Many patients suffer from neck dizziness. In many cases, both the patient and their health care providers remain unaware of the neck as a cause of their problems.
In this blog, I will share 20 clues you may have neck dizziness and further resources if you want to learn more. These clues are important since neck dizziness is the most overlooked root cause of dizziness no one is talking about!
Not every patient with neck dizziness will have all 20 clues in this list. If a patient even has one item in the following list, neck dizziness is in my differential diagnosis list for their root cause analysis until proven otherwise.
20 Clues To Neck Dizziness as a Potential Root Cause:
- History of trauma to the head or neck with whiplash injury
- Diagnosed neck pathology on imaging, such as spinal X-ray, CT scan, or MRI
- Neck Pain
The three clues above are widely accepted for the diagnosis of cervicogenic dizziness (CGD). The rest of the list below are clues based on my own clinical experience and may be overlooked.
- Asymmetrical Neck Stiffness while Turning: The neck is more tight turning one way than the other
- Pain in the shoulder, ear, or jaw
- Jaw clicks while opening, yawning, or chewing
- Jaw deviates to one side when you open your mouth wide (noticeable in the mirror)
- Sleeping propped up due to vertigo or sleeping on your stomach
- Work or hobby requires you to round forward for long periods of time
- Forward head posture
- Low back pain correlated with dizzy spells, scoliosis, or leg length discrepancy (one leg longer)
- Improper ergonomics on electronic devices like smartphone, laptop, tablet, or desktop computer
- Watching TV, reading, or using a tablet in bed
- Reclining back to watch TV or read in the living room
- Noticeable tenderness or discomfort while pressing gently behind one or both of your earlobes.
- Increased headaches at the base of the skull (neck headaches)
- Increased headaches on the around the top, sides, or front of the head (forehead) like a swim cap squeezing around the top of your head (tension headaches)
- Tinnitus or ringing in the ear that randomly fluctuates off and on (includes Pulsating Tinnitus)
- Dizziness started after hunkering forward to ride on a road bike or stationary bike
- Dizziness relieved by medications such as NSAIDs (anti-inflammatory) or muscle relaxers
Further Resources
I’ve created a lot of helpful resources for people with neck dizziness. See links below to learn more.
Book: Navigating the Health Care System as a Dizzy Patient
Blogs: More articles on neck dizziness
Video: The MOST Overlooked Cause of Vertigo No One is Talking About
Disclaimer
This blog is provided for informational and educational purposes only. The content and any comments by Dr. Kim Bell, DPT are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The details of any case mentioned in this post represent a typical patient that Dr. Bell might see and do not describe the circumstances of a specific individual.
