Few sensations are as unsettling as vertigo, when the room suddenly spins around you for no clear reason. At The Spine and Wellness Center in Coral Springs, Dr. Jared Cohen, DC helps patients across Coral Springs and Parkland understand what is behind their dizziness, including BPPV and neck-related causes, and find a path toward steadier days.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Jared Cohen, DC · Updated June 2026

What vertigo really is

Vertigo is not the same as feeling lightheaded or faint. It is the specific sensation that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving when they are not. The feeling comes from a mismatch in the signals your inner ear, eyes, and body send to the brain about balance and position.

Vertigo is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Pinpointing the cause is the key first step, because the most effective care depends entirely on why the spinning is happening.

BPPV: the most common cause

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, is the single most common cause of vertigo. Deep in your inner ear are tiny calcium crystals that help sense movement. When some of these crystals become dislodged and drift into the wrong canal, certain head positions send false motion signals to the brain, triggering brief but intense spinning.

BPPV episodes are usually short, lasting seconds to a couple of minutes, and are set off by specific movements such as rolling over in bed, looking up, or bending down. The hallmark is that position changes reliably bring the spinning on.

Although BPPV can feel alarming, it is generally not dangerous and tends to respond well to the right repositioning care. What makes it so disruptive is the unpredictability, because a quick glance up at a shelf or a turn of the head in bed can suddenly set the room in motion. Understanding that the trigger is positional, rather than a sign of something more serious, is often a relief for patients in itself.

Common signs and symptoms

• A spinning sensation triggered by head movements
• Brief episodes that start and stop suddenly
• Nausea or queasiness during an attack
• Loss of balance or unsteadiness
• Difficulty focusing the eyes during the spin

Cervicogenic dizziness: the neck connection

Not all dizziness comes from the inner ear. Cervicogenic dizziness arises from problems in the neck, where joint dysfunction and muscle tension disrupt the balance signals the upper cervical spine sends to the brain. This type often comes with neck pain or stiffness and tends to be linked to neck movement rather than a true spinning sensation.

Because the neck and balance systems are so closely connected, a careful evaluation matters. Addressing the neck through neck pain treatment can be an important piece of care when dizziness is cervicogenic in origin.

The Epley maneuver and how care can help

For BPPV, repositioning techniques such as the Epley maneuver are designed to guide the displaced crystals back to where they belong, often bringing significant relief. These are a series of specific, gentle head and body movements performed by a trained provider.

At The Spine and Wellness Center, our vertigo treatment begins with identifying the cause so care is matched to the problem. When the neck is involved, Dr. Cohen integrates gentle chiropractic care to restore healthy movement to the cervical spine. Patients from Coral Springs, Parkland, Tamarac, and Deerfield Beach value an approach that is conservative and tailored rather than one-size-fits-all.

Self-care and staying safe

• Move slowly when changing positions, especially in bed
• Sit down right away when an episode starts
• Use handrails and good lighting to prevent falls
• Stay hydrated and well rested
• Avoid driving during active vertigo symptoms

When to seek care in Coral Springs and Parkland

Recurring vertigo deserves a professional evaluation, and certain warning signs call for urgent attention: sudden severe dizziness with a severe headache, weakness, slurred speech, double vision, or trouble walking. For ongoing or positional vertigo, The Spine and Wellness Center has served Coral Springs and Parkland since 2005 with same-day appointments and most major insurance accepted. Call (954) 341-2256 or visit 5675 Coral Ridge Drive.