If the room spins, tilts, or sways when you turn over in bed or look up at a shelf, you want someone to work out why before you try to fix it. Our vertigo treatment in Smyrna, GA starts with a close look at how your inner ears, eyes, and neck work together, and it builds exercises around what that shows.
Dr. James Wright is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a diplomate in functional neurology through the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, plus additional training under Dr. Marc Ellis in soft tissue and brain rehabilitation. What he brings is a detailed way of testing eye movements, balance, and coordination, so the exercises you are given match what is actually off.
Dizziness rarely has one tidy cause. The NIDCD notes that balance depends on the inner ear, the eyes, and the position sensors in the body, and that medications, ear problems, head injury, and low blood pressure can all play a part. So we ask about your whole story: past concussions, neck injuries, migraines, medicines, even how well you sleep. If something points toward a medical cause, we tell you to see your doctor first. You can read how this fits together on our vertigo and balance care page.
After the evaluation, you leave with a plain explanation and a plan, not a stack of jargon. Care is one-on-one, you are welcome to ask what each exercise is for, and we revisit the plan as you improve. We do not bill insurance, and your first consultation is complimentary with no obligation to begin care, so you can learn what to expect before deciding anything.
Vertigo is the specific sensation of spinning, and the broader word dizziness covers lightheadedness, unsteadiness, and the feeling of being about to fall. The NIDCD recommends talking with your doctor about any of these, and our care is meant to sit alongside that medical care rather than replace it. Here is what an episode of care with us can include:
A complimentary first consultation about your dizziness, when it happens, and what triggers it
Eye movement testing and observation, since the eyes and inner ears work together
Balance and gait testing, including how steady you are with your eyes closed or on unstable footing
A look at the neck, because neck problems can contribute to dizziness
Review of your medical history and medicines, with a suggestion to see your doctor when something needs a medical look first
Vestibular rehabilitation exercises, such as gaze stability, head movement, and balance work
Education about your pattern, including when a repositioning procedure for BPPV may be the better next step and how we refer for it
A home exercise plan and guidance on what to expect between visits
Vestibular rehabilitation is designed to help the brain adapt when the balance signals it receives are off. A 2016 clinical practice guideline gives a strong recommendation to offer it to adults with peripheral vestibular hypofunction (Hall and colleagues, 2016). We cannot promise a specific result, but steadier footing on stairs and in the grocery aisle is what the exercises aim at.
Some of the value is simply knowing. When we can say whether your pattern looks like positional vertigo, a lingering problem after a head injury, or something that needs a doctor's review, the next step stops being a guess.
People with vertigo often stop turning their heads quickly or looking up, which can make the system less used to those movements. Graded exercises are designed to bring movement back at a level you can handle, with someone watching how you respond.
Getting around Smyrna usually means I-75, I-285, or Cobb Parkway, and driving on those roads asks a lot of your eyes and balance system. Steadier balance and calmer visual processing are the goals we work toward, though we also tell you honestly when driving is not a good idea yet and your doctor should weigh in.
Our office is on Atlanta Road in Smyrna, so for many people the trip is local: from the Village Green and Market Village area downtown, from the streets running off Cobb Parkway and South Cobb Drive, and from Vinings just across the line. The city's Piedmont hills mean slopes and curbs on a normal walk, and that is often where unsteadiness first gets noticed.
People also reach us from Cumberland, Mableton, Austell, Marietta, and the Galleria area. If a closer drive helps, we also see vertigo patients from Marietta and Atlanta. If ringing in the ears comes with the dizziness, our tinnitus care in Smyrna page explains that side, and lingering dizziness after a head injury is covered at our concussion clinic in Smyrna.
1. Call or book: Tell us about your dizziness. If it is sudden or severe, we point you to emergency care first.
2. Conversation: Dr. Wright asks about timing, triggers, hearing changes, headaches, past injuries, and what you have already tried.
3. Evaluation: Testing of eye movements, balance, coordination, and the neck, to see which part of the balance system may be struggling.
4. Findings: We explain what the testing suggests and whether it makes sense to see your doctor or an ear specialist as well.
5. Exercises: You start a graded set of vestibular and balance exercises, usually practiced at home too.
6. Review: We check progress, adjust exercises, and plan the next step.
If your dizziness is new, unexplained, or paired with hearing loss, double vision, weakness, or a severe headache, yes, and call 911 for sudden or severe symptoms. The NIDCD says to start with your doctor. Many people see us after their doctor has ruled out an urgent cause.
BPPV is short bursts of spinning triggered by head movement. The Epley maneuver is a standard repositioning procedure for it. We evaluate whether your pattern fits, explain the options, and tell you when referral for repositioning is the better step.
Not quite. Per the NIDCD, vertigo is a spinning sensation, while dizziness is the broader word that includes lightheadedness and unsteadiness. The distinction matters because the likely causes differ.
It depends on the cause and how you respond, and we do not quote a number before an evaluation. We talk through what to expect once we have seen your testing.
Some can, briefly. That is expected with certain balance exercises, and we start at a level you can tolerate. Tell us if symptoms stay worse afterward and we adjust.
No. Strong Tower is a private-pay practice, and the first consultation is complimentary. Call 770-767-3830 if you have questions about pricing.
If dizziness is getting in the way of your days, call 770-767-3830 or schedule your complimentary consult to talk it through. You can also use our contact page to reach the office.
Next steps
Your symptoms are part of the story, and we'd love to help you understand the rest. Book a consult online, or give us a call and we'll walk you through it. Your initial consultation is complimentary, with no obligation to begin care.
You can book a consultation online. Other appointments are booked by our clinic staff. office@strongtowerfn.com