The Association of Vertigo and Tinnitus with Loss of Cervical Lordosis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Loss of cervical lordosis, cervicogenic somatic tinnitus, and cervicogenic vertigo have some similarities. Also, no a specific laboratory or radiological finding for cervicogenic somatic tinnitus and cervicogenic vertigo. Herein, to assess the prevalences of tinnitus and vertigo in patients with loss of cervical lordosis was aimed. METHODS: Between January 2022 and December 2022, a total of 70 chronic neck pain patients were divided into two groups considering loss of cervical lordosis. These patients were questioned about individual characteristics and tinnitus and vertigo within the last month. Cervical lordosis angle was measured by using a method called posterior tangent. RESULTS: The two groups had similarity for individual characteristics (p>0.05). The prevalence of tinnitus was higher in patients having loss of cervical lordosis than without (25% vs 17.4%), but it not at the level of statistical significance (p=0.534). The prevalence of vertigo was increased in patients having loss of cervical lordosis (29.2%) compared to those with normal cervical lordosis (8.7%) (p=0.038). In addition, the prevalence of tinnitus+vertigo was higher in patients having loss of cervical lordosis than without (25.0% vs 4.3%) (p=0.017). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The prevalences of tinnitus and vertigo is increased in chronik neck pain patients with loss of cervical lordosis compared to without. Loss of cervical lordosis may be a facilitating finding for diagnosis and treatment processes of these conditions.

Keywords

• tinnitus
• vertigo
• chronic neck pain
• cervical spine
• lordosis.