The pain from a disc herniation in the neck is real. Neck pain, Numbness and tingling, weakness in the arms or hands, even changes in sensation. I often get asked which pillow is best to help relieve these symptoms. How can one have the most comfortable sleep?
I have found the most success with the arc4life traction pillow. Really any neck pillow does help. The biggest thing is to put the spine back in alignment, especially restoring the natural c-curve in the neck.
Putting the neck back into alignment helps to hold the discs back in place; in fact, pull thedisc back into place. When we have good alignment, the discs stay in place better. When the spine looks like a jigsaw puzzle, discs will move and easily bulge and herniate. So a neck pillow will hold the neck spine straight if you were to examine it from the front to back and the neck roll will support and maintain our neck's natural curve if examined from the side.
Often, when a disc causes a problem it's because where it herniates ( or protrudes ) or bulges out is close to a nerve. Sometimes you can have multiple discs that are bulged but no pain - because they are not close to nerves.
One more thing....nerves detect all sensations. You may not have pain but tingling and numbness. Any symptom does mean pressure somewhere however.
Also, a disc may not be hitting a nerve but over time if left in an unhealthy position with pressure on it...that nerve will degenerate and it breaks down to the point it won't heal. Either way, get a good neck pillow !!!
Additional Reading Resources:
- Herniated Disk in the Neck
- Choose the Best Neck Pillow
- How to Treat a Muscle Spasm in Your Neck or Back
- How to Use the Traction Side of the Arc4life Cervical Linear Traction Pillow for maximum pain relief and better sleep
