Dizziness

Are you on any new meds like diazepam or gabapentin? Many times, the introduction of new meds to the body can cause symptoms like dizziness. Usually temporary.

I actually had Vertigo.I went for treatment and got diagnosed.I am on Gabapentin too.

@dlgreene1 I am a spine surgery patient and I had vertigo when muscle spasms were independently rotating my C1 and C2. That stretches the vertebral arteries that run through the side of the cervical vertebrae which is part of the blood supply to the brain. I had dizziness bad enough that I fell over and couldn't stand up. Working with a physical therapist corrected that, and since my fusion surgery for C5/C6, it hasn't been much of an issue. I can recognize when I get some twisting which begins with a headache, earache, or jaw pain on one side, and I can check myself and get the tight side stretched out and get the vertebra aligned again. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome or TOS which makes one side of my neck tighter than the other, so it makes me a bit prone to this twisting of vertebrae. I have to be careful sleeping to maintain spine alignment, so I don't cause a muscle spasm.

What you thought was Vertigo could have been a TIA (mini stroke). They come and go.

@mikaylar Thanks for your concern and it is good to consider other issues that can produce similar symptoms. That’s what doctors have to do to diagnose properly. When I had the first vertigo symptoms, I got on the phone with my physical therapist who talked me through how to check my cervical spine for rotation of vertebrae and what to do to fix it. I got it resolved about 90% on my own in minutes. I was having ongoing problems with neck spasms and this happened intermittently in various degrees. What made it bad was that I looked up at birds flying overhead while I had the rotated C1 and C2 which caused the extreme dizziness immediately. I straightened my neck which didn’t help the spinning sensation. I had to close my eyes and sit down. My dizziness was always was related to rotated vertebrae. This was prior to my spine surgery and I also have TOS (thoracic outlet syndrome) that makes one side of my neck tighter and sets the stage for this to happen. Having the cervical stenosis and TOS at the same time escalated the muscle spasms. Since my spine surgery, things have calmed down and this doesn’t happen now. If some slight rotation happens now, it is a lesser degree and I recognize it because I get a headache on one side on the back of my head or one sided jaw or ear pain. This had happened because I didn’t have the right support for my neck while sleeping so I would wake up with a slight twist. I figured out the right support to keep from side bending my neck while sleeping and that resolved the problem. I should mention that TOS affects circulation in the neck and shoulder and a diagnostic test for it is to see if circulation is diminished by either turning the head or raising the arms or both. It affects breathing too. It’s a complex problem caused by restriction of vessels and nerves that pass between the collar bone and rib cage in various places.

Very interesting. Thank you.