If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
If your doctor cannot find the cause of your symptoms, please do not rule this out as it has helped many people, and it's a common source of problems but many doctors just do not think to check for this, and the treatment is very easy.
It's deep muscles in the neck and upper back, when tense, put pressure on the blood vessels going to the head, and affect the oxygen supply, causing numerous symptoms that can be very scarey and debilitating.
Please note, you do not have to have neck pain, or an injury to have this problem.
I have had this therapy a few times, and it works wonders.
The symptoms I had were off balance feeling, head pressure, headaches, dizzy spells, concentration problems, terrible memory problems, I felt like I was losing it.
My physical therapist explained to me why I was having these symptoms and what was causing them.
The treatment is called counter strain, and not painfull at all and works very quickly.
It releases the tension in the muscles, which then takes the pressure off the blood vessels, taking care of all the symptoms.
Many many doctors do not think to check this as a source of symptoms, and many people go on to suffer needlessly.
It is simple for doctors to check, they just do not think to.
Neurologists and orthos recognize this as a source of problems sometimes, not always, some of them miss it too.
Any tension in your upper back and neck muscles can cause headaches, dizziness, off balance feeling, memory problems, concentration problems, symptoms going down one arm etc.
So if you have no answers, please don't assume this is not the source, as it very often is when nothing else can be found.
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
im wondering if this is what i have my upper back/neck muscles are super tight and i been feeling a slight dizziness feeling for the past week like my vision is off it started after working out at the gym
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
Hi, yes your muscle tightness sounds like the cause. You need to get the tightness out of them for the symptoms to go away. I deal with this on and off alot. If I overuse my muscles, I start having dizzy spells and go back to PT.
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
Hi Kasey,
What type of therapy is it that you get on your neck? I have very tight muscles in my neck and would like to mention this to my pain doctor. I have an out of it, spacey feeling 24/7 for so long now and everything has been checked out.
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
Hi, the therapy is called counter strain. The PT just puts me in a certain position for a bit and this releases the knots and tension. It works very well. This is completely different from what I originally had years ago on my neck. At that time the only way they knew to get the knots out was the deep tissue massage, and this was very painful but it did work. The new therapy ( counter strain ) is gentle, not painful at all, and worked very well and quick. I hope you can get some help with your painful neck, this also took care of my symptoms of dizziness and off balance feeling. Good luck to you
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
hi kasey443 iv seen you on here a few times talking about this so i thought id give it a shot and ask you. i am a 20 year old female and a little over 3 months ago i went to vomit but nothing came up so i was just forcefully (really forceful) dry heaving and all of a sudden in the middle of the heaving i got this werid feeling ( spaced out feeling) its such a hard feeling to explain but it is ALWAYS here along with heavy tired eyes and head pressure and headaches. iv had tons of blood work, cat scan, spinal tap, acupuncture, chiropractor, went to a neuro once and they just said its anxiety, iv bought vitmins and supplements. i have acually also seem something about the counter strain so in the first month of all of this i went to a physical therapist and asked if that would help me and they said no and that they couldnt do anything for me :/ i dont know what to do like this feeling is ruining my life. do you think this could be the cause of my horrible symptoms?
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
Hi, it's hard to say. Anxiety can actually cause the muscles to tighten and bring on symptoms.
I had a few docs in a row miss this as the source.
Because I had had this problem before, and complained to my doc, only then he checked me and sent me for PT.
You can check yourself, I explained how in an earlier post or two. Just trying to massage my neck or shoulders brought on my symptoms way worse, head pressure, dizzy spells, etc. so I knew what the problem was immediately and went back to PT.
If a person has anxiety all the time and is not treated, the symptoms will just come back.
If the anxiety is treated first, with meds for example, then the muscles treated, this should help prevent the problem from coming back.
My problem was originally from a car accident, not anxiety, so I still go back occasionally to PT, because I now have stenosis and bone spurs in my neck and any overuse causes problems.
I hope you can get some relief from this. I know how it is to live like this daily. I have done it a few times.
Trying checking your muscles in your shoulder blades and neck with firm massage, and if you find the symptoms come on again or worsen, you could see an ortho and explain the problem, and be referred to PT.
Just so you know, I have found that it does not go over well going to a doc and telling them what you read on the internet or what treatment you read may work. LOL
Just going and explaining what you found yourself by accident with your muscles and symptoms works way better.
Good luck to you and keep me posted.
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
all i dont think the symptoms are caused by anxiety, i dont even think i have anxiety well maybe over this horrible feeling i have but thats all. i have the spaced out feeling all day every day for 3 months straight. im wondering if my muscles could have tightened and stayed this way from dry heaving causng this spacey.drunkish feeling all the time
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
I do know alot of docs blame these symptoms on anxiety. One tried to prescribe me anti-depressants, even after I told him about how I could barely move my neck and the symptoms it was causing. I would try to check your muscles or get them checked by a therapist, upper back and shoulder muscles are usually the source. good luck to you.
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
Not light headed, but at times, mostly its a constant disequilibrium swaying when standing still, worse with arm movements, eyes closed, I have cervical dystonia, but my neck is in a fixed position, not twisted to the side, mine is tilted to the right laterally and along with a forward head posture and also twisted back toward the right which pulls my shoulder and scapula down.
I also have severe bilat TMJ dusfunction with moderate arthritis in one of the joints, the RIGHT. Bilat carpal tunnel, and Sacro joint dysfunction.
Pain is enough, but the balance dizzy issue on top of it makes my life miserable.....I pray every night for an okay day.....I am having so few anymore I don't know how much I can take. I used to have 4 or 5 okay days a month, now its been no okat day for several months. I don't know what to do.
Can you tell me how to do the counter strain for my areas mentioned on my own please. I can't find it on the internet
Re: If you are dizzy and lightheaded, 1 thing docs miss
Hi Kasey443 and Linewk,
Linewk - did you try this neck thing? Have your symptoms gone away? I have similar symptoms - dizziness (not vertigo); hard to explain off-balance feeling - it's weird because it's all day, every day, sometimes I feel dizziness, but it's mainly this weird spaced out/off-balance thing - it's awful! I"m so desperate -it has been three months!. Doctors haven't figure it out.
You had a similar way of describing it. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU GOT RID OF IT - AND HOW????
Thank you for your help! Arlene
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lilnewk
all i dont think the symptoms are caused by anxiety, i dont even think i have anxiety well maybe over this horrible feeling i have but thats all. i have the spaced out feeling all day every day for 3 months straight. im wondering if my muscles could have tightened and stayed this way from dry heaving causng this spacey.drunkish feeling all the time
