Vertigo, when it strikes "out of the blue" can mimic mild panic attacks. Unlike with severe anxiety, there's no pill or breathing exercise to calm the patient and reduce discomfort. Though vertigo symptoms are rarely as severe as a full-blown panic attack, some can last far longer—several days, weeks, or even years. One of our patients even calls her vertigo experience the "spin cycle".

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?

• Anxiety

• Dizziness

• Double vision

• Feeling that everything is spinning around you

• Impaired, sometimes muffled hearing

• Loss of balance

• Nystagmus: Unusual eyeball movements, usually horizontal jerking or "vibrating" appearance

• Nausea and vomiting

• Perspiration (unexplained by exertion or environmental factors)

• Tinnitus: ringing or rushing sounds in the ear

Some of these vertigo symptoms are limited to inner ear complications, but most occur anytime there's a disruption in the body's ability to seek equilibrium. Our patients describe vertigo as the feeling that you're still, but the world is spinning or tilting around you. It's the classic symptom and you wouldn't believe how many doctors miss the connection between vertigo and the upper spine or neck area. But then again, most don't have neck specialist Dr. Plesa's experience and focused education.

Vertigo's symptoms aren't limited to what our patients experience as a direct result of their neurological impairment. When we don't have confidence in our ability to maintain our balance and sensory perception, it affects our ability to function as active, productive people. Our anxieties about possible "episodes" can become as debilitating as vertigo itself, and let's face it—when we're feeling off, our loved ones and co-workers feel it, too.