Cervicogenic dizziness as a cause of vertigo while swimming: an unusual case report

We present the unusual case of a competitive swimmer with cervicogenic dizziness manifesting as vertigo while she was surface swimming. This patient complained of brief and episodic room-spinning vertigo consistently associated with swimming the freestyle stroke and was referred to an otolaryngology clinic for evaluation. She did not have significant complaints of neck pain while swimming. Her history, examination findings, laboratory study results, differential diagnoses, and treatment are discussed in detail. A succinct overview of cervicogenic dizziness-a controversial diagnosis often overlooked by otolaryngologists-is also provided. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.