Do you sometimes feel dizzy and off-balance with neck pain? Do you feel dizzy when you stand up, or can't keep your eyes in one place? While many people think this is normal, it could be a specific type of dizziness caused by a neck problem. Today we're talking about this condition that many people don't know about, but can affect many people.
What is Cervicogenic Dizziness?
Simply put, this is a condition where you feel dizzy and lose your balance due to a problem in your neck (cervical vertebrae). In this case, both neck pain and dizziness occur together.
Imagine, the vertebrae, muscles, and nerves in our neck constantly send signals to the brain to maintain our balance. All these messages, such as which way your head is facing, how your body is positioned, and whether you are standing or bending over, go to the brain through this system. So, when there is a problem in this messaging system due to a neck injury, injury, or other problem, the signals that the brain receives become jumbled. The brain becomes confused. As a result, we feel dizzy and unsteady.
Let's take a look at the structure of our neck.
Our spine is made up of small bones called vertebrae, stacked on top of each other. The top 7 vertebrae, closest to our skull, are what we call the ' Cervical Spine ' .
These vertebrae are where the nerves that carry messages from our brain to the rest of our body run. Think of it like the main 'cable line' of our body. The nerves and muscles in this neck area are essential for our movement and balance. So even a small change in this sensitive area can affect the entire body.
What causes this situation?
Cervicogenic Dizziness can have several causes. Often, this dizziness begins months or even years after some injury to the neck.
- Trauma to the neck: This condition is most commonly caused by whiplash injuries , which involve the neck being suddenly jerked forward and backward, especially in a car accident. It can also be caused by injuries to the neck during sports or from a fall.
- Changes that occur with age: Degeneration of the vertebrae and joints in the neck, such as conditions such as cervical spondylosis or cervical arthritis.
- Disk problems: Herniated Cervical Disks are conditions in which the jelly-like discs between the vertebrae bulge out.
- High muscle tone in the neck: The neck muscles are often tense due to things like staring at the computer for long periods of time, sleeping in the wrong position, and excessive stress .
- Other causes: Things like inflammation of the joints in the neck can also affect this.
The most important thing is to remember that these symptoms can be worse during times of high stress and anxiety.
What are the symptoms of Cervicogenic Dizziness?
The symptoms of this condition may vary slightly from person to person, but some of the common symptoms are listed in the table below.
| Symptom | Description |
|---|---|
| Dizziness | You may feel a heaviness in your head, a feeling of floating, and unsteadiness when standing. However, the spinning sensation/vertigo is less common. This is a key feature that distinguishes it from other types of vertigo. |
| Neck pain or stiffness | You often feel pain or stiffness in the upper part of your neck. This pain may increase when you turn your neck. |
| Headaches | A headache that often starts at the back of the neck and moves to the front of the head. Some people feel like a band is tightening around their head. Sometimes it can progress to a severe migraine with sensitivity to light and sound. |
| Vision difficulty | Rapid eye movement, difficulty focusing on moving objects, and the feeling that the letters are blurry when reading a book. |
| Movement and posture problems | It becomes difficult to coordinate things like moving your limbs and walking properly (uncoordinated). It is difficult to stand straight, and you feel like you are constantly falling over. |
| Stomach troubles | Feeling nauseous and like vomiting. |
What are the treatments for this?
Since there can be several causes for this, there are times when several treatments are needed at once. Your doctor will examine you, find the exact cause, and prescribe the most suitable treatment for you. We will mainly talk about two treatment methods.
1. Manual Therapy / Physiotherapy
This involves a trained doctor or physical therapist performing proper massage and exercise of the neck and surrounding muscles. The main focus is on the following muscles.
- Muscles under the skull
- Major muscles of the neck
- Muscles that run from the neck down through the shoulders
- Muscles on the sides of the neck
- Pectoral muscles
2. Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy
This is a special set of exercises to control balance and dizziness. Physical therapy alone may not completely reduce dizziness. Therefore, it is very important to do this vestibular therapy in conjunction with it. This is a set of exercises specially designed for you.
- Eye exercises
- Balance exercises
- Walking exercises
- Neck movements
Usually, when these two treatments are used together, the symptoms gradually decrease. However, all of this should be done only under the guidance of a qualified doctor or physical therapist. Stretching and massaging your neck as you feel like it can make the condition worse. Therefore, if you have these symptoms, the first thing you should do is see your doctor.
Take-Home Message
- Cervicogenic Dizziness is a type of dizziness caused by a problem in the neck. It is less like the room is spinning, but more like a swaying, floating sensation.
- Neck pain, headaches, vision problems, and loss of balance are the main symptoms.
- This condition will not just get better. So if you have these symptoms, definitely see your doctor for advice.
- Successful results can be achieved by combining both manual therapy and vestibular rehabilitation.
- Staying away from stress and bad postures goes a long way in controlling these symptoms.
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