Effects of Vestibular Exercises and Motor Control in Cervicogenic Dizziness

Overview

The feelings of imbalance, unsteadiness, and disorientation with cervicogenic dizziness is not clear. It has been suggested that a disruption of the normal afferent signals from the upper cervical proprioceptors to the vestibular nucleus results in an inaccurate depiction of head and neck orientation in space due to highly developed proprioceptive system that allows the neuromuscular control of cervical spine and effective use of vital organs in the head through unique connections to the vestibular and visual systems. Motor Control Therapeutic Exercises and vestibular exercises have been used to increase motor control and reduce pain and disability in patients with neck pain.

Cervicogenic dizziness is defined as a sensation of instability or disequilibrium that occurs with the pain and stiffness in cervical spine and is aggravated by neck movements or positions. Dizziness is a common indication in people with cervical spine dysfunction. cervicogenic dizziness as "a nonspecific sensation of altered orientation in space and disequilibrium originating from abnormal afferent activity from the neck" which is thought to be caused by disorders in the upper cervical spine and commonly it is associated with cervical stiffness neck pain or headache. Motor control can also be defined as the capacity of how the central nervous system produces of useful movements that are coordinated and integrated with the rest of the body and the environment. Thus, motor control therapeutic exercises (MCTE) are used to improve the conditions of patients. Motor Control Therapeutic Exercises have been used to increase motor control and reduce pain and disability in patients with neck pain. MCTE comprised of cranio-cervical flexor exercise, cranio-cervical extensor exercise, co-contraction of flexors and extensors, a synergy exercise for retraining the strength of the deep neck flexors. Schenk et al. have published case studies in which they describe the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of a patient with cervicogenic dizziness co-managed by a vestibular and an orthopedic manual physical therapist. They argue that manual therapy combined with vestibular rehabilitation may be superior in the treatment of cervicogenic dizziness. Literature states that vestibular exercises have been used to increase motor control and reduce pain and disability in patients with neck pain.