Cervicogenic Dizziness ... Is it REAL?

Spoiler Alert ... you bet it's real. Dizziness and Vertigo can ABSOLUTELY

come from your neck. One of the more common comments I hear from patients is that Doctor "X"" said ,

"There is no way these symptoms are coming from your neck!"

My response typically is,

"Well, then they clearly have not looked at the past 70 YEARS of research."

Cervical Vertigo was described in the medical research literature in 1955!

Cervicogenic Dizziness actually has several different names:

• cervicogenic vertigo

• cervical dizziness

• neck dizziness

• neck vertigo

What does this actually even mean though? Well, in plain English, Cervicogenic Dizziness and Vertigo refer to feelings of disequilibrium , with the origin being your neck. This typically is combined with neck pain as well. For a quick second though, let's review the following graphic:

As you can see, there are some BIG differences between the three. Vertigo and Dizziness are more common descriptors, with not too many folks having ever heard "Otolithic." However, it's more common then not when we talk with folks, that they have feelings of Otolithic Dysfunction, but have just not simply heard the word itself. Anyways.

The cervical spine, aka the neck, can contribute to all of these, typically from some form of structural or muscular malposition. Structurally, the upper cervical spine feeds boat loads of "awareness information" to the brain, usually as the position of the head as it sits in space. IF this balance equation becomes disrupted (read more about it here), it can ALTER the awareness info, and now contribute to or create cervicogenic dizziness, cervicogenic vertigo, aka neck dizziness.

So, the question typically becomes,

"How do I know if MY dizziness/vertigo is actually cervical dizziness?"

The answer to that is ... a comprehensive analysis, looking at ALL systems involved (neck, eyes, inner ear).

You simply CANNOT ignore the entire equation. Unless you want to spend more time and money with different doctors. This is actually where we have found a lot of patients have gotten into the weeds, in that Doctor X has a SINGULAR focus and treatment approach. Think "root cause" type stuff. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but any condition that an earthing deals with (especially a chronic one), has Multiple Systems Involvement. The human body operates as a symphony, not a solo. Read that again.

Conventional approaches typically take this singular focus. And to be honest, it's a lot easier to think and operate in a silo. In out experience, however, this doesn't go well. If you're reading this, there's a dang good chance you'd agree with that. Getting back on track, evaluating ALL systems is of critical importance, so that the appropriate diagnosis and treatment can happen. Think of it like process of exclusion.

You MUST rule out Neurovisual (eye) involvement. You MUST rule out Vestibular (inner ear) involvement. You MUST be able to rule IN ... NECK involvement! It ain't rocket science, folks. But it does take more than 5 minutes of time, and require a physician who is willing to think about or evaluate all systems for potential involvement. This is our area of specialization, so at Keystone, we actually evaluate all these areas. Based on this, we treat what needs to be treated, with Vestibular Rehabilitation, Neurovisual Therapy, or Upper Cervical Chiropractic.

If you're experiencing cervicogenic dizziness, cervicogenic vertigo, neck dizziness, or neck vertigo, reach out (if you want, of course) and let's chat. It's simply a conversation, NOT a commitment.