches haven’t resolved the problem. If you’ve been told your vertigo is “just something you have to manage,” a chiropractic evaluation may offer an avenue you haven’t explored.
What Is Vertigo?
Vertigo is not simply dizziness. True vertigo is a specific sensation of movement — either you feel like you’re spinning, or the world around you is spinning — even when you’re completely still. It can be brief and positional (triggered by head movements) or persistent and debilitating. It is often accompanied by nausea, balance problems, difficulty focusing, and in some cases tinnitus or a feeling of fullness in the ear.
Vertigo has been increasing in prevalence in recent years, with more patients presenting after medication use, COVID-19 illness and its treatments, inner ear disruption from various systemic factors, and cervical spine involvement that goes unrecognized in standard medical workups. Dr. French has seen a meaningful increase in vertigo cases in his Norwalk practice and has developed specific experience evaluating and treating both the vestibular and cervical components of this condition.
Types of Vertigo Dr. French Treats
BPPV — Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
BPPV is the most common form of vertigo and is caused by calcium carbonate crystals (otoliths or “ear rocks”) becoming displaced from their normal position in the inner ear and migrating into the semicircular canals. This creates false signals of movement that the brain interprets as spinning. BPPV is typically triggered by specific head positions — rolling over in bed, looking up, bending forward — and produces brief but intense episodes of vertigo lasting 20-60 seconds.
Chiropractic treatment for BPPV includes specific repositioning maneuvers designed to move the displaced crystals back to their correct location. The Epley maneuver is the most well-known — a carefully sequenced series of head and body position changes that guides the crystals out of the semicircular canal. Dr. French is experienced in performing repositioning maneuvers and many BPPV patients experience significant improvement within 1-3 treatment sessions.
Cervicogenic Dizziness
Cervicogenic dizziness is caused by dysfunction in the cervical spine — particularly the upper cervical joints at C1 and C2 — disrupting the proprioceptive signals that help the brain understand the position and movement of the head. The neck contains an extremely high density of proprioceptors (position sensors) that feed directly into the vestibular system. When the upper cervical joints are restricted, misaligned, or irritated, the sensory input from the neck becomes inconsistent with the input from the eyes and inner ear — creating the experience of dizziness, unsteadiness, and disorientation.
Cervicogenic dizziness is frequently missed in standard medical workups because it doesn’t show up on MRI or CT scans, and vestibular testing doesn’t evaluate the cervical spine. Patients who fail vestibular therapy often have an unrecognized cervical component to their dizziness. Chiropractic evaluation specifically assesses upper cervical joint function, and targeted adjustments to restore normal C1-C2 movement often produce dramatic improvement in patients who have not responded to conventional vestibular treatment.
Medication and Systemic-Related Dizziness
A significant and growing number of patients present with dizziness and vertigo that developed following medication use, illness, or other systemic disruptions. Many classes of medication — including antihypertensives, antibiotics (particularly aminoglycosides), anticonvulsants, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and some chemotherapy agents — can affect vestibular function and cause persistent dizziness as a side effect or after discontinuation. COVID-19 and post-COVID syndrome have also been associated with vestibular symptoms in a meaningful proportion of patients.
In these cases, chiropractic care addresses the musculoskeletal and neurological components of dizziness that develop secondarily — the cervical tension, joint restriction, and postural dysfunction that result from the body’s adaptation to ongoing balance disruption. While chiropractic cannot reverse medication effects or systemic illness directly, optimizing cervical spine function and nervous system signaling often provides meaningful improvement in dizziness symptoms even when the primary trigger was non-mechanical. Dr. French works with these patients conservatively and coordinates with their prescribing physicians when appropriate.
Post-Concussion and Trauma-Related Dizziness
Dizziness following head injury, concussion, or whiplash is extremely common and often persists well beyond the expected recovery window. The combination of inner ear disruption, cervical spine injury, and neurological changes from concussion creates a complex picture that frequently doesn’t respond to rest alone. Dr. French treats post-concussion dizziness through a combination of upper cervical adjustments, soft tissue work, and gradual return to activity guidance.
Meniere’s Disease
Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear characterized by episodes of severe vertigo, tinnitus, a feeling of fullness in the ear, and fluctuating hearing loss. While Meniere’s has a recognized inner ear pathology, many patients find that chiropractic care — particularly upper cervical adjustments — reduces the frequency and severity of Meniere’s episodes by improving vascular and neurological function in the upper cervical region. Dr. French is transparent that chiropractic does not cure Meniere’s disease but can be a meaningful complementary approach for patients whose symptoms are not well-controlled with medical management alone.
Why Patients With Refractory Vertigo Come to Dr. French
The patients who seek out Dr. French for vertigo treatment often share a similar history: they’ve been evaluated by their primary care physician, referred to an ENT or neurologist, told their tests are normal or findings are minor, tried vestibular therapy with partial or no improvement, and are still experiencing episodes that limit their ability to work, drive, sleep, or function normally.
What these patients often have in common is an unrecognized cervical component to their vertigo. Standard medical vertigo workups are excellent at ruling out serious pathology — tumors, stroke, and severe inner ear disease — but they are not designed to evaluate upper cervical joint function, proprioceptive signaling from the neck, or the interaction between cervical dysfunction and the vestibular system. This is the specific gap that chiropractic evaluation fills.
Dr. French approaches these cases with a thorough initial evaluation that assesses both the vestibular and cervical components of dizziness. This includes orthopedic testing, upper cervical joint assessment, positional testing for BPPV, and a detailed history of when symptoms began, what triggers them, what makes them better or worse, and what treatments have already been tried. The goal is accurate diagnosis before treatment — because the right treatment depends entirely on identifying the correct mechanism.
What to Expect at Your First Visit for Vertigo
Your first visit for vertigo at Dr. French’s Norwalk office begins with a comprehensive health history. He will ask in detail about your symptoms — when they started, what triggered the onset, whether episodes are positional or continuous, whether you have associated tinnitus or hearing changes, what medications you take, what medical evaluations you’ve already had, and what treatments you’ve tried.
The physical examination includes positional testing (Dix-Hallpike test for BPPV, head impulse test, gaze stability assessment), upper cervical joint assessment, neurological screening, and evaluation of postural stability. If your presentation suggests a condition that requires medical management rather than — or in addition to — chiropractic care, Dr. French will tell you directly and coordinate with your other providers rather than treating a condition outside chiropractic’s appropriate scope.
If chiropractic is appropriate for your presentation, Dr. French will explain exactly what he found, what he recommends, and what a realistic treatment course looks like for your specific type of vertigo. BPPV often responds within 1-3 visits. Cervicogenic dizziness typically requires more visits to restore normal cervical function. Chronic or complex cases are reassessed regularly with honest communication about progress.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vertigo Treatment
Yes — chiropractors treat specific types of vertigo effectively, particularly BPPV (caused by displaced inner ear crystals) and cervicogenic dizziness (caused by upper cervical spine dysfunction). Dr. French uses repositioning maneuvers for BPPV and targeted upper cervical adjustments for cervicogenic dizziness. He evaluates each patient’s presentation individually to determine whether chiropractic is appropriate and what the correct approach is.
True vertigo is a specific sensation of spinning — either you feel like you’re spinning or the world around you is spinning — even when you’re still. General dizziness is a broader term that includes lightheadedness, unsteadiness, and feeling faint. Both can have vestibular, cervical, or systemic causes and both are worth evaluating with a thorough physical examination.
Yes. Cervicogenic dizziness is a recognized condition caused by dysfunction in the upper cervical spine — particularly the C1 and C2 joints — disrupting the proprioceptive signals that help the brain orient the body in space. Patients with this type of dizziness often have normal vestibular test results but significant improvement with upper cervical chiropractic treatment.
Yes. Many medications affect vestibular function and can cause dizziness or vertigo as a side effect or after discontinuation. These include certain antibiotics, antihypertensives, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and others. Post-COVID syndrome has also been associated with vestibular symptoms in some patients. Dr. French works with patients experiencing medication or systemically-related dizziness to address the cervical and neurological components that can be helped with chiropractic care.
BPPV often responds within 1-3 treatment sessions using repositioning maneuvers. Cervicogenic dizziness typically requires more visits to restore normal upper cervical function — the number depends on how long the problem has been present and how the patient responds to treatment. Dr. French reassesses progress at every visit and gives you an honest picture of how you’re responding.
Yes — this is one of the most common presentations in Dr. French’s vertigo practice. Vestibular therapy is highly effective for the vestibular component of dizziness but does not address the cervical spine. Many patients who don’t fully respond to vestibular therapy have an unrecognized cervical component that responds well to upper cervical chiropractic treatment. A thorough evaluation determines whether this is the case for your specific presentation.
Yes. Repositioning maneuvers for BPPV and upper cervical adjustments for cervicogenic dizziness are well-established, evidence-based treatments with strong safety records. Dr. French performs a thorough evaluation before any treatment to rule out conditions that require medical management rather than chiropractic care.
Some cases of BPPV resolve spontaneously within weeks as the displaced crystals settle back into position. However, many cases persist or recur without treatment. Cervicogenic dizziness rarely resolves on its own because the underlying cervical dysfunction that causes it doesn’t self-correct. If your vertigo has been present for more than two weeks or is significantly limiting your daily activities, evaluation is worthwhile rather than waiting.
Schedule a Vertigo Evaluation in Norwalk, CT
If you’ve been living with vertigo or dizziness — whether newly onset or persistent despite other treatments — Dr. French’s Norwalk office offers a thorough evaluation to identify the type and cause of your symptoms and determine whether chiropractic care is appropriate for your specific presentation.
Call (203) 939-9700 or book online. Same-day appointments available for patients in acute distress. Located at 148 East Avenue, Suite 1D, Norwalk, CT 06851 — convenient to I-95 Exit 15 with free parking.
Serving vertigo and dizziness patients from Norwalk, Westport, Wilton, Darien, New Canaan, Weston, Stamford, and Fairfield County, CT.