Dizziness occurs in 1 to 2 out of 10 people who have whiplash
injuries. As with any CNS symptom, you need to tell your doctor about this
problem. 99% of the time, this is not caused by anything serious. It seems to
be caused by many factors, but the most common are:
- Lack of movement in the upper part of the neck. This has
been described in the medical literature in many studies, the most recent of
which
points to the C1, C2, C3 levels.
- Spasm in the front muscles of the neck (SCM's).
Travel, a pioneer in
trigger points, described that these muscles could cause dizziness.
- Trigger points in the rectus capitus posterior minor and
major. These are small muscles that control movement of the head on the upper
part of the neck. The minor has connections to the covering of the brain (dura)
and can cuase headaches as well.
- Problems with coordinating eye movements and neck movements
can cause dizziness.
- BPV-Benign Positional Vertigo-This can happen when the
small otoliths (little rock shaped structures in the inner ear) get
dislodged. It can be fixed non-surgically using the
Canalith
Repositioning Maneuver.
-
Kinking of the vertebral artery in the neck. This is very rare.
There are other, more rare, but also more serious things that
can lead to this problem, so again, consult your doctor if you have any
questions.
Caution! Many patients get operated by surgeons looking
for "fistulas". This is a break in the canal in the inner ear presumably
caused by the whiplash injury. This is rare. While it should be treated if
present, any recommendation for such a surgery should be confirmed by a second
opinion with another ENT specialist. In my experience, very few patients have
this problem, while many patients with chronic dizziness from a car accident
are operated.