Cervicogenic Dizziness: When Your Neck Makes You Dizzy

Have you ever turned your head a certain way and felt instantly dizzy or woozy…and then it goes away? Intermittent dizziness is one of the top reasons that people make a doctor’s appointment, often fearing the worst, such as a neurological cause or even a brain tumor. More often than not, positional head turns and dizziness are caused by conditions such as cervicogenic dizziness or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).

Our feature today will focus on cervicogenic dizziness – meaning the cause of the dizziness is actually due to a problem with the neck. Cervicogenic (or Cervical) dizziness is a sensation that often accompanies some level of neck pain, leading to a feeling that the environment around us is spinning, or we are spinning in a world standing still. Sometimes the sensation lasts just a few seconds. It can be severe, however, leading to a debilitating sensation of unsteadiness and disorientation, with nausea, impaired function and injuries from falls.

There are several causes for cervicogenic dizziness:

1. Simple osteoarthritis between the vertebra (bones) of the neck can cause disruption of normal blood fl ow through the neck, aggravated by chronic postural faults;

2. partially blocked or reduced-fl ow arteries traveling from heart to the head through the neck can cause impaired blood fl ow to the inner ear/ vestibular system or even the brainstem, causing us to feel dizzy; and

3. advanced arthritis that causes boney changes – called Cervical Spondylosis- can cause physical pressure on the spinal nerves or directly to the spinal cord that supply the vestibular system or the brainstem.

Dizziness from cervical causes can last minutes or hours. Sometimes the neck pain and dizziness escalate after exercise, rapid movement or even sneezing. So what are the most effective treatment approaches? The key to long term resolution of this problem lies in clearly identifying the source. Symptoms of cervicogenic dizziness are very similar to BPPV but they require different treatments. If the dizziness is a result of neck issues, the focus of treatment should be to restore full, pain-free movement and blood fl ow, usually guided by physical therapy for alignment, posture, muscle and tissue lengthening and relaxation.

BPPV – which we will discuss in the next article – stems from problems with the inner ear (very fixable!). Research on treatments that are the most effective long term include manual therapy by a physical therapist, as opposed to medications to manage symptoms. For individuals suffering from dizziness after trauma, such as an auto accident with subsequent whiplash, a combination of causes needs to be carefully treated – both the neck, and the inner ear. In all cases, usually some fundamental balance and vestibular therapy is needed to re-boot and calibrate the natural balance reactions that prevent us from falling.

With just a few treatments, not only can the sporadic dizziness completely resolve, but also balance and personal safety can be restored quickly. Seek professional diagnosis as soon as you notice symptoms, as they generally do not resolve without specific treatment.

As we age, we tend to lose cervical rotation and lateral bending – turning the head fully in both directions, and bringing the ear toward each shoulder. Keep full range of motion of your neck with 2-3 minutes of routine full, active range of motion every day. You can keep neck pain and stiffness at bay, as well as prevent cervicogenic dizziness episodes.