When Patricia Jones suddenly started experiencing dizziness, she wasn’t sure what was causing it.

She was previously treated for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, known as BPPV, but knew this wasn’t the same room-spinning dizziness she experienced then.

“I felt like I was on the water,” says Jones, who lives in Pawleys Island. “If I’m moving, I feel like I’m walking on a dock.”

Jones made an appointment with her doctor, who referred her to Tidelands Health Rehabilitation Services. There, she was diagnosed with cervicogenic dizziness and began treatment.

“If there’s something going on with the spine or the neck, those receptors can give you input that is off,” says Vince DiGiovanna, senior physical therapist with Tidelands Health, who treated Jones. DiGiovanna specializes in the treatment of spine and musculoskeletal issues and sees patients at Tidelands Health Rehabilitation Services at Pawleys Island.

Your spine is made up of 24 vertebrae, and the cervical spine, or the neck, consists of the seven vertebrae closest to the skull. This part of the spine contains 50 percent of all nerves related to your body’s inner workings and plays a crucial role in the body’s balance and coordination.

If something is off or out of balance—such as arthritis or an injury – it can make you feel dizzy and unsteady.

Along with neck pain, cervicogenic dizziness can cause:

• Headaches, which can sometimes make you sensitive to noise and light
• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears
• Posture changes
• Problems concentrating
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sensation of floating
• Visual symptoms, such as visual fatigue and rapid eye movement
• Difficulty walking or experiencing different movements when you walk

Some common causes can be contributed to joint-related issues or inflammation. Jones, 66, has dealt with both in the form of arthritis in her lower back for many years.

Other possible causes include:

• Neck trauma
• Poor posture
• Injured disks
• Muscle strain

The treatments for cervicogenic dizziness are tailored to the cause of your symptoms. Once more serious concerns for cause have been ruled out by your physician, an assessment by a physical therapist at Tidelands Health may help offer relief.

In Jones’ case, her condition can be treated with physical therapy by finding the specific exercise needed to turn her symptoms off, a move that she can perform on her own, DiGiovanna says.

For Jones, that position is lying on her stomach and holding her head back with her chin in her hands—a position known as cervical and thoracic extension.

“Think of a little kid lying on their stomach to watch TV,” DiGiovanna says.

Done often enough, the stretches can relieve the symptoms and give a person control to manage them, says DiGiovanna.

Jones admits she doesn’t always follow DiGiovanna’s prescribed eight reps a day for two minutes each. But when she does, her symptoms dissipate.

“I have to be functional,” she says. “I want to keep my quality of life high. I need to keep myself in good shape to do things I enjoy, like walking my dog.”

Cervicogenic dizziness is a treatable condition, but self-diagnosis is not recommended because the symptoms can mimic more serious diseases.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your primary care physician.