r/cervical_vertigo

About three weeks ago I was laying down and all of a sudden my chest got really tight and my heart started to pound. My left arm started to tingle and my jaw felt tight. It came and went for the next couple days and I went to the ER. I thought I was having a heart attack. They cleared me. I have been to the ER three times in these three weeks.

The pain is finally settled in the back of my neck at the base of my skull. It’s like a pressure. I am having constant vertigo. My left hand tingles and the back of my skull as well. I am also very dizzy, especially when trying to look at a phone or a television. BUT BY FAR the worst symptom is, I feel disassociated with reality and it’s like there’s an impending doom hanging over me. I keep thinking am I going to die? sometimes when I walk or I move I can hear my neck click a little bit. I haven’t smiled, laughed or had a conversation in these three weeks. I barely make it through work then I come home and lay on the couch. I have a doctors appointment with my primary care next Wednesday at 3 PM. I called a neurologist this morning, but they want a referral.

The pain is one thing, but the constant vertigo and the sense of impending doom with the disassociation is driving me into a dark place.

All of my searching online led me to this Reddit page. Can anyone help me? Please

Has anyone had 24/7 dizziness/motion sickness from a cervical spine issue? Still searching for a diagnosis. Seen specialist after specialist. It all started the evening after I did an intense workout on a mini trampoline. A bout a vertigo that just never went away and have felt dizzy and motion sickness from ever since(it’s been 8 weeks). Like it never stops, it’s just my new state of consciousness. I also have pain in my shoulder blade and at the base of my head. . Having some other symptoms that I wonder if it could be related to my neck, such as tingling in my face and limbs, chronic anxiety/stuck in fight or flight

On January 27th, 2026, I was sitting on my couch late at night playing a video game, when all of a sudden I got extremely lightheaded, like I was going to pass out. I immediately stood up, grabbed onto the wall, and started pacing until it went away. It lasted maybe 10 minutes. The same thing happened the next night, which is when I began to get concerned. Both of those occurred late at night, but on the third day it happened when I was in a therapy session. On day five, I was working when it happened, and had to go home early. I had to pull over several times on the drive because I was so out of it.

I ended up going to Urgent Care and the ER a couple days after that, both of which didn't discover or resolve anything. I was given a short prescription of Toradol and Meclizine, but the Toradol did nothing and the Meclizine made things a lot worse, so I quit taking it immediately.

My symptoms started out with the short bouts of lightheadedness, then escalated into entire facial numbness, and near-total derealization.

I saw my primary doctor who also didn't know what was wrong. She offered to refer me to a neurologist, an offer which I just took her up on yesterday because I'm getting desperate. I've been going to physical therapy every other week for about two months now, and I've noticed an improvement on the facial numbness, but the overall "floaty" feelings and eye strain won't stop.

My PT said that he's been treating it as cervicogenic dizziness, and that he's done just about everything he can do at this point, and recommended that I see a neurologist for the remaining symptoms.

I'm able to drive and work but only if I use every fiber of my being to focus on the task at hand. If I even feel the tiniest bit lightheaded, it's all over for me and it take hours to return to normal.

I've been doing research on my symptoms while waiting for the neurology referral to go through, which is what led me here. And it's scary because it seems like most people, even if they do get mostly cured, never fully recover and the progress they do make take months or years. I don't know how I can live like this for the rest of my life. I don't deserve this, none of us do. Why can our bodies be so cruel to us for no reason? I want to be able to function again.

Hi earth citizens,

so I have been struggling with cervical vertigo for half a year now. It started with intense neck and shoulder pain. I went to all kind of doctors over the course of the last few months and none of them helped. I also had MRI done which said that I have "military neck" (otherwise everything came out normal). I started going to physical therapy and rehabilitations, but the vertigo and the pain remains.

The spinning always happens when I move my head, so I know it's a mechanical problem. It affects my life greatly as it makes me unable to walk at times, have migraines or intense pressure behind eyes. I should probably mention, I got my eyes and ears checked as well, to rule out the vertigo causes, and all tests came out completely okay, so I know the problem is in the neck (not to mention I have spasms in my neck and my right side is constantly tense).

I have truly tried everything, from muscle relaxants, dry heat all the way through exercising and I still feel the same.

However I did find this wonderful Chinese doctor in my area who does dry needling so I decided to give it a go 2 weeks ago and I swear that after 3 needling sessions, the intense spinning and swaying were gone. Tho sadly, it is coming back. I am definitely planning on continuing with the dry needling and exercising daily, but a part of me is wondering if there is something more that I can do to help myself out and potentially get rid of it for good.

Please give me some tips, experience or anything really, to bring me some hope. I am quite anxious and feeling hopeless, as my life is constantly spinning.

Thank you so much in advance and also for even taking the time to read this. I hope all of you are having a lovely day!

I started wearing glasses for the first time and it's messing up my bppv. , vertigo..I wear glasses a few times in the morning, at the start of the day and my head was about to explode with head ache (borderline migraine). I was as diagnosed in 2019 and it is ups and down with me with a couple of episodes but really I am not ready for another episode but also need glasses....any tips, advises pls I am so stressed out.

Does anyone else’s symptoms get worse when you have a virus? Still trying to figure out the cause of my 24/7 dizziness for the past 8 weeks. I start to see improvements and then one of the kids brings home a bug and all of a sudden im back at square one, or worse. Have had 3 viruses since this all started 8 weeks ago

(28F) For years now i’ve dealt with these weird random vertigo spells accompanied by brain zaps. It seems to happen most often when i’m looking down for long periods of time such as being on the computer or on my phone. My neck will feel tight and painful towards the base of my skull too.

My episodes basically feel like a sudden brain zap electrical sensation in my head and intense spinning (visually the whole room spins). I feel extreme panic during it but it only lasts like 10 seconds and then completely goes away besides some residual anxiety, lightheadedness, and neck tightness. It’s not positional like BPPV (although I have had BPPV episodes in the past so I know it’s different). Sometimes it happens multiple times a week, other times not for months.

To clarify, I have never been on SSRI’s or any other drugs to cause this. I’m completely freaked out and worried about what could be causing this. Doctors have told me cervical vertigo is not a thing and usually only causes lightheadedness and pain, not true spinning vertigo.

I’ve been suffering with unexplained vertigo attacks since October. These attacks will be severe & send me to the ER with the room spinning & throwing up from motion sickness. Then for days after the symptoms won’t resolve and even when they “let up” I still have remaining mild symptoms of vertigo.

Ive been to neurologists and ENT’s and I don’t seem to have any solid answers. One ENT suggested vestibular migraines while my neurologist completely disagrees and states we ruled it out. Both providers seem to point at each other and say “it’s their jurisdiction” no matter who I go to. Ive been to two neurologists and three ENT’s.

Background , I have Crohn’s disease and am on a biologic infusion. The first attack happened two days post infusion. I asked my infusion center and GI if this is a common side effect & they said no. One day I wake up with completely different prescription- my glasses no longer work; the next I was back to “normal” vision. I had an MRI & CT done on my head to rule out MS and nothing unusual was found. Audiology test normal. After two weeks of symptoms my GP prescribed steroids and boom I was completely resolved.

The second bad attack happened in February completely unrelated to anything that I can pinpoint. Yet again, back in the ER multiple times because the room wont stop spinning and I can’t stop vomiting. One day I lose my hearing and the next it returns completely normal. I finally got in to do a VNG test with an ENT & they found a 49% deficiency in my right ear - but can’t tell me *why*. We throw around possibility of Meniere’s but yet again my audiology test is normal. I go to vestibular physical therapy which seems to be somewhat helpful (we rule out BPPV at least), but overall random which days my symptoms are better or worse. I get my infusion for my Crohn’s and the next day all my symptoms resolve!!!

Here we are now & I feel vertigo coming on & in exhaustion without answers- I turn to the internet to see if any of you have similar experiences or ideas?

I recovered mostly through PT, not chiropractic. What helped me most was starting slow with stretching/mobility and then gradually adding strengthening exercises for my neck, upper back, and shoulders.

At first I improved really fast, then plateaued for a while too. My PT adjusted the exercises and progress started again. Chin tucks, posture work, and thoracic mobility helped the most for me.

Biggest lesson: don’t overdo it on good days. Recovery was very up-and-down, but over time the bad days became less frequent.

I (29F) recently had regular vertigo that was fixed by doing the epley maneuver with a vestibular physical therapist. Concurrently, I also have been seeing a physical therapist to help with neck and back pain, and it seems my cervical vertebrae have been unaligned. She’s worked on my neck many times before and I’ve never felt dizzy after. This morning, she told me she was going to move my c2 back in place. There was a feeling of radiating pain for a few seconds at the top of my head, but the actual movement she did was gentle. When I sat up afterwards, the room started spinning. This was at 8am and the dizziness and nausea have not subsided all day. I texted the pt who said the work we did today must’ve affected my inner ear somehow, but I was able to get back in with the vestibular physical therapist who tested for inner ear issues and that was negative so this was not the same issue as I used to have. The dizziness only subsides when I’m laying down. Every time I try to walk I feel off balance, can’t turn my head or can’t move my upper body at all without the dizziness and nausea coming back. I’m freaking out that she messed up something serious. I’m supposed to get on a plane for 6 hours tomorrow and I’m worried about flying with this too. I just don’t know what to do

Is there a real cute for this? So doing PT does get rid of this right? Also someone please recommend if you have any steps to reduce the sudden vertigo or nausea feeling during the moment. Im hoping this isn't something that keeps coming back. It's genuinely frustrating, having visited multiple docs. And this shit pops up especially during important situations messing it up and causing anxiety.. I've got slouched shoulders, a bit of the tech neck and I've been doing sort of WFH along with preparations also from home. And unfortunately for majority of the time, I sat on the bed to do these with no backrest as well. So the pain near the cervical area and sometimes to the shoulders. Not exactly a physical painful thing but sort of a pressure or a weirddd pain. So this is Cervicogenic vertigo only ig. I was also ruled out of the positional vertigos by doing those maneuvers and multiple audiometric and visual tests.... So someone give me some hope. I've received opinions to undergo PT by certain friends.. so would like your opinions as well. I am thinking of starting PT this week.

Will I ever be able to look down again? I was learning guitar but I had to stop due to this. Was wondering if anyone successfully strengthened their neck/body to the point where they could look down again without feeling dizzy or instigating that heavy dull feeling on your head.

Hello all,

My dizziness does not appear to be related to any major cervical misalignment. It seems more likely to be related to issues such as impaired neuromuscular control, tight neck/shoulder muscles, posture, and altered cervical proprioception/sensorimotor function.

I recently started doing:
- VOR/gaze stabilization exercises
- laser-guided cervical proprioception tracking exercises

I was curious how long it took others to start noticing improvement from PT and vestibular/cervical rehab. I know everyone responds differently, but I’d love to hear:
- how long it took before you noticed progress
- whether improvement was gradual or more sudden

Thank you!

About 6 days ago I randomly woke up with vertigo out of nowhere. For the first 3 days, I couldn’t look up, down, or to my right without triggering intense spinning. Laying down was awful, especially rolling onto my right side. Every time I stood up, I struggled with my balance, and even going down stairs felt difficult. Taking my dog outside was miserable because being outdoors and moving around made everything feel worse. The nausea has been brutal too.

The last couple of days have improved slightly, but I still feel very nauseous and my head just doesn’t feel “right.” Any quick head movement still makes me feel like I’m moving way too fast or like my brain can’t keep up.

I can’t get in to see my doctor for a few more days, and the hospital wait times where I am in Canada are extremely long. I already am aware I need to see a doctor. This is completely new to me. Does this sound like BPPV or another type of vertigo? Any home remedies or things that helped you while waiting to be seen?

Hello all.

I have been experiencing a strange dizzy feeling for a good month and a halve now. It started slow and only a couple of times a day and now it's constant episodes. My neck is very painful and pulling on the sides. Im currently of work as I am a pilot and this dizzy feeling is sometimes even too annoying to drive with let alone fly a plane.

The symptoms are dizzy like beginning of drunk. Nothing spins, more and imbalance of some sort. Its new to me although doctors always said I have a very tight upper back. The last 2 months were stressful (moving house, death in the family, changing jobs etc.

The physiotherapist couldn't help me so I am going to a new one. The ENT doctor did a CT and that was clean as a whistle.

I want to have some kind of diagnosis but so far I am pulling the short straw....

Anyone has ideas?

Cheers

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice and also comparing notes on symptoms and coping strategies.

I’m 37 now and my issues first started in 2022. When walking outside, I would have to stop and take a deep breath because I would get this feeling that if I move, it’ll be lights out. I wasn’t dizzy or lightheaded - it was a strange feeling of almost an internal drop and a feeling that if I moved my head to the side, that would be it and I would faint. Once this started happening, I also started getting spikes in my BP when before I’d always had low blood pressure. These episodes would last for days and sometimes weeks. I did all sorts of tests for diabetes and heart issues but that was all ruled out. Then months would pass with no issue until it started all over again.

Then in 2023 all hell broke loose for me. I started developing horrendous abdominal spasms. In those months I could barely eat or move as any walking longer than 5-10 min brought on the same symptoms of blacking out. My legs and arms felt drained of all strength. Some background here - I have quite an unusual anatomy - I was born with an annular pancreas and had a life-saving surgery when I was 2 weeks old, to correct the fact I wasn’t able to keep any food down. I also had a malrotation of the stomach and intestines but post-surgery I no longer had any issues.

In 2024, it took countless gastroenterologists, 3 endoscopies and a colonoscopy to discover that I had IBS, narrowed anastomoses from my surgery as an infant, a low-lying stomach that is elongated and doesn’t empty easily, and very likely extensive adhesions. Through sticking to a strict diet and using anti-spasmodics, I’ve more or less recovered from the acute IBS symptoms and rarely have any spasms now.

But my main issue continues to be neurological. I’ve seen multiple cardiologists and they’ve ruled out any heart issues, but even now I might go weeks being absolutely fine until out of nowhere I’ll be out and about (always outside) and my head would start playing up again - the same feeling of needing to stop because I’d trip or switch off. Invariably in the next few days my BP starts going up and down. I’ve managed to figure out through talks with my gastroenterologist that my low-lying stomach might be causing some CNS issues but these should be strictly related to the intake of food. So the behaviour of my symptoms doesn’t match this.

But replaying my symptoms I’ve started noticing other oddities - when I get one of these flare-ups, my neck near the base of my skull feels very raw and tense. I don’t get neck pain but moving my neck too much to the side or touching my neck, makes me feel I’ll faint. When this happens, I feel unstable for days or weeks and walking for longer always brings on feelings of almost blacking out or tripping. What’s even more bizarre is that I might be relatively okay but if I’m walking in open spaces - like a public square tiled with geometric figures or vibrant colours, I feel even more unstable and the feelings of dropping intensify. I no longer walk on foot bridges or significant drops or inclines as I can't trust my balance. This week I was walking near a construction site where a net was draped over some building materials. The wind blew it out and I had to stop in my tracks as it felt the world was moving. It’s the most disconcerting feeling. My BP is also all over the place.

I’ve been to see a neurologist (a year ago) and she did a Doppler test to check the bloodflow in my neck and everything was fine. So for almost 4 years I’ve been on my own (even though I’ve seen countless doctors) trying to figure out what is going on. At first I thought it might be my vagus nerve but now it’s starting to dawn on me, these symptoms somehow always overlap with discomfort in my neck.

Looking back on my poor choices, I realize I spend significant amounts of time working on my laptop and during Covid I’d gotten into the habit of working on my couch with my laptop in my lap. I know *eyeroll* - not conducive to great posture. I’ve since invested in an ergonomic home office setup but even now sitting long hours seems to cause problems.

I’m sharing this in the hopes that someone else might’ve experienced similar symptoms and would be able to share their thoughts - do you think this could be cervical vertigo? Do you have any advice on who I should see - a neurologist or maybe a physiotherapist? Any comments or thoughts would be of much help.

Thank you