Cervicogenic visual dysfunction: an understanding of its pathomechanism

Abstract

Atypical symptoms of cervical spondylosis include headache, nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort, blurred vision, tinnitus, hypomnesia, and palpitations. Successful treatment of these atypical symptoms has been achieved after conservative non-invasive and surgical spinal treatments, although the role of these interventions in mitigating atypical symptoms of cervical spondylosis is unclear. Our study introduces and elaborates on the visual dysfunction caused by cervical spondylosis. Although there are reports in the literature that spinal manipulation and surgery can improve visual dysfunction, the correlation has remained unclear and controversial. The article reviews the latest research to identify the possible mechanisms of visual dysfunction caused by cervical spine diseases.

Cervicogenic Angina and Dyspnea Secondary to Cervical Radiculopathy

“…Disruption can lead to referred pain and sensory disturbances in the anterior chest and upper extremities, as demonstrated in a correlation study involving 438 cervicogenic angina patients [ 18 ]. The chiropractic intervention, in this case, likely addressed the underlying cervical radiculopathy by relieving pressure on the affected nerve roots through spinal manipulation, soft tissue mobilization, and other manual therapies [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…Cervicogenic angina refers to chest pain and discomfort mimicking angina pectoris but is caused by cervical spine pathology, particularly cervical spondylosis and radiculopathy [1]. The pain is usually associated with neck pain and can be exacerbated by cervical movements, resulting in dyspnea, palpitations, blurred vision, dysphagia, and dizziness [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Cervicogenic dyspnea is a less commonly reported symptom of cervical spinal dysfunction, leading to breathing difficulties [11].…”

The Inclusion of Chiropractic Care in the Healthy China Initiative 2030

“…Furthermore, a study by Chu et al revealed that the risk of adverse events from chiropractic treatment is extremely low, thus indicating the safety of this treatment modality [14]. Chiropractors in Hong Kong sometimes manage nonmusculoskeletal symptoms of spinal origin, such as cervicogenic angina, dyspnea, and visual dysfunction [15][16][17][18].…”

Dystonic Tremor as an Atypical Presentation of Cervical Radiculopathy

“…This condition typically presents as radicular pain, sensory disturbances, or motor weakness in the distribution of the affected nerve root [ 1 ]. However, atypical presentations can occur and complicate diagnostic and treatment processes [ 2 , 3 ].…”