Cervicogenic dizziness is one of numerous types of dizziness, and is the result of some mechanical disturbance in the neck. Since cervicogenic dizziness responds favorably to chiropractic care, determining whether you have this type can help guide you toward an appropriate treatment. Dr. Don Fitz-Ritson, in his 1991 article, "Assessment of Cervicogenic Vertigo" (References 1), introduced a new method for evaluating dizziness. It is relatively safe and easy to screen yourself at home for cervicogenic dizziness, using this simple test.
Making the Assessment
Step 1
Determine whether your dizziness is worse with movement. If the dizziness occurs regardless of position or motion, it is less probable that it is coming from your neck. If the dizziness is increased by changing postures or positions, it may be cervicogenic dizziness.
Step 2
Sit with your eyes closed on a rotating stool or chair. It is good to have an assistant close by to prevent you from falling. Turn your head side-to-side as far and as quickly as possible. If doing this for a short period of time significantly increases the dizziness, it is probable that your dizziness is coming either from your neck or an inner ear (vestibular) problem. Since turning the head from side-to-side moves both the inner ear and the neck, it is necessary to determine which of these two potential sources is the more likely cause of the dizziness.
Step 3
Have your assistant stand behind you. While the assistant holds your head still, rotate in the stool from side-to-side, causing your neck to turn at about the same rate and range of motion as before. The difference, this time, is that while the neck is rotating, the inner ears remain relatively motionless. If this maneuver fails to reproduce the dizziness, the inner ear is the probable culprit. If, however, this maneuver causes the same dizziness as the initial test, you are likely suffering from cervicogenic dizziness--according to the developer of the test .
Step 4
If you have determined that you may be suffering from cervicogenic dizziness, chiropractic treatment could be very appropriate and helpful. The doctor who developed this test to screen for cervicogenic dizziness had a 90.2% success rate, in treating properly screened patients. One hundred and one of 112 patients had no symptoms after 18 treatments. In addition to the earlier work by Dr. Fitz-Ritson, a 2007 review article in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found good evidence of chiropractic effectiveness for this condition.
Things You'll Need
- Swiveling stool or chair
- Assistant
References
- "Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;" Assessment of Cervicogenic Vertigo; D Fitz-Ritson; April 1991
- "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine;" Chiropractic Care for Non-musculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic Review with Implications for Whole Systems Research; June 2007
