Vertigo Chiropractor in Springfield, IL | Keystone Chiropractic | Springfield IL Chiropractor

Tired of the Spinning? There May Be a Root Cause Nobody Has Found Yet.

Does the room spin when you roll over in bed? Do you have to grab the wall when you stand up too fast? Are you afraid to drive, afraid to be in busy spaces, afraid to move your head the wrong way?

Vertigo that keeps coming back is one of the most disabling things a person can experience — and one of the most frustrating, because most patients are told either that the cause is their inner ear and they just need to wait, or that nothing is structurally wrong and there’s not much that can be done.

What most vertigo patients have never been told is that the upper cervical spine — specifically the atlas (C1) and axis (C2) — plays a direct role in how the brain processes balance. When those vertebrae are misaligned, even subtly, they can generate the kind of chronic vestibular dysfunction that no medication, no Epley maneuver, and no amount of waiting will resolve.

At Keystone Chiropractic in Springfield, IL, Dr. Frederick Schurger specializes in identifying and correcting that structural component — with tools and training that most practices in Central Illinois don’t have access to.

Schedule your evaluation with Dr. Schurger →

Why Your Vertigo Keeps Coming Back

Your sense of balance isn’t controlled by one system — it’s a continuous three-way conversation between:

Your inner ear — the vestibular apparatus, which detects head movement and gravity
Your eyes — the visual system, which confirms spatial orientation
Your upper cervical spine — the most proprioceptively rich region of the spine, packed with sensory receptors that constantly report head position to the brainstem

When all three systems agree, balance is effortless. When one sends inaccurate information, the brain receives conflicting signals — and that conflict is experienced as dizziness, spinning, or the sense that the world isn’t staying still.

Most vertigo treatment focuses exclusively on the inner ear. BPPV is diagnosed, the Epley maneuver is performed, vestibular suppressants are prescribed. For some patients, that’s enough. For patients whose vertigo keeps returning — whose episodes come back weeks or months after the Epley, whose symptoms never fully resolve with medication — something else is driving the problem.

In many of these cases, that something else is the cervical spine. The atlas and axis, when misaligned, disrupt the proprioceptive signaling that the brainstem depends on to coordinate balance. The brain receives conflicting position information from the neck while the inner ear is reporting something different. That conflict produces vertigo — and it won’t resolve until the source of the inaccurate signaling is corrected.

This is known as cervicogenic vertigo. It is one of the most commonly overlooked causes of chronic dizziness, and it is exactly what Dr. Schurger’s approach is designed to address.

Vertigo and Dizziness Conditions We Commonly Treat

BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)

BPPV occurs when calcium crystals in the inner ear migrate into the semicircular canals, sending false movement signals to the brain. The Epley maneuver can reposition them — but if the underlying cervical instability causing the crystals to dislodge repeatedly isn’t addressed, BPPV will keep returning. Upper cervical care addresses that instability at its source.

Cervicogenic Vertigo

Dizziness originating from dysfunction in the upper cervical spine. Often triggered by head movement or specific neck positions, and frequently accompanied by neck stiffness, headaches, or a history of whiplash or head trauma. The most consistently under-diagnosed cause of chronic vertigo — and the condition upper cervical chiropractic is best positioned to help.

Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease involves abnormal inner ear fluid pressure producing episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, aural fullness, and fluctuating hearing loss. Research increasingly supports a connection between craniocervical junction misalignment and the endolymphatic drainage pathways involved in Meniere’s. Many Meniere’s patients find significant relief with upper cervical care after conventional treatment has provided only partial results.

Vestibular Migraines

Migraines that produce vertigo and dizziness — sometimes without a headache. The cervical component of vestibular migraines is frequently overlooked. Cervical proprioceptive dysfunction and sensorimotor deficits are documented contributors to headache-associated vertigo that upper cervical correction can address.

Post-Concussion Dizziness

Persistent dizziness following a concussion is one of the most common and debilitating post-concussion symptoms. Head injuries almost universally involve some degree of upper cervical trauma — even when imaging appears normal. If you’ve had a concussion and your vestibular symptoms haven’t fully resolved, the craniocervical junction deserves a thorough evaluation.

Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS)

A persistent sense of rocking, swaying, or bobbing that typically follows motion exposure — cruise ships, flights, long car trips — and doesn’t resolve when the motion stops. MdDS can persist for months or years and significantly affects daily function. Upper cervical care addresses the sensorimotor integration component that is central to MdDS presentation.

Whiplash-Associated Vertigo

Vertigo and dizziness following a whiplash injury are common and frequently undertreated. Whiplash disrupts the upper cervical proprioceptive system and can produce lasting cervicogenic vertigo that standard whiplash treatment doesn’t fully address. If your dizziness began after a car accident, the connection is almost certainly structural.

How Dr. Schurger Approaches Vertigo at Keystone Chiropractic

Dr. Frederick Schurger is a Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractor and Diplomate in Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures (DCCJP) — a post-doctoral credential involving three years of advanced study, approximately 300 hours of coursework in upper cervical anatomy, neuroscience, and craniocervical junction procedures, and a three-day board examination. Very few practitioners in the country hold this credential. For a patient with vertigo driven by craniocervical junction dysfunction, it represents a depth of training that matters.

Step 1: Detailed History and Assessment

Before any imaging or adjustment, Dr. Schurger takes a thorough history. When did the vertigo begin? What triggers episodes? Is there a history of head or neck trauma — even a minor accident that happened years before symptoms started? Is there associated neck pain, stiffness, tinnitus, or hearing changes? The pattern of your symptoms often tells the clinical story before a single test is run.

Step 2: CBCT Cone Beam CT Imaging

Keystone Chiropractic uses CBCT — three-dimensional cone beam CT scanning — to visualize the exact position and orientation of the atlas and axis. Standard X-rays produce flat, two-dimensional projections that can miss the subtle misalignments at the craniocervical junction that drive cervicogenic vertigo. CBCT shows the full three-dimensional picture. No correction is made without it.

Step 3: Infrared Thermography

Thermographic scanning measures asymmetrical heat patterns along the spine — an objective, real-time indicator of nervous system stress and neurological imbalance. For vertigo patients, thermography often shows clear asymmetry at the upper cervical level that correlates directly with symptom presentation. It is also used to track improvement throughout care.

Step 4: NeckCare System Functional Assessment

This is where Keystone Chiropractic goes further than most practices — and it’s particularly meaningful for vertigo patients.

The NeckCare System is an FDA-listed assessment device that measures three aspects of cervical spine function that standard examinations don’t assess at all:

Cervical Range of Motion — precise degree measurements across all six directions of neck movement, capturing asymmetries and restrictions that visual estimation misses
Joint Position Error Test (Proprioception) — measures how accurately your neck senses its own position in space. You close your eyes, move your head to a target position, then try to return to neutral. The gap between where you think neutral is and where it actually is reflects proprioceptive accuracy. Significant errors are strongly associated with cervicogenic vertigo and chronic balance dysfunction.
Butterfly Test® (Sensorimotor Control) — evaluates the coordinated communication between your neck, eyes, and nervous system by tracking how accurately you follow a moving visual target with your head. This test directly assesses the three-way balance system — and when sensorimotor coordination is impaired, it shows up clearly here.

For vertigo patients, the Joint Position Error Test and Butterfly Test® are particularly revealing. They frequently produce the “aha” moment that many patients have been waiting for — objective evidence, in numbers, that something measurable is wrong with the neck’s sensory function. After months or years of being told nothing is wrong, seeing your own proprioceptive error score or sensorimotor coordination data is often the first time the problem has felt real and explainable.

These measurements also become the tracking tool throughout care. As the correction holds and the nervous system adapts, proprioceptive accuracy improves, sensorimotor coordination smooths out, and range of motion expands — often before symptoms fully resolve. That data tells the story of real neurological change, independent of how you happen to feel on a given day.

Step 5: Blair Upper Cervical Correction

The Blair Upper Cervical adjustment is gentle, low-force, and specific to your individual anatomy as determined by CBCT imaging. There is no twisting, cracking, or forceful manipulation of the neck. The correction is calculated based on the exact position, orientation, and degree of misalignment identified in your scan — and delivered with precision to address what was actually found.

After each adjustment, patients rest in zero gravity chairs for approximately 30 minutes to allow the correction to stabilize. The goal isn’t weekly adjustments indefinitely — it’s a held correction that normalizes the neurological environment and allows the balance system to stop receiving conflicting signals from the neck.

Step 6: Objective Progress Tracking

Progress at Keystone is tracked with repeat thermography, NeckCare assessments, and imaging at key milestones. Vertigo episode frequency and severity are also tracked over time. For many patients, the objective functional measures improve before symptoms fully resolve — confirming that the correction is producing real neurological change even during weeks when symptom experience is variable.

Who Tends to Respond Best to Upper Cervical Care for Vertigo

Upper cervical care is not the right approach for every vertigo patient — and Dr. Schurger will tell you that plainly after your evaluation. But there are presentations where the cervicogenic component is most clearly present and where this approach has the strongest track record:

Vertigo that keeps recurring despite the Epley maneuver or vestibular therapy
Dizziness triggered or worsened by specific head movements or neck positions
A history of head or neck trauma — car accident, whiplash, fall, sports injury, concussion — preceding symptom onset
Vertigo accompanied by neck pain or stiffness
Vertigo accompanied by chronic headaches or migraines
Meniere’s disease that hasn’t responded adequately to diet and medication management
Post-concussion dizziness that hasn’t fully resolved
Imaging that looks normal but symptoms that persist
Vertigo that other providers haven’t been able to explain or adequately treat

Frequently Asked Questions About Vertigo and Upper Cervical Chiropractic

How do I know if my vertigo is coming from my neck?

Common signs include: vertigo triggered by turning your head or looking up, accompanying neck pain or stiffness, a history of whiplash or head injury, or vertigo that worsens after long periods at a desk or in a fixed posture. Dr. Schurger uses thermography, postural assessment, CBCT imaging, and the NeckCare System’s Joint Position Error Test to determine whether upper cervical dysfunction is present and contributing to your symptoms.

What is the difference between BPPV and cervicogenic vertigo?

BPPV is caused by calcium crystals that have migrated into the wrong part of the inner ear, sending false movement signals to the brain. It’s typically position-dependent and responds to the Epley maneuver. Cervicogenic vertigo originates from dysfunction in the upper cervical spine — disrupted proprioceptive signaling from the neck that conflicts with inner ear input. Many patients have elements of both, and BPPV that keeps recurring often has an underlying cervicogenic component that the Epley doesn’t address.

Can the NeckCare System show whether my vertigo has a cervical component?

Yes. The Joint Position Error Test measures proprioceptive accuracy — how well your neck senses its own position in space. Deficits in this measure are strongly associated with cervicogenic vertigo. The Butterfly Test® assesses sensorimotor coordination between your neck, eyes, and nervous system — directly evaluating the three-way balance system. Together these tests often reveal functional deficits that explain chronic vertigo even when standard imaging looks normal.

Is the Blair Upper Cervical adjustment safe if I have vertigo?

Yes. The Blair technique is extremely gentle and low-force — there is no twisting, cracking, or high-velocity manipulation of the neck. It is specifically well-suited for patients with vestibular conditions, neurological sensitivity, and complex presentations where traditional chiropractic manipulation would not be appropriate.

What if I’ve already had the Epley maneuver and the vertigo came back?

Recurring BPPV — where the Epley works temporarily but the crystals dislodge again — often indicates an underlying instability that the maneuver doesn’t address. The most common structural explanation is upper cervical misalignment creating a neurological environment that predisposes the crystals to keep dislodging. Addressing that misalignment with upper cervical care often breaks the cycle. Many patients who’ve had repeated Epley treatments find that their recurrence rate drops significantly after upper cervical correction.

Can you help with Meniere’s disease?

Many Meniere’s patients have found significant relief with upper cervical care. The connection between craniocervical junction misalignment and the endolymphatic drainage pathways involved in Meniere’s disease is documented in the upper cervical literature. Patients whose Meniere’s began after a head or neck injury are often particularly good candidates. Results vary and no outcomes are guaranteed, but for patients who haven’t found lasting relief with conventional Meniere’s treatment, this approach is worth a thorough evaluation.

How long before I notice improvement?

It varies. Some patients notice a reduction in episode frequency and severity within the first few weeks. Others see gradual improvement over several months as the correction stabilizes and the nervous system adapts. The NeckCare assessments and thermography at progress milestones provide objective data on whether neurological change is occurring — even during weeks when symptom experience is variable. Progress here is tracked in data, not just feelings.

Do you treat patients from outside Springfield?

Yes. Patients travel from Chatham, Rochester, Sherman, Riverton, Pekin, Morton, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Taylorville, and across Central Illinois for care at Keystone Chiropractic. The level of specialization here — DCCJP credential, CBCT imaging, Blair technique, NeckCare functional assessment — is not readily available in most communities in the region. No referral is needed.

What Keystone Chiropractic Patients Are Saying

“Helpful. Truly helpful. Dr. Schurger recognized my hip/back pain as something needing to be exercised. After he realigned my neck and gave me a brief rest, my return to normalcy, being pain free, began. As for friendliness, he and Jean are tops!”

— John G. | Verified 5-Star Google Review

“Dr. Schurger has changed my life! When we met, I was dependent on forearm crutches or a walker to get around. After starting treatments to correct my out-of-alignment vertebrae, I got my life back. I am now able to walk completely unaided by mobility aids, and even was able to renew my expired driving license.”

— Diana | Verified 5-Star Google Review

“I found Dr. Schurger when I had exhausted all other avenues. I had broken my back and was having severe pain almost daily. After the first treatment, I knew I had found the key to my recovery and healing. I recommend his practice to absolutely everyone.”

— Jeanna B. | Verified 5-Star Google Review

“I am an eight-year extreme migraine sufferer and used medications and regular chiropractic care for the same amount of time. In two visits I was migraine and headache-free and out of my custom orthotics. I also did physical therapy for my neck to no avail. This works.”

— Chantel C. | Verified 5-Star Google Review

Ready to Find Out What’s Actually Causing Your Vertigo?

If you’ve been dealing with vertigo that keeps coming back — and you’ve tried medication, the Epley maneuver, physical therapy, or other chiropractic care without lasting relief — the upper cervical spine may be the piece that nobody has properly evaluated yet.

Your first visit at Keystone is a thorough evaluation, not a sales presentation. Dr. Schurger will review your history, run the appropriate assessments, and give you a clear picture of what he finds and whether upper cervical care is the right next step for you. If it isn’t, he’ll tell you that too.

Schedule your vertigo evaluation at Keystone Chiropractic →

Or call us directly: (217) 698-7900

Keystone Chiropractic | 450 S Durkin Drive, Ste B, Springfield, IL 62704 | (217) 698-7900
Dr. Frederick Schurger, DC, DCCJP — Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractor serving Springfield and Central Illinois since 2007.

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