A 2026 study may explain why patients with persistent dizziness often get relief from upper cervical chiropractic care.
The study looked compared 72 patients presenting to an upper cervical chiropractor undergoing a test called joint position error. Joint position error is a test that measures cervical propioception. Propioception is the body’s way of detecting movement and positioning of our body parts in space. Information gets sent from our joints and muscles to the brain. In the neck, it works in concert with our vestibular system and our eyes to provide us information about what our head is doing in space.
Multiple studies have shown that patients with injuries to the head and neck from things like concussion and whiplash are associated with poor performance on joint position error testing. It’s been thought that corruption of cervical propioception is a likely driver of cervicogenic dizziness in patients with history of neck injury.
In this study, Dr. Chad Biliris tested joint position error with a tool we use in our office called Neckcare. It allows us to measure cervical propioception with greater accuracy and precision than previous analog methods.
After just one upper cervical adjustment, patients in the intervention group saw significant improvement in their performance on joint position error testing compared to those in the control group.
While not all of these patients were treated for dizziness or even had dizziness, it shows that one of the key factors in patients with dizziness might be effectively modified from a precise upper cervical realignment.
