What causes vertebral artery spasm?
Jul 19, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Liu Feng
Introduction
Long-term anxiety and stress can lead to sympathetic nerve excitement, causing vertebral artery constriction and spasm. It is recommended to relieve tension through activities such as listening to music and meditation, maintain a regular sleep schedule, and avoid excessive fatigue. Cold stimulation to the neck enhances the vascular contraction response, triggering vertebral artery spasm. Keep the neck warm and avoid staying in cold environments for prolonged periods.
Vertebral artery spasm may be caused by mental stress, neck cooling, cervical spondylosis, hypertension, cerebral atherosclerosis, migraine, and other conditions. If any abnormalities occur, timely medical consultation is recommended. Specific analyses are as follows:
1. Mental stress: Long-term anxiety or high-pressure states can lead to sympathetic nerve excitement, causing vertebral artery contraction and spasm. It is recommended to relieve tension through listening to music, meditation, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and avoiding excessive fatigue.
2. Neck cooling: Cold stimulation to the neck enhances the vasoconstrictive response, triggering vertebral artery spasm. Neck warmth should be maintained, prolonged exposure to cold environments avoided, and warm compresses applied to the neck to improve blood circulation.
3. Migraine: During a migraine attack, abnormal vascular dilation and constriction may affect the vertebral artery, causing spasm. Symptoms often include unilateral headache, nausea, photophobia, and severe pain during attacks. Patients may use medications such as sumatriptan succinate tablets, ibuprofen suspension, or propranolol hydrochloride tablets under a doctor's guidance to relieve pain and prevent recurrence.
4. Cervical spondylosis: Herniated cervical discs or bone spurs may compress the vertebral artery, stimulating the vessel and causing spasm. Symptoms often include neck and shoulder pain, dizziness, and numbness in the upper limbs. Doctors may recommend treatment with flunarizine hydrochloride capsules, celecoxib capsules, Jingfukang granules, and physical therapies such as cervical traction.
5. Hypertension: Fluctuations or increases in blood pressure elevate vascular pressure, increasing the risk of vertebral artery spasm. Symptoms often include dizziness, headache, and palpitations. Blood pressure can be stabilized under a doctor's guidance using medications such as nifedipine controlled-release tablets, valsartan dispersible tablets, or metoprolol tartrate tablets.
In daily life, maintaining good sitting and standing posture, avoiding prolonged head-down positions, engaging in appropriate neck exercises, and managing blood pressure and lipid levels can reduce the risk of vertebral artery spasm. If symptoms such as frequent dizziness or headache occur, prompt medical evaluation is advised.
