Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Seconds dizziness

December 17, 2014 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med Ralf von Seckendorff

Hello,

I am a patient with anxiety and a hypochondriac. Lately, my suffering has been increasing, every little thing scares me. I am constantly tense, so tense that I am always shivering. Now something is causing me a lot of fear, and that is short dizzy spells. I have been suffering from vague vertigo for years, which I call swaying dizziness, and it goes away when I distract myself. But now, a different type of vertigo has appeared, which feels like it is related to movement and only lasts a few seconds. I am terrified of having a tumor in my head and I don't necessarily want to have an MRI. Let me explain all the episodes I have had so far:
The first time it happened was in the car, when my husband took a sharp turn quickly, I had been looking down and when I looked up, the dizziness started, lasted for about 20 seconds, and disappeared as soon as I got out of the car. It happened twice in front of the computer, I was sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap, my upper body was bent and my head was tilted down to read, and it happened. Once for about 2 seconds and once for about 30 seconds, it went away after I stood up and intuitively massaged my neck and moved my head in different directions. Recently, I was shopping, I tilted my head down while walking and when I raised my head again, it happened for about 2 seconds.
I can't describe the dizziness, it feels like the ground is being pulled out from under me, swaying, spinning at the same time, I have no idea. I am so afraid of having a tumor and that it will happen again.
I have been thinking if it could be due to tension? I always raise my shoulders and my jaw area is also very tense. There is a crunch in the upper cervical spine when I hold my head down for a long time, for example, while reading and then look up again.
I have no other symptoms, no headaches, no visual or speech disturbances, my motor skills are fine, I can touch my finger to my nose with my eyes closed, I can stand on one spot with closed legs and closed eyes without falling. When I do positional maneuvers for the ear (had positional vertigo once), dizziness is not triggered. I recently went to the eye doctor and everything was fine, and my carotid artery was examined with ultrasound and everything was in order.
Do you think this could result from tension, and if so, what can I do?
I hope you can reassure me. The fear is so severe.

Dr. med Ralf von Seckendorff

Good day, I would be happy to address your question. First of all, your symptoms are not typical for a tumor at all. A tumor usually does not cause such fluctuating symptoms, and the progression would typically be continuous and involve neurological deficits. If it would make you feel more at ease, a one-time MRI of the head could be worth considering. Otherwise, your description sounds more likely to be symptoms triggered by anxiety/stress. Severe neck tension, as you describe, can also contribute to dizziness. For neck tension, applying local heat such as a hot water bottle to the tense muscles, as well as possibly physiotherapy/exercise therapy, can be helpful. Engaging in strengthening exercises for the back, such as yoga/swimming/pilates, may benefit you. Additionally, learning relaxation techniques such as Autogenic Training or Progressive Muscle Relaxation could be helpful. If you have never tried these or have not had sufficient success, psychotherapy could also be beneficial. Best wishes and take care!