Feeling dizzy? There are occasions where you may stand up and, all of a sudden you feel lightheaded and off balance. Neck pain and dizziness can also occur, resulting in sensations of weakness. Here we’ll be looking at certain reasons for why this happens.
Why Standing Up Can Make You Feel Dizzy
If you stand up and you become dizzy and lightheaded, this is usually due to a drop in blood pressure. This sudden drop in blood pressure can also occur from stretching; both outcomes for feeling lightheaded and dizzy are common in occurrence.
The term behind this is known as orthostatic hypotension (also known as postural hypotension). Hypotension refers to low blood pressure and orthostatic refers to upright posture. In general, there are 2 variations of orthostatic hypotension. The first is delayed orthostatic hypotension, where symptoms such as dizziness or feeling lightheaded don’t happen immediately, and occur within the first 3 minutes of standing. The second variation of orthostatic hypotension happens immediately, where symptoms are more severe, an example being heightened dizziness and neck pain.
The Link Between Neck Pain And Dizziness
Cervical vertigo is where vertigo is triggered because of the neck, where a certain neck position can make one feel disorientated. An example could be moving your head to the right, where you may feel “spaced out”, or as if the room around you is spinning. Neck pain can be due to a lack of movement in a particular area (such as moving your head upwards), or as a result of neck or head injury, leading to neck pain and dizziness.
Neck pain can also be present when muscles within this area become tight. This can lead to muscle spasms and muscle knots, which restrict blood flow to the neck. This lack of blood flow getting to the brain and neck can cause dizziness. If muscle tension is severe, it can result in tension headaches, which can create pain and make one feel dizzy.
In most cases, vestibular rehabilitation and vertigo exercises are used, when neck pain and dizziness persists.
