These exercises are definitely not for everyone. I've been suffering with disequilibrium/vertigo for nearly a year now (no headaches, just a weird bobbing/floating/falling sensation that comes and goes). After brain/C-spine MRIs (all "normal"), countless blood tests, carotid ultrasound and vestibular testing, the only thing that's apparently wrong with me is that I have a "vestibular dysfunction". It's come and gone, which is apparently strange, and my family doctor still thinks I have "cervicogenic vertigo". After $2000 spent on physiotherapy, acupuncture and vestibular physiotherapy in 2020 I'm no better off.

Some of the exercises recommended in this article were recommended to me too, and they made my disequilibrium significantly worse and gave me headaches.

Then I found this article: https://mskneurology.com/vestibular-impairment-and-its-assoc...

Organized a consultation with with the guy who wrote the article and he took another look at my MRI. Turns out the radiologists totally missed several things that could clearly be causing my symptoms:

- I've got forward head posture and the top of my neck's straightened. Possibly from previous whiplash injuries several years ago combined with many years' computer use.

- My C1 vertebra seems to be compressing one of my internal jugular veins (one of the primary outflow veins from my brain). Radiologists are trained to ignore this sign apparently because it's so common, but this clearly affects the blood flow dynamics in your head and can apparently trigger migraines and other problems. With my C1 just 4mm too far forward, it almost totally closes off that vein.

- The increased blood pressure in my head from the decreased outflow of blood clearly shows one of the signs of increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure: an "empty sella sign" (my pituitary gland is squashed against the bone because of the increased pressure). Apparently increased blood pressure in the head causes increased CSF pressure, because they're related to each other. No mention of this sign in my radiology report.

- This increased blood pressure might be interfering with blood drainage from my vestibular apparatus, which could be the cause of my weird vestibular problem.

Of course, the MRI was taken while I was lying down, and other tests I had imply that my CSF pressure is normal while upright, but I lie down for 6-8 hours a night. How much damage is that increased CSF pressure doing while I sleep? I'm not sure, but I definitely tend to feel like shit most mornings, even though I sleep on average 7.5 hours a night.

What I've learned from this experience so far:

1. If these exercises cause you headaches, don't do them, you might actually be doing them incorrectly or you. may have structural issues that cause these exercises to hurt yourself. Like me, you may need exercises tailored to your specific problems, so consulting with someone who knows what they're doing is super important.

2. If you're symptomatic and your radiologist says your MRIs are "normal", try get a second opinion.

3. I really wish more physiotherapists were trained in interpreting MRIs and doppler ultrasounds, especially to pick up on more subtle issues.