Patients affected by a cervical spine syndrome often have a so-called “cervicogenic” dizziness in addition to other symptoms. They usually do not report a spinning dizziness, but describe a swaying dizziness or gait insecurity. These symptoms increase with prolonged forced posture.
They last from minutes to several hours. A cervical spine syndrome is mainly characterized by the leading symptom pain in the shoulder-arm-neck area. However, this pain is often not the only symptom, but is accompanied by other symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears or feelings of numbness or tingling (paresthesia).
If such symptoms are present, it is extremely important to consult a doctor as soon as possible. The cervical spine syndrome can have very different causes. Some of them have in common that for some reason the nerves exiting the spine are constricted or irritated.
If this happens due to a space requirement (such as a herniated disc in the cervical spine that presses on the nerves or a tumor growing on the spine), it can happen that not only the nerve but also the vessels located there are constricted. If this affects the arteries that supply the brain, this permanent constriction can lead to a reduction in flow and thus to a shortage of blood and oxygen to the brain. This lack of oxygen can then become noticeable by dizziness, among other things.
However, there are many reasons for dizziness, most of which, but not all, are harmless. Just because a cervical spine syndrome is present and one also suffers from dizziness, this is not necessarily caused by the cervical spine syndrome. Therefore, if attacks of dizziness accumulate or a permanent feeling of dizziness exists, one should have it checked by a doctor to find or exclude any underlying diseases.
The entire spinal column consists of the vertebral bodies and the intervertebral discs located between the vertebrae. The cervical spine consists of seven cervical vertebrae. The intervertebral discs stabilize the cervical vertebrae between which they are located, and in the cervical region they have primarily a joint stabilizing function.
An intervertebral disc consists of a solid, outer ring (fibrous ring) and a soft (gelatinous) core (nucleus pulposus). In case of a herniated disc (prolapse), not the entire disc jumps out of its place. Rather, the inner, soft nucleus slips, and if the outer, solid fibrous ring tears, it can escape and press on the spinal cord.
The herniated disc leads to symptoms typical of the cervical spine syndrome and can thus also trigger dizzy spells. A herniated disc in the cervical spine is relatively rare and usually occurs in older patients. With age, the cervical spine becomes less flexible and signs of wear and tear on the vertebrae and ligament structures can cause the tearing and loosening of the strengthening ligaments.
This leads to an instability of the intervertebral discs and favors a falling out of the inner part of the disc. A herniated disc in the cervical spine is initially treated conservatively (without surgery) with painkillers and physiotherapy. If the symptoms do not improve after about 5 weeks, an operation must be considered. Also dangerous are previous and unnoticed slipped discs in the cervical spine, which cause the structures to ossify, the spinal canal to become narrow (spinal canal stenosis of the cervical spine) and the nerves within it to become constricted. This leads to a chronic cervical spine syndrome, which can only be corrected by surgery.
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