Neck Pain and Dizziness: What’s Causing It?

They can occur together due to the same cause or different causes

Medically reviewed by David Kesselman, DC

Neck pain and dizziness, which are both very common symptoms, can occur together. You may experience each of these symptoms together for separate reasons, but sometimes these two symptoms may be related. The overlap between neck pain and dizziness is often referred to as cervicogenic dizziness.

This article describes the link between neck pain and dizziness, when you should get medical attention, and potential treatments that can provide relief.

Causes of Neck Pain and Dizziness

Neck pain and dizziness together can develop in many different ways. Research suggests that up to 40% of people who have neck pain also experience some type of dizziness. Sometimes, there can be a shared cause of the two symptoms.

Neck pain can be caused by muscle strain, muscle tightness, inflammation, nerve compression, or spinal cord compression. Nerve or spine pressure can occur due to upper spine arthritis, cancer, or trauma.

Dizziness can be caused by tiredness, migraine, dehydration, medication, low blood pressure, heart disease, or by disruption of the balance centers in the inner ear or in the brain. Disruption of nerves in the cervical spine (upper spine) that play a role in maintaining balance can also contribute to dizziness.

Learn More: Symptoms and Causes of Chronic Subjective Dizziness

Cervical Vertigo (Cervicogenic Dizziness)

The most commonly defined condition that involves a combination of neck pain with dizziness is described as cervical vertigo or cervicogenic dizziness. This condition involves musculoskeletal changes in the neck that can lead to neck pain and dizziness.

"Cervicogenic dizziness" does not have a clear or consistent definition. Muscular or upper spine changes may cause a combination of dizziness and neck pain in a few different ways.

Potential causes of cervicogenic dizziness include:

• Vertebral artery insufficiency: In some cases, blood flow in the vertebral artery may be compromised due to the physical pressure of cervical spine disease. This can cause intermittent dizziness, while cervical spine disease can also cause pain due to a pinched nerve.

• Muscle tightness: Muscle tightness or muscle spasms may cause pain. Additionally, the muscles in the upper back can help sense your body’s position by providing feedback to the balance centers in the brain. When these pathways are disrupted, you can experience dizziness.

• Posture: Prolonged postural changes may interfere with your body’s ability to maintain balance, potentially leading to dizziness.

Besides cervicogenic dizziness, other risk factors and medical conditions can lead to a combination of neck pain and dizziness.

Causes of neck pain with dizziness may include:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS): This neurological disorder causes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that can cause a variety of symptoms, including pain and dizziness. Common symptoms of MS are vision changes, sensory deficits, unusual sensations, and weakness.

• Migraine: This common neurological disorder causes headaches, sometimes along with other symptoms—such as neck pain, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting.

• Poor sleep: Fatigue due to poor sleep can cause headaches and dizziness. Additionally, sleeping in the wrong position can cause stiffness or pain in the neck or back.

• Dehydration: Being dehydrated can worsen underlying symptoms of other conditions, such as pain. Additionally, dehydration often causes dizziness.

• Injuries: An injury to the neck can cause pain, and it's common to feel dizzy after an injury, especially a head or neck injury.

• Infection, such as the flu: When you have an infection, you can feel very tired and dizzy. Sometimes muscles throughout your body can feel stiff or sore when you have an infection.

Related: Cervicogenic Headache Overview

Neck Pain, Dizziness, and Severe Symptoms

Neck pain and dizziness can interfere with your quality of life. In rare cases, the combination of neck pain and dizziness can be a sign of a severe health condition or a medical emergency.

Get prompt medical attention if you or someone you are with experiences any of the following:

• Feeling like you cannot stand on your own

• Sudden worsening of your symptoms

• Confusion

• Change in consciousness

• Seizures

• Weakness, difficulty moving any of your extremities

• Vision changes

• Severe nausea or vomiting

These symptoms can indicate a severe underlying medical condition, such as the following:

• Stroke

• Brain tumor

• Infection

• Blood vessel abnormality in the brain or spine

• Damage to the upper portion of the spine or spinal cord

Diagnostic Process for Neck Pain With Dizziness

Your tests would be guided by your symptoms, history, and physical examination and may include:

• Neck X-ray to detect a cervical spine fracture

• Neck computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to identify a spinal cord injury

• Brain CT or MRI to identify a stroke

• Neck or brain CT angiography or MR angiography to identify a blood vessel abnormality

• Blood tests to identify an infection

• Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) to assess a pinched nerve

• Lumbar puncture to assess for infection or MS

Emergency Treatment for Neck Pain and Dizziness

If your neck pain and dizziness combination is caused by a medical emergency, you will need immediate medical attention. Your treatment will depend on the cause of your symptoms.

Immediate medical attention may involve:

• Neck immobilization if you fell or experienced a physical injury

• Urgent brain imaging study if there’s concern about a stroke, tumor, or blood vessel abnormality (signs include weakness on one side of the body, vision changes, or difficulty speaking)

• Blood tests to determine an infection (signs include fever, neck stiffness)

Your treatment would be guided by your symptoms, medical history, and diagnostic testing.

Treatment may include:

• Antibiotics for an infection

• Blood thinner medication for certain types of strokes

• Interventional procedure to treat a blood clot for certain types of strokes (such as inserting a catheter into a blood vessel to deliver clot-dissolving agents or removing the clot)

• Surgery to remove a tumor or repair a blood vessel abnormality

• Surgery to repair traumatic damage

These conditions can all cause lasting damage and will require a period of recovery that may last four months or longer.

Explainer

Even mild neck pain and dizziness can interfere with your quality of life and with your ability to take care of yourself.

How to Relieve Mild Neck Pain and Dizziness at Home

If you are experiencing mild neck pain and dizziness, it’s important to get medical attention, even if your symptoms are mild. Be sure to make an appointment with a healthcare provider to have an evaluation.

Sometimes, there are things you can do at home to help relieve your mild neck pain and dizziness. You should consider at-home approaches after you have been evaluated by a healthcare provider and if you’ve been told that this is safe.

Interventions that you can do at home include:

• Use an ergonomically appropriate desk and computer to avoid poor head posture.

• Avoid staying in one position for a prolonged period of time.

• Take time to stretch your arms, back, and neck throughout the day.

• Follow through with exercises prescribed by your healthcare provider or physical therapist.

• Use cold packs or hot packs on your neck or shoulders if it provides relief.

It’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider about your at-home self-care strategies to make sure they are right for your condition.

Related: How to Fix Forward Head Posture and Why It Matters

Complications and Risk Factors

Complications can develop as are result of combined neck pain and dizziness. Some of the underlying conditions that cause these symptoms can worsen, and some may be serious.

Complications may include:

• Severe neck pain due to increasing muscle tightness

• Falling due to dizziness

• Worsening weakness or vision changes due to MS

• Weakness and vision changes with stroke

• Paralysis due to spinal cord damage

While these complications are uncommon, it’s important to get medical attention so that any serious condition can be diagnosed before it gets worse.

How to Manage Chronic Neck Pain and Related Symptoms

Physical therapy, exercise, and medication can help relieve neck pain and dizziness. If your dizziness is persistent, it’s important that you consider safety measures, such as using a cane or walker to get around.

Medications you might be prescribed or recommended to use include:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen)

• Tylenol (acetaminophen)

• Muscle relaxers, such as Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine)

• Treatments for neuropathic pain, such as Neurontin (gabapentin)

Your healthcare provider might consider an injection, such as a muscle relaxer to relieve muscle spasm, pain medication to relieve pain, or an anti-inflammatory drug to reduce inflammation.

Summary

Neck pain with dizziness can be caused by conditions such as muscle spasms from sleeping in the wrong position or migraine. Sometimes, it can be related to more serious issues, such as upper spine disease, pinched nerve, spinal cord compression, or MS.

Your diagnosis and treatment can help you feel more comfortable and can help prevent serious complications. Often, physical therapy and home exercises can provide substantial relief.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.