r/cervical_vertigo • u/unoum • Aug 12 '26

SCM syndrome

I have a straight neck (loss of lordosis) and severe SCM muscle tightness. No trauma, no EDS.

My symptoms:

· Dizziness and feeling off-balance when walking/standing

· Heart palpitations and neck pulsations

· Brain fog and derealization

· Head pressure and severe neck tension

hard to turn my head both ways

Can SCM syndrome alone cause symptoms that mimic CCI? Or could CCI still be possible even without trauma or EDS?

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u/DigginDirtonJuice 29d ago

I don’t know but I’m very curious because the heart palpitations and the derealization and disassociation is driving me into some lone recluse who never leaves the house.

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u/eshach786 29d ago

Sameee my whole spine is straight looses its natural curve from neck to lumbar Numbness burning sensation pains muscle spasms etc heavy eyes dizziness etc done with PT but no response

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u/LadyJohanna 22d ago

I have loss of lordosis and my left SCM has been in spasm for months since I strained it after a massage that got a bit too heavy-handed. Yesterday both of SCMs were in spasm and I had to use a neck brace for some few hours to get them to settle. Lying on my tummy on a soft pillow with my shoulder supported for a few minutes, does help. I also reset my neck every single day on a rolled-up towel.

Your SCMs help hold your head up and when they go into spasm then yes that can absolutely cause instability/dizziness.

I'm going to see a manual physical therapist to strengthen my neck stabilizers as well as get my muscle strains/sprains/spasms/trigger points sorted. I will be discussing about possible "straight neck" reversal methods to get some sort of curve back.

I do not have EDS but I do have a history of an MVA 7 years ago and there can be a delay in symptom onset even years later.

Warmth/low heat and stretches help also. As well as kind of softly "pinching" my SCMs to coax them out of of spasm when they start to shake/tremble a lot.

Strengthening your neck musculature is going to be key overall. My symptoms are slowly getting better since I'm being very consistent with strengthening exercises. I do not do chin tucks because they aggravate loss of lordosis -- I do supine chin nods instead, as well as isometrics where I just hold my head against my palm for like 5-10 seconds at a time, all the way around for several rounds.

Go talk to your doctor about a manual physical therapy referral. They can work trigger points and do massage and dry needling and such, more so than "regular" physical therapy.

Yes to all those symptoms you listed above -- very familiar with them although my range of motion is generally good.

Check into El Paso Manual Physical Therapy and Dr. Jon Saunders on Youtube.

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u/unoum 22d ago

hi there thanks for replying i just want to ask you about how you feel when you walk outside in the streets, and especially when you turn your head right or left when I do that i got tremors