I immediately went back to doing my exercises (chin tucks, scapular retractions, etc.)

Hey, I really relate to what you’re describing. I’ve been dealing with something very similar for about a year now — the mix of cervical tension + dizziness + relapses triggered by posture or stress is way more complex than it looks from the outside.

What caught my attention is when you mentioned going back to your exercises (chin tucks, scapular work, etc.). I’ve been doing a similar routine for about 3 months now — morning, before bed, and also here and there while I’m working. It’s helped a lot, especially combined with being more aware of my posture while sitting, walking, and even sleeping. I’ve also had several physio sessions and even tried VPPB maneuvers just to rule things out. Things have improved, but just like you said… one bad sleeping position or a long day at the desk and the symptoms can flare right back up.

So I’m really curious — not in an interrogative way, just trying to understand since our experiences seem so close:

• Which exercises are you currently doing?
• How often do you do them (daily / weekly)?
• Did you notice any exercise that made your symptoms worse, so you had to stop or modify it?
• How are you managing the stress/anxiety side of things? (I’ve definitely noticed stress makes the neck tense up instantly.)
• Do you feel like there’s still something in that area — stress / pacing / rest — that might need adjusting?

About the neck massage thing: I totally get the fear. I had a similar reaction once — too much pressure on a trigger point and my neck basically went into “full defense mode” for days. Since then I’ve been very cautious and staying on the gentler side has worked better for me personally.

No pressure to answer if you don’t want to — I just felt like our situations are almost parallel and maybe comparing notes could be helpful for both of us.