Episode Summary
Discover how neck pain, dizziness, and post-trauma symptoms may stem from a sensory mismatch between the eyes, inner ear, balance, and neck. Learn why early assessment and targeted rehabilitation can uncover hidden deficits, reduce fear, and speed recovery.
Sensorimotor assessment and rehabilitation are presented as an important part of managing neck pain, dizziness, and post-traumatic symptoms, especially after whiplash or concussion. A central idea is visual-vestibular conflict: the brain may receive mismatched information from the neck, eyes, vestibular system, and balance system, which can contribute to dizziness, poor coordination, eye movement problems, and postural instability.
Key areas covered include the main vestibular reflexes, cervical joint position sense, ocular motor testing, smooth pursuit, and the smooth pursuit neck torsion test. The summary explains why balance, eye movements, and proprioception should be assessed alongside neck pain and headache, particularly in patients with persistent or puzzling symptoms.
Rehabilitation is described as more than simple mobility exercises. It may include balance training, eye movement work, head-righting tasks, and function-specific retraining tailored to the person’s goals, from athletes returning to sport to older adults with falls risk. The overall approach emphasizes early identification, individualized care, integration of physical and psychological factors, appropriate triage, and maintaining awareness of rare but important vascular risks.
