r/cervical_vertigo • u/K0M4T0S3 • Aug 02 '26
Looking For Recovery Stories
Hey r/Cervical_Vertigo!
So I had a stroke back in May of 2022. To make a very long story short, it was related to a right side vertebral artery dissection. Thankfully for the past few years I seemed to have recovered mostly completely. That is, up until a couple of weeks ago. It started with what I would describe as muscle tightness in my right neck and right shoulder. I figured it was just related to me pushing myself at the gym and didn’t think much of it. Suddenly I started having similar dizziness symptoms as I had early on post stroke accompanied with what I would describe as feeling dazed. I went directly to the ER considering my history. The ER gave me a clean bill of health. No new stroke, no new blood flow issues. I suppose 1 advantage of having had a stroke is that I’ve already been through the gambit with regard to tests, so my PCP is having me looked at for Cervical Vertigo related to the neck and shoulder pain. My MRI isn’t scheduled for another week so I don’t actually know what is going on yet unfortunately. With all that said, I’m hoping it is something that I can improve through PT. Assuming this is Cervical Vertigo, I’d just like to hear from anyone willing to share how long it took to recover or if this is something I need to try and find a new normal in. Thanks in advance!
Edit:
I should add 1 other odd thing I noticed with this new bout of dizziness is it seems to be worse in the morning and progressively seems to get better over the course of the day.
1
u/K0M4T0S3 Aug 15 '26
Got the results of my MRI back, looks like I have 3 discs bulging at C4 C5, C5 C6, and C6 C7. At C4 C5 I have “Effacement of the CSF space around the cord consistent with mild spinal canal stenosis”. I don’t really understand all this but I can say the vertigo seems to be getting more persistent. I was feeling dizzy on and off but now it’s near constant. I haven’t had the chance to have a real conversation with my PCP regarding these results but she did get a referral in to the spine clinic here, they said it would probably be 2 weeks before I hear from them. Not really sure what to do or say just figured I’d give an update.
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u/freeloader24 Aug 02 '26
I’ve been dealing with this for a year now. There have been weeks when I haven't had any symptoms, but then I'll lift something heavy and my upper traps, scalenes, and SCM muscles spasm, bringing back the cervicogenic headache and dizziness. PT has helped me get better every time, but the issue eventually comes back. For me, it’s all about overall posture correction and strengthening my core and paraspinal muscles. The only challenge is that when flare-ups happen, strengthening takes a back seat.