What is the Difference Between BPPV and Cervical Vertigo

The key difference between BPPV and cervical vertigo is that BPPV occurs when small crystals of calcium carbonate shift in the inner ear or fall into another area within the balance canals due to an inner ear infection, fever, head injury, or whiplash injury, while inflammation, joint issues, and neck trauma cause cervical vertigo.

Vertigo is a common disorder where people feel like they or the world around them is spinning or moving when they are actually still. This leads to dizziness and off-balance. Vertigo can be very similar to motion sickness. However, vertigo is not the same as light-headedness. There are different types of vertigo, such as central vertigo, cervical vertigo, and BPPV.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is BPPV
3. What is Cervical Vertigo
4. Similarities – BPPV and Cervical Vertigo
5. BPPV vs. Cervical Vertigo in Tabular Form
6. Summary – BPPV vs. Cervical Vertigo

What is BPPV?

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is triggered by problems in the inner ear, which controls the balance of people. BPPV is the most common inner ear disorder. BPPV can affect people of all ages. However, it is most common in people over the age of 50. The symptoms of this condition are dizziness, light-headedness, balance problems, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, and rapid, involuntary eye movements called nystagmus. BPPV occurs when calcium carbonate particles migrate into the semicircular canals connected to a vestibular organ called the utricle, often due to injury, infection, or aging.

BPPV can be diagnosed through questionnaires, medical history, and physical examinations. Furthermore, treatments for BPPV may include physical therapy, exercises, and motion sickness medicine such as diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate, and scopolamine.

What is Cervical Vertigo?

Cervical vertigo is also known as cervicogenic dizziness. Cervical vertigo can usually occur following a cervical spine injury. The other causes of cervical vertigo include arthritis, atherosclerosis, cervical degenerative disk disease, inflammation, poor posture, injured disks, joint issues, and muscle strain. Symptoms of cervical vertigo are dizziness, a sensation of floating, light-headedness, lack of coordination, problems in balance, changes in posture, visual problems like rapid eye movement and visual fatigue, nausea and vomiting, neck pain, and headaches.

Cervical vertigo can be diagnosed through physical examinations, MRI, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), spin X-rays, vertebral Doppler ultrasound, vertebral angiography, evoked potential tests, and vestibular test battery. Furthermore, treatment options for cervical vertigo may include physical therapy, vestibular rehabilitation, and medications such as muscle relaxants, pain relievers, and drugs to reduce dizziness.

What are the Similarities Between BPPV and Cervical Vertigo?

• BPPV and cervical vertigo are two different types of vertigo.
• They may have similar symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, vision problems, etc.
• Both types of vertigo can be diagnosed through physical examinations.
• They can be treated through physical therapy and specific medicines.

What is the Difference Between BPPV and Cervical Vertigo?

BPPV occurs when small crystals of calcium carbonate shift in the inner ear or fall into another area within the balance canals due to an inner ear infection, fever, head injury, or whiplash injury. Meanwhile, cervical vertigo is caused by inflammation, joint issues, and neck trauma. Thus, this is the key difference between BPPV and cervical vertigo. Furthermore, BPPV is comparatively more common than cervical vertigo.

The infographic below presents the differences between BPPV and cervical vertigo in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – BPPV vs. Cervical Vertigo

BPPV and cervical vertigo are two different types of vertigo. They may have similar symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, vision problems, etc. However, BPPV occurs when small crystals of calcium carbonate shift in the inner ear or fall into another area within the balance canals due to an inner ear infection, fever, head injury, or whiplash injury, while inflammation, joint issues, and neck trauma cause cervical vertigo. So, this summarizes the difference between BPPV and cervical vertigo.

Reference:

1. “Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “What Is Cervicogenic Dizziness (Cervical Vertigo)? Learn about This Condition and How to Treat It.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Anatomy of the Inner Ear by Annie Campbell” By TILT University of Dundee, School (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Cervical fracture dislocation C6-C7” By Frank Gaillard – At work previously published: Radiopaedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia