Physical therapy in cervicogenic dizziness

Abstract

Cervicogenic dizziness (CGD) is a condition characterized by the feeling of disorientation in space arising from the cervical spine. A large number of research articles are published in the last 5 years related to physical therapy (PT) management of CGD. According to current literature, there is no specific test that could assess patients with CGD. Plenty of varied interventions for CGD create a dilemma among clinicians regarding the choice of intervention. The amount of scientific literature mandates a review that would highlight the best evidence to be used in PT practice. All the major databases such as CINAHL, COCHRANE CONTROLLED TRIALS REGISTER, EMBASE, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, MEDLINE, PEDRO, SCOPUS, SPORTS DISCUS, and WEB OF SCIENCE were search. Keywords used to search the literature were CGD, cervicogenic headache, vertigo, PT modalities, assessment, and evaluation. Relevant literature was extracted from the database and original articles written in English, which were available from January 2014 to September 2019. The aim of this review is to provide a pragmatic approach to the physical therapists involved in the management of CGD.

Keywords

• dizziness
• neck
• physical therapy modalities
• vertigo