Symptoms in cervical vertigo

Abstract

Objective To use a unique, 41‐question survey to identify patient features distinguishing cervical vertigo from vestibular causes of vertigo and vestibular migraine. Methods In this study, a unique, 41‐question survey was administered to 48 patients diagnosed with cervical vertigo (n = 16), migraine (n = 16), and vestibular vertigo (eg, unilateral vestibular paresis, Meniere's disease) (n = 16) to test the hypothesis that a set of distinct symptoms can characterize cervical vertigo. Responses between the three diagnostic groups were compared to identify questions which differentiated patients based on their symptoms. Results Eight questions were successful in differentiating vestibular vertigo from migraine and cervical vertigo. Symptoms endorsed by subjects with cervical vertigo overlapped substantially with subjects with well‐established vestibular disturbances as well as symptoms of subjects with migraine. Twenty‐seven percent of cervical vertigo subjects reported having true vertigo, 50% having headache, and 94% having neck pain. Conclusion Lacking knowledge of neck disturbance, the symptoms we elicited in our questionnaire suggest that cervical vertigo subjects may resemble migraine subjects who also have evidence of neck injury. Whether or not subjects with “cervical vertigo” also overlap with other diagnoses defined by a combination of symptoms and exclusion of objective findings such as chronic subjective dizziness and other variants of psychogenic dizziness remain to be established. Level of Evidence IV

Neck pain associated with clinical symptoms in dizzy patients—A cross‐sectional study

“…The semicircular canals are constructed for precise and rapid detection of head rotations (Halterman, ; Schubert & Shephard, ) and thus, a deficit or damage to this system often manifests as a strong sense of spinning, which is often of acute onset (Magnusson & Karlberg, ). Contrary to this, dizziness of cervical origin is usually thought to manifest itself as an unpleasant or vague feeling of dizziness without a strong sense of rotation (Thompson‐Harvey & Hain, ). However, there is a lack of clinical studies reporting descriptions of dizziness of suspected cervical origin.…”

“…However, there is a lack of clinical studies reporting descriptions of dizziness of suspected cervical origin. Patients with cervicogenic dizziness seem to report a feeling of drunkenness/light‐headedness more often than patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (L'Heureux‐Lebeau, Godbout, Berbiche, & Saliba, ), and less likely to report spinning vertigo than patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and other vestibular disorders (L'Heureux‐Lebeau, Godbout, Berbiche, & Saliba, ; Thompson‐Harvey & Hain, ). Interestingly, this study found that both neck pain groups were more likely to report light‐headedness, which has been suggested to be related to neck‐related dizziness (Devaraja, ; Wrisley, Sparto, Whitney, & Furman, ).…”

“…The DN group reported the highest total score on VSSsf, indicating the highest symptom severity among the three groups. Pain could perhaps work as an exacerbator for dizziness as it may alter cervical proprioception (Thompson‐Harvey & Hain, ) even when the neck disorder is secondary to the dizziness.…”

Audiología y Mareo de Origen Cervical

“…Adicionalmente, para el diagnóstico del mareo cervicogénico también puede llevarse a cabo a través de la realización de las pruebas de rango de movimiento cervical (rotación, cabeceo sagital y movimientos coronales) para observar si existe desencadenamiento de la sensación de mareo en determinadas posiciones (Whitman, 2018) Es decir que las pruebas de evaluación vestibular resultan ser de verdadera utilidad para abordar el mareo cervical desde su etapa diagnóstica, no obstante, su implementación solo permite eliminar otras posibles causas del mareo, lo que ratifica el hecho de que en la actualidad el diagnóstico del mareo cervicogénico se realice a través de métodos de exclusión (Reiley, Vickory, Funderburg, Cesario, & Clendaniel, 2017) . Adicionalmente, (Reid S. , Callister, Katekar, & Treleaven, 2017 b) proponen que también es importante realizar una anamnesis exhaustiva, con el propósito de identificar duración, tipo y si se trata de un mareo rotatorio, pues una de las principales dificultades del diagnóstico del vértigo cervical es que su sintomatología puede solaparse con otras entidades patológicas (Thompson-Harvey & Hain, 2019) En los casos en que los mareos se han producido posterior a un traumatismo cerrado de cuello, (Reiley, Vickory, Funderburg, Cesario, & Clendaniel, 2017), manifiestan que se debe realizar evaluación del sistema vestibular, siempre y cuando no exista afectación neurológica o de las estructuras óseas de la columna cervical, lo que significa que la valoración a través de pruebas vestibulares se debe realizar en pacientes con mareos atribuidos a traumas cerrados de cuello o a patología degenerativa cervical para descartar compromiso vestibular.…”

Physical therapy interventions for cervicogenic dizziness in a military-aged population: protocol for a systematic review

“…Cervicogenic dizziness can result in a variety of coexisting symptoms such as unsteadiness, lightheadedness, perceptions of spinning, nausea, and general disorientation [8]. Thompson-Harvey and Hain reported that patients with cervical vertigo have neck pain (94%), true vertigo (27%), and headache (50%) [9]. These disabling symptoms may have significant psychological repercussions which can lead to anxiety, depression, and difficulty completing activities of daily living and occupational duties [8].…”