Cervicogenic Dizziness

Cervicogenic Dizziness

 

Cervicogenic dizziness, or cervical vertigo, is often caused by pain or injury to the neck. It may cause you to feel dizzy or off-balance. You may have limited range of motion in your neck and headaches.

Causes

Your balance system is made up of three parts:

  • The vestibular system, which includes small organs in your inner ear that tell your brain where your head is in space.
  • The visual system, which includes your eyes and their pathways to your brain.
  • The somatosensory system, where your muscles and joints send messages to your brain to tell it where your body is in space.

Cervicogenic dizziness is thought to occur when there is a mismatch between the information the different balance systems send your brain about the place of your head in space. This is due to wrong information your brain is getting from your neck. This mismatch causes you to feel unsteady or dizzy.

Symptoms

  • Dizzy or lightheaded
  • Headache
  • Neck pain
  • Limited neck range of motion
  • Feel off-balance, walking straight is hard or feel as if you are about to fall
  • May occur after a neck injury, such as with whiplash

Diagnosis

There is no single test to confirm that you have cervicogenic dizziness. Your doctor and physical therapist will work together to find the cause of your symptoms. This may include:

  • Questions about your medical history, past injuries, medicines, and symptoms, including when they started.
  • Tests to rule out other causes.
  • Checking how you walk, your balance and coordination, your neck movement, your strength, your posture and/or your eye movement.

Treatment

Your treatment plan may include:

  • Learning about your diagnosis, proper posture and ways to cope.
  • Exercises to increase your neck strength, endurance and range of motion.
  • Activities to improve balance and decrease dizziness.
  • Therapy to decrease neck pain and increase movement.

© 2021 – April 13, 2021, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

This handout is for informational purposes only. Talk with your doctor or healthcare team if you have any questions about your care. For more health information, call the Library for Health Information at 614-293-3707 or email: health-info@osu.edu.