If you’ve ever stood up too fast and felt the room spin — or worse, woken up and had the ceiling swirling above you before you even put your feet on the floor — you know how terrifying vertigo can be. For some people it’s a fleeting annoyance. For others, it becomes a daily reality that makes driving, working, and even walking through the grocery store feel genuinely dangerous.
What most people in Southaven don’t know is that the dizziness or vertigo they’ve been told to just “manage” may actually be rooted in something very specific: a misalignment in the upper part of their neck. And that’s exactly the kind of problem that Desoto Upper Cervical was built to find and fix.
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What Is Vertigo, Exactly?
Vertigo isn’t the same as just feeling lightheaded or a little off-balance. True vertigo is the sensation that you — or the world around you — is spinning, tilting, or moving when you’re perfectly still. It often comes with nausea, trouble focusing your eyes, and a feeling that the ground underneath you just isn’t trustworthy.
There are a few different types, but the two most common are:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): This is the kind triggered by head movement — rolling over in bed, tilting your head back to look at something, or getting up quickly. It’s caused by tiny calcium crystals in your inner ear shifting out of place.
- Cervicogenic Vertigo: This type originates in the neck. It’s caused by problems with the joints, muscles, or nerves in the cervical spine — especially the upper cervical region — that disrupt your body’s sense of balance and spatial awareness.
There’s also Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis, and labyrinthitis — but those tend to have other distinct symptoms alongside the dizziness. The point is, vertigo is almost never just one thing, and pinning down the source matters enormously for getting the right kind of help.
Why the Upper Neck Is So Often the Culprit
Here’s something that surprises a lot of patients: your sense of balance doesn’t come from just one place. Your brain is constantly pulling information from three sources to keep you upright and oriented — your eyes, your inner ear (vestibular system), and a network of sensory receptors in your joints and muscles called proprioceptors. Your upper cervical spine is absolutely packed with these proprioceptors, making it one of the richest sources of positional feedback in your entire body.
The top two vertebrae in your spine — the atlas (C1) and the axis (C2) — sit directly at the base of your skull. When they’re in proper alignment, they support the brainstem, protect the upper spinal cord, and allow accurate sensory signals to flow freely between your body and your brain. When they’re even slightly misaligned, that entire feedback loop can get disrupted.
Think about what happens when your brain receives conflicting signals. Your inner ear might be saying you’re still, your eyes might agree, but your upper cervical spine — due to a misalignment — is sending distorted or scrambled proprioceptive signals. Your brain can’t reconcile the mismatch. The result? Vertigo, dizziness, or that constant floating, unsteady sensation that some people describe as feeling “disconnected.”
On top of that, the upper cervical region sits in close proximity to the vertebral arteries — two vessels that supply blood to the brainstem and cerebellum (the part of your brain that coordinates balance and movement). A subluxation at C1 or C2 can create enough mechanical tension to influence circulation through those arteries, further compounding vestibular symptoms.
How a Subluxation at the Atlas Creates Dizziness
A subluxation is a misalignment in the spine — specifically one that’s significant enough to affect nervous system function. At the atlas level, even a very small shift can have a disproportionately large impact on how your brain and body communicate.
Dr. David Hall and Dr. Troy Reistroffer at Desoto Upper Cervical in Southaven explain it to patients this way: the atlas is the most freely moving vertebra in your entire spine, which is what allows you to nod your head, rotate your neck, and tilt side to side. That freedom of movement is a feature — but it also makes the atlas the most vulnerable to misalignment. A car accident, a sports injury, a bad fall, or even years of poor posture and repetitive stress can nudge the atlas out of its proper position beneath the skull.
When that happens, the brainstem — which sits in the space the atlas is meant to protect — can come under subtle mechanical pressure. The brainstem is the master coordinator of your autonomic nervous system and plays a direct role in regulating balance, eye movement, and spatial orientation. Pressure or tension at that level doesn’t take much to create symptoms that show up elsewhere in your body — including chronic dizziness and episodes of vertigo.
This is why so many patients who have been to multiple specialists, taken anti-nausea medications, or done vestibular rehabilitation therapy find that their symptoms keep coming back. They’ve been treating the symptom, not the structural source.
What the Research Says
The relationship between upper cervical spine dysfunction and vestibular symptoms has been studied for decades. Research published in peer-reviewed chiropractic and neurology journals has consistently shown that cervicogenic dizziness — dizziness originating from the neck — is more common than previously recognized, and that upper cervical adjustments can produce significant improvements in both dizziness frequency and severity.
One particularly notable area of study involves upper cervical care and Meniere’s disease. A series of case studies and small clinical trials found that patients with Meniere’s who received specific upper cervical corrections experienced dramatic reductions in the severity and frequency of their symptoms — in some cases, complete resolution. Researchers hypothesized that atlas misalignment may contribute to abnormal fluid pressure in the inner ear (a hallmark of Meniere’s disease) by affecting drainage pathways through the cranio-cervical junction.
While it would be an overreach to say upper cervical care cures Meniere’s disease or any other vestibular disorder, the evidence strongly supports it as a meaningful, drug-free option worth exploring — especially for patients who haven’t found lasting relief through conventional treatment.
Atlas Orthogonal and Orthospinology: Precision Techniques for a Sensitive Area
Not all chiropractic approaches are created equal, and when it comes to addressing vertigo and dizziness, precision matters. The upper cervical spine is one of the most neurologically dense and mechanically sensitive areas in the entire body. That’s why the approach used at Desoto Upper Cervical is so different from general chiropractic care — and why it produces results that general manipulation often can’t replicate.
Dr. Hall and Dr. Reistroffer specialize in two highly specific upper cervical techniques: Atlas Orthogonal and Orthospinology.
Atlas Orthogonal uses a precision instrument to deliver an extremely gentle, calculated correction to the atlas vertebra. The instrument delivers a light percussion force — so light that most patients barely feel it — directed at a specific angle determined entirely by that patient’s imaging. There is no cracking, no twisting, no forceful manipulation of any kind. For patients dealing with vertigo who are already sensitive to head movement, this level of gentleness is not just a comfort — it’s a clinical necessity.
Orthospinology extends the precision further, using a detailed X-ray analysis to map out the exact three-dimensional position of the atlas and determine the precise correction vector needed. Every adjustment is calculated based on the patient’s own anatomy, not a general formula. This individualized approach ensures that each correction is as accurate and effective as possible.
Both techniques share a common goal: to restore the atlas to its proper position beneath the skull, reduce interference at the brainstem, and allow the body’s natural self-regulating systems — including the vestibular system — to function the way they’re supposed to.
What to Expect When You Come In
Patients who come to Desoto Upper Cervical with vertigo or dizziness as their primary complaint go through a thorough evaluation process before any treatment begins. Dr. Hall or Dr. Reistroffer will sit down with you to take a detailed health history, understand the nature of your symptoms (when they started, what makes them better or worse, what other treatments you’ve tried), and rule out any red flags that would require a different kind of care.
From there, you’ll receive specialized imaging of your upper cervical spine. These X-rays are taken using precise, protocol-driven views that allow the doctors to see exactly how your atlas and axis are positioned — information that’s simply not available on a standard neck X-ray. The images are then analyzed carefully before your first adjustment is made.
Your first correction is typically very gentle and may feel surprisingly underwhelming. Most patients expect something dramatic and are genuinely surprised by how light the procedure is. That’s by design. The goal is precision, not force. After the adjustment, you’ll rest for a period to allow your nervous system to begin integrating the change, and post-adjustment imaging is taken to confirm the correction was properly achieved.
Some patients notice a reduction in dizziness within the first few visits. Others experience a more gradual shift as their atlas stabilizes in its corrected position over several weeks. Either way, the feedback from patients at Desoto Upper Cervical who came in with vestibular symptoms has been consistently encouraging — and for many, it was the first real relief they found after months or years of searching.
Who Should Consider Upper Cervical Care for Dizziness?
Upper cervical chiropractic care isn’t the right fit for every single case of dizziness — some conditions require medical management first. But it’s worth seriously considering if any of the following sounds familiar:
- Your dizziness started or significantly worsened after a head or neck injury (car accident, sports injury, fall, or even a seemingly minor incident)
- Your vertigo episodes are triggered by specific head positions or movements
- You’ve been told you have cervicogenic dizziness, but treatment hasn’t given you lasting relief
- You have chronic neck stiffness, tension headaches, or upper neck pain alongside your dizziness
- You’ve been evaluated by an ENT or neurologist and no structural cause was found, leaving you without clear answers
- You’ve had BPPV repositioning maneuvers (like the Epley maneuver) that help temporarily but symptoms keep returning
- You have a diagnosis of Meniere’s disease and are managing symptoms but not finding the underlying driver
If any of those fit, it’s worth having your upper cervical spine evaluated by a specialist who can tell you definitively whether atlas subluxation is playing a role.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a chiropractic adjustment make my vertigo worse?
With Atlas Orthogonal and Orthospinology, the risk of aggravating vestibular symptoms is extremely low because there is no forceful manipulation involved. The corrections are gentle, precise, and targeted. Some patients do notice a temporary increase in symptoms in the first day or two as their nervous system adjusts — this is normal and typically short-lived. Dr. Hall and Dr. Reistroffer will walk you through what to expect before, during, and after your first adjustment.
How is this different from vestibular rehabilitation therapy?
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is an exercise-based approach that helps your brain compensate for vestibular dysfunction. It works well for many people. Upper cervical chiropractic care, by contrast, aims to address a structural source of the problem rather than compensate around it. For some patients, VRT and upper cervical care complement each other beautifully. For others, correcting the atlas misalignment is enough to resolve the symptoms without the need for compensatory exercises.
Will I need X-rays every visit?
No. At Desoto Upper Cervical, X-rays are taken at your initial evaluation and then again when there’s a clinical indication that your spinal alignment has changed. You won’t be exposed to imaging at every appointment — the doctors use a combination of objective measurements and physical examination findings to determine when adjustments are needed and when your alignment is holding.
How many visits will it take to see improvement?
That varies from person to person depending on how long the misalignment has been present, how severe the subluxation is, and the overall health of your spine. Some patients see meaningful improvement within the first two or three visits. Others benefit most from a consistent care plan over several weeks. During your initial consultation, Dr. Hall or Dr. Reistroffer will give you a realistic picture of what your care plan might look like based on your specific findings.
Is upper cervical care safe if I have Meniere’s disease?
Upper cervical care is generally considered safe and is often well-tolerated by patients with Meniere’s disease. The techniques used at Desoto Upper Cervical are among the gentlest in chiropractic care. As always, a thorough health history and evaluation will be done before any treatment begins to ensure you’re a good candidate. If you have other medical conditions being managed by a physician, Dr. Hall and Dr. Reistroffer are happy to coordinate with your care team.
Do I need a referral?
No referral is needed to schedule an appointment at Desoto Upper Cervical. You can call the office directly to set up your initial consultation.
You Don’t Have to Keep Living With Dizziness
Vertigo and chronic dizziness have a way of quietly stealing your quality of life. You start avoiding activities you used to enjoy. You hesitate before getting out of bed. You turn down invitations because you’re not sure how you’ll feel. And every time you think you’ve turned a corner, another episode reminds you that you haven’t found the answer yet.
If that’s where you are, Dr. David Hall and Dr. Troy Reistroffer at Desoto Upper Cervical want you to know there may be a structural reason your symptoms keep returning — and a precise, drug-free way to address it. Their combined expertise in Atlas Orthogonal and Orthospinology upper cervical chiropractic care has helped many patients in Southaven and the greater Memphis area finally get answers and lasting relief they couldn’t find anywhere else.
The next step is a conversation. Come in, get evaluated, and find out whether your upper cervical spine is at the root of what you’ve been experiencing.
Ready to find out if upper cervical care can help your vertigo or dizziness? Schedule a consultation with Dr. David Hall or Dr. Troy Reistroffer at Desoto Upper Cervical in Southaven, MS today.
- 📞 Call us: (662) 393-4848
- 📍 Find us: 1134 Church Rd W, Southaven, MS 38671
- 🌐 Learn more: www.desotouppercervical.com
