Cervicogenic Dizziness -- Caused From the Neck (MRI, sinus, tibula)
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The first week in November I woke up on a Monday morning, normal time, normal day, and felt so dizzy I could barely stand up without holding on to the walls. I had no idea what was going on but it was extremely upsetting.
I looked online for possible causes, came across videos of the Epley Maneuver for dislodged ear crystals and tried those for a few days. No real help. Meanwhile I was feeling so fog brained, could barely walk across a parking lot without feeling like I was going to topple over.
Then I found exercises for dizziness caused by neck issues. Watched several videos and decided I felt the most improvement with Dr. Jon Saunders, a chiropractor from Ontario. There are others out there too though that might be just as good, this isn't a push for Dr. Saunders.
I started in mid-November doing his basic cervicogenic exercise video, have added a few more, some of his and some of other chiropractor's videos. Ocular exercise is important for this condition as well.
It's now been four months of daily exercise and the difference is night and day. I still feel a little dizzy but after the exercise routine it gradually fades throughout the day and by evening I feel almost normal. Almost.
Should add some personal background. When I was 9 months old I had a mild case of polio (1951) and didn't walk until I was 2 1/2 years old. When I was four my mother enrolled me in classical dance to strengthen my leg muscles, I took dance until I was 13 and it really helped. Continued off and on until my mid-twenties. Thankfully I was able to live a normal life.
However the polio virus curved my spine and several lower ribs on my left side are not formed correctly. This caused my posture to tilt slightly to the left, clearly visible in pictures when I was a child. With yoga I was able to correct that as well. I've also had regular chiropractic in my adult life that has helped.
While in the prime of life these issues can seem minor if non-existent, as polio victims age there is something called Post Polio Syndrome, where the weakened nerve connections and muscles don't have stamina that "normal" ones do. I've been told by three different chiropractors that my neck is showing weakened muscles and I should be doing exercises to strengthen the neck. Did I? No of course not.
Until I woke up one morning and it became a necessity. I also plan on starting weekly visits to the chiropractor again. It's been a few years since I went on a regular schedule and it really helped at the time.
Just wanted to share this in case anyone has dizziness issues that might originate in the neck.
Pts often claim to be "dizzy" but that means different things to different people.
Better to call it lightheadedness if you mean a disorientation or weakness or feeling you 're about to faint (like when you get up too fast). That's usually a short duration (seconds) episode and has to do with a falling blood pressure.
Vertigo is a merry-go-round feeling of abnormal movement of you or your surroundings causing a feeling of imbalance, a difficulty maintaining an upright posture.
Then there's just plain muscular weakness- you're just not strong enough to maintain posture normally.
Treatments of course depend on the cause of the problem. Ocular exercises or Epley's Maneuver will be useless when PSVT is the cause of the dizzyness, and cardioversion won't do much for labyrinthitis or vertebral artery occlusion.
Your ordeal with polio demonstrates how exercise/PT can help compensate for many problems-- maybe not return to you to fully normal phsiognomy, but at least help. Practice makes perfect.
...Then I found exercises for dizziness caused by neck issues...
I occasionally have mild bouts of dizziness caused by "neck issues". I believe it's caused by either sleeping with my neck twisted for too long overnight or working over my head with neck bent back too much.
If your neck is sore concurrently, it strongly suggests that's the problem.
I occasionally have mild bouts of dizziness caused by "neck issues". I believe it's caused by either sleeping with my neck twisted for too long overnight or working over my head with neck bent back too much.
If your neck is sore concurrently, it strongly suggests that's the problem.
As many as 25% of those over 70 y/o have it and can indicate more generalized arteriosclerosis. Neck exercises don't help, and may bring on the symptoms.
As many as 25% of those over 70 y/o have it and can indicate more generalized arteriosclerosis. Neck exercises don't help, and may bring on the symptoms.
Interesting. I don't seem to have any of the risk factors, but certainly worthy of consideration.
As many as 25% of those over 70 y/o have it and can indicate more generalized arteriosclerosis. Neck exercises don't help, and may bring on the symptoms.
Very interesting, thank you.
I am over 70 but don't have the symptoms or family background the article mentions.
It was so strange the way I woke up one morning with this dizziness seemingly out of nowhere. It isn't light headed but the feeling of actual vertigo.
The exercises have helped strengthen my neck and given greater range of movement. I realized I could barely turn my head very far to the side when I first started.
One of the main focuses is restoration of the natural curve of the neck, that has a lot to do with balance.
^^^ Merry-go-round dizzy is vertigo and localizes the problem to the inner ear, the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum or the cerebellum itself.
The fact that it occurs on waking means it could be something as stupidly simple as the heat of the pillow on your ear as you slept melted some wax, which shifted to touch your ear drum in a different way and that sent an unaccustomed signal to the cerebellum and it took you a few minutes to re-orient yourself to the new nerve impulses.....But it also suggests a TIA from a partially clogged 70 y/o basilar artery--->
The basilar arteries supply the cerebellum, and they actually run up your neck thru little holes in the vertebral processes. Not only do all us old geezers have at least some arteriosclerosis, but we also have arthritic changes that narrow those holes in the bone....If bending your neck back to look at the ceiling reproduces the vertigo, that's the diagnosis, but if it doesn't, that doesn't exclude the diagnosis...Rotating the head can also bring it on for some pts, but that;s more likely due to "positional vertigo"-->
Positional vertigo can occur when there are minor differences in the "bubbles" in each inner ear. The vestibular system works just like a carpenter's level-- when those air /fluid leves send messages to the brain, they should be exactly the same from each ear. When they are not, the brain interprets that as movement, so you feel dizzy...Sinus problems are the most common cause of that, but old age with calcium deposition etc can be involved too.
Your doc needs to get a detailed history and a good physical exam -- Rhomberg test, otoscopy, finger to nose exam, listening to your heart and carotids, etc etc. Lab tests could include MRA (an MRI of your arteries). Many docs would order a tilt-table exam, but they have so many false positve results, I consider them useless.
Our brains get info to maintain our sense of balnce mostly thru the inner ear, but also from our sense of sight and from our proprioceptors (nerves that tell you where your left foot is right now without looking). All that info has to co-oridinated, and if one isn't up to it's job, thje others can compensate-- That's where the exercises come in handy....I recommend all us old fogies do Tai Chi maneuvers-- even if you don't do the formal, officially approved movements, just imitating them does a lot of good...plenty of YouTubes on them.
^^^ Merry-go-round dizzy is vertigo and localizes the problem to the inner ear, the nerves connecting the inner ear to the cerebellum or the cerebellum itself.
The fact that it occurs on waking means it could be something as stupidly simple as the heat of the pillow on your ear as you slept melted some wax, which shifted to touch your ear drum in a different way and that sent an unaccustomed signal to the cerebellum and it took you a few minutes to re-orient yourself to the new nerve impulses.....But it also suggests a TIA from a partially clogged 70 y/o basilar artery--->
The basilar arteries supply the cerebellum, and they actually run up your neck thru little holes in the vertebral processes. Not only do all us old geezers have at least some arteriosclerosis, but we also have arthritic changes that narrow those holes in the bone....If bending your neck back to look at the ceiling reproduces the vertigo, that's the diagnosis, but if it doesn't, that doesn't exclude the diagnosis...Rotating the head can also bring it on for some pts, but that;s more likely due to "positional vertigo"-->
Positional vertigo can occur when there are minor differences in the "bubbles" in each inner ear. The vestibular system works just like a carpenter's level-- when those air /fluid leves send messages to the brain, they should be exactly the same from each ear. When they are not, the brain interprets that as movement, so you feel dizzy...Sinus problems are the most common cause of that, but old age with calcium deposition etc can be involved too.
Your doc needs to get a detailed history and a good physical exam -- Rhomberg test, otoscopy, finger to nose exam, listening to your heart and carotids, etc etc. Lab tests could include MRA (an MRI of your arteries). Many docs would order a tilt-table exam, but they have so many false positve results, I consider them useless.
Our brains get info to maintain our sense of balnce mostly thru the inner ear, but also from our sense of sight and from our proprioceptors (nerves that tell you where your left foot is right now without looking). All that info has to co-oridinated, and if one isn't up to it's job, thje others can compensate-- That's where the exercises come in handy....I recommend all us old fogies do Tai Chi maneuvers-- even if you don't do the formal, officially approved movements, just imitating them does a lot of good...plenty of YouTubes on them.
This has been so helpful, thanks!
Yes, dizzy when looking up was one of the main components of this awful situation at first. It's much less now although still there slightly. Looking side to side isn't an issue.
I've thought from the beginning that something had happened in my sleep the night before to cause it.
I'll take your very detailed suggestions under advisement, much appreciated.
I started this thread thinking to share my experience, which has been very positive with exercise, with others who might have the same issues.
"..The most common symptoms of an arterial dissection are headaches, dizziness and vertigo; weakness, numbness or paralysis on one side can also occur..."
"..The most common symptoms of an arterial dissection are headaches, dizziness and vertigo; weakness, numbness or paralysis on one side can also occur..."
But I do know the subject of neck manipulation has been controversial over the years.
My last two chiropractors use "wands" in place of manipulation of the body.
Although I've had old style chiropractic with no problems.
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