Being a part of the cervical spine, the neck is responsible for maintaining balance and coordination. Any issue in this area, for example, inflammation, an arthritic condition, or an injury can make you lightheaded, unsteady, and dizzy. Neck pain and dizziness can go hand in hand.
Neck pain and dizziness together are also signs of cervical vertigo which is one of the neck conditions. Cervical vertigo makes the person feel a certain type of sensation like the world is spinning around them or himself is spinning. Due to this, there is a loss in a sense of balance and concentration. It will only be felt when the person moves his head.
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR CERVICAL VERTIGO?
Blood flow to all parts of the body and signals are carried out by arteries and nerves of the neck and back to the brain stem and inner ear that helps in controlling the balance. Neck injuries and conditions in the neck can cause disturbances in your sense of balance by restricting blood flow and damaging the nerves.
However, everything is yet not clear about cervical vertigo and researchers are still searching for it but the possible causes can be like the following:
- Neck trauma
- Arthritis
- Atherosclerosis
- Inflammation
- Bad posture
- Disk disease (Cervical degenerative)
- Injured disks
- Issues in joint
- Strain in muscles
- Trauma to muscles
- Unusual high muscle tone
Whatever the cause is, stress and anxiety can make it worse. Consult your nearest doctor or Specialty Care Clinics for further diagnosis of the condition.
HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE CERVICAL VERTIGO?
Neck pain can cause dizziness when you are going through one of the above-mentioned conditions. Along with dizziness, there are many other symptoms that woke up when suffering from cervical vertigo. You can understand cervical vertigo by looking at the following signs:
- First of all, Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Neck pain
- Floating sensation
- Losing the coordination
- Unsteadiness
- Unable to maintain balance
- Changes in postures
- Visual symptoms like quick eye movement and visual fatigue
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headaches
There are certainly other reasons too that can cause neck pain and dizziness. To know more about your current condition and recognize exactly what caused the neck pain and dizziness
IF NECK PAIN AND DIZZINESS CAN BE CURED?
As we read earlier neck pain and dizziness can go hand in hand, even though neck pain as a cause for dizziness is overlooked. To be specific about your condition check for an orthopedic physical therapist or can also go to a chiropractor. To reduce the pain you can try some of the methods:
Posture :
The improper posture of the neck like forward head position and poor ergonomics on the computers can cause neck tension. Maintaining a good posture is essential.
Vestibular problems :
BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) is one of the vestibular problems that cause neck pain. A vestibular mismatch between the right and left inner ears causes neck pain and dizziness and treatment of BPPV can solve these issues.
Tight muscles and fascia :
Soft tissue work can benefit the person with neck pain and dizziness by relieving muscle tension. A physical therapist can help you with solving the issues. Soft tissue treatment tightens the muscles and fascia of the head and neck.
TMJ :
Clenching of teeth, especially during the night can be a symptom of anxiety or an overactive mind. That means TMJ (Temporomandibular joint) or a condition with the jaw can cause neck pain and dizziness.
Mental and emotional stress :
As we discussed earlier mental and emotional stress can also be the reason for neck pain that further causes dizziness. Mental stress when suffering from vertigo can worsen the symptoms.
Many people these days have stress for different reasons and this stress is carried out by the neck which is not much recognized initially until it causes some symptoms like dizziness. Hence, a stress management program can play a key role in controlling dizziness.
You can do physical therapy or also go to an orthopedic doctor for consultation. A proper diagnosis for the cause of dizziness while having neck pain can benefit you with the selection of the right treatment procedure.
Our expert provider at SCC will assist with the best treatment from pain management to sleep disorder care. If you or anyone you know have sleep disorder, connect with us at 469-545-9983.