Muscle tension in the neck may cause vertigo. Usually the tension emanates from a forward head/neck posture, and from reflexive muscular activities in face, jaw and neck muscles due to an unstabel occlusion.

Many people with vertigo are aware that head movements trigger their vertigo. The symptoms create new stress and anxiety, increased tension, and the muscular activity (reflexive biting or bruxism) is maintained.

As in somatic tinnitus the stress is the underlying cause of the tension. A physiotherapist may help the patient with the neck problems, but in the long term this may not be enough if the occlusion is unstable and there are stress patterns that increases and maintains tension.