Everyone has experienced dizziness at least once in their lifetime, but not everybody knows what it’s like to experience vertigo. While you might get dizzy if you stand up too fast or if you have a really bad headache, the dizziness usually goes away after a short period of time. However, vertigo can be a strange and uncomfortable experience because it can seem like you have dizziness that just won’t go away. If you were recently in a car accident and start to experience the uncomfortable sensation of dizziness that doesn’t seem to go away, then you may want to visit a neurologist in Snellville.
What Vertigo Feels Like
Vertigo is a type of dizziness that can make you feel like the floor is wobbly or the room might seem like it’s spinning. If you have ever experienced motion sickness in the car or on a boat, then you might think that vertigo feels a lot like that. However, if you have vertigo then you might feel so dizzy and uncomfortable, especially when you try to turn your head. Sometimes when you turn your head while you have vertigo, it can make the symptoms of dizziness and spinning get worse. If you have vertigo then you might also feel a sudden increase in sweatiness, nausea, and even vomiting.
Why You Might Experience Vertigo after a Car Accident
It is possible to experience vertigo after a car accident, especially if you hit your head during the event. A blow to the head can cause uncomfortable symptoms like dizziness and vertigo, which can make you feel unstable if you try to stand up or walk around. Head trauma during a car accident can lead to dizziness or vertigo because of how the wreck can cause violent head movements. If you get migraines after a car accident then you could also experience vertigo, as it is a symptom that some people have with a migraine. The force of impact can jerk your head and neck around, which can lead to whiplash, muscle strains in your neck, and spinal injury. If the car accident jostles you around hard enough, it can even cause your brain to collide with the skull, which can lead to bruising. This type of head trauma is known as a traumatic brain injury and can lead to symptoms like dizziness and vertigo.
How a Neurologist Diagnoses Vertigo
If you were recently in a car accident, then your neurologist in Snellville may want to run some diagnostic imaging tests on you to see if you suffered an injury that is causing your vertigo. Your doctor may want to run a CT scan or MRI to check for common car accident injuries like whiplash or a concussion. When you visit a neurologist for dizziness and vertigo symptoms, they may also want to test your eye movement with an eye motion test or observe your eye movement when you are watching a moving object. Your doctor may also want to test your head movement and assess your spine and posture. Talk to your neurologist about the symptoms you have been experiencing, including when you first started noticing the vertigo and if certain movements or situations seem to make it worse.
Treatment Options for Vertigo
Treatment for vertigo will depend on the root cause or injury after a car accident. To help with your symptoms, your neurologist in Snellville may recommend medications that help with the sensations similar to motion sickness. Your doctor may also recommend stretches and exercises that can help improve your dizziness symptoms. Vertigo can last for minutes, hours, or days at a time depending on the underlying cause. Talk to your doctor if you were recently in a car accident so they know how to best develop a treatment plan to address your vertigo symptoms as well as the root cause, whether that is a whiplash injury, traumatic brain injury, or migraines related to another type of car accident injury. Your neurologist will talk to you about how to manage these symptoms of vertigo and how to find balance and stay safe when you feel like the whole room is moving or spinning.
Visit AICA Orthopedics to see a neurologist in Snellville and get the quality, comprehensive care you deserve for vertigo and other car accident injuries.