Haverstick Completes Cervicogenic Dizziness Course
April 2008 - Examination and Intervention of Dizziness: The Vestibular System and Orthopaedics was conducted in Little Rock, AR, on April 18, 2008. Ellen Haverstick, PT was in attendance as course instructor Paul Vidal, DPT, MHSc, OCS, FAAOMPT presented information and conducted lab sessions to area physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
Interestingly, dizziness is the number one reason adults over 65 years old visit a physician. The course helped to distinguish between the four subtypes of dizziness:
- Vertigo - "Spinning, rotating."
- Suggest vestibular system dysfunction such as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
- Presyncope - "I am going to pass out."
- Suggests ischemia to the brain such as Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency (VBI)
- Disequilibrium - "I am going to fall."
- Attribute to neuromuscular dysfunction, possibly Cervicogenic dizziness.
- Other dizziness - Patient has difficulty relating the specific feeling.
- Psychiatric disorder
- Depression
Physical therapists have an underutilized role in the examination and intervention of dizziness. Several causes of dizziness can be resolved by physical therapy intervention.
Cervicogenic dizziness is a non-specific sensation of altered orientation in space and disequilibrium originating from abnormal afferent activity from the neck. When appropriate, physical therapists can restore function to the neck thus alleviating the symptoms of cervicogenic dizziness.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most common form of vertigo and is due to "debris" within the semicircular canal of the inner ear. This can occur due to a direct blow to the head, whiplash injury, prolonged bed rest, or it can occur insidiously, usually later in life. A physical therapist may be able to resolve symptoms by initiating a series of movements to reposition the "debris" within the ear canal.
Haverstick finds the information to be of clinical value, especially when determining the causes of and implementing treatments for patients who complain of dizziness.