Neck Pain Support Blog

Will a Contoured Neck Pillow Give me Neck Pain Relief?

Dear Nav,

I just ordered a contoured neck pillow, called the arc4life traction pillow. It is causing my neck a lot of pain somehow which is a shame because I really wanted it to work! -Ada

Dear Ada, Thank you for your email. Any contoured neck pillow takes a while to get used to for patients, especially those who have neck pain to begin with. It is not meant to be used the whole night right in the beginning. We recommend that you first sleep on the pillow for no more than 5-10 minutes, and keep increasing by 10 min each night. Second, you should be starting to use the support side of the pillow, not the traction side.

I would recommend you try it one more week. Then email me back. I think it is worth it. Okay, so start :

• 1st night: 10 min
• 2nd night: 20 min
• 3rd night: 30 min
  
  

Sleep on the support side to start. On the 4th night, try 45 min- 1 hr.

One more thing I want to mention you can do with the traction "V"side of the pillow. Use it for a gentle neck stretch. Simple lay on your back on the V part of the pillow. Not sleep, just lay on the pillow. Set a timer for 10 minutes to start. Next day do 15 min. Keep working your way up to 25 minutes.

Here is a short video showing you the features of the arc4life traction pillow:

Keep in mind, that if you are used to using a flat pillow to sleep every night and now have switched to a contoured neck pillow, it is going to take some time. You may wake up with a neck ache and soreness if you decide to sleep the whole night through the first night (not recommended). You will be engaging different neck muscles when you use a pillow with curves on it like the arc4life traction pillow.

I truly think it is worth a try, as this pillow has helped many patients in the past provide neck pain relief. - Nav

Additional Reading Resources:

• Which Pillow Size Should I Order? Does it Matter?
• Treatment options for a Decade of Neck Pain
• Frequently asked questions about the arc4life traction support pillow
• Visit the Neck Pain Support Blog on Facebook

 

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10 Things You can Do to Relieve Muscle Spasm in the Neck

Here are 10 things you can do to help relieve the muscle spasms in your neck. Muscle spasms can happen from a variety of things such as sitting at desk for long periods of time, studying, texting for too long in the flexed position, a violent sneeze, a fall, whiplash type of an accident, sleeping incorrectly, even sleeping on a brand new pillow.

What are solutions to relieve this type of neck pain that is coming from the muscles?

1. Muscle Work to the neck with Biofreeze. You can do muscle work without a pain relief gel such as biofreeze, but biofreeze really facilitates the massage. Its easier and actually more effective. Muscle work helps to combat tender trigger points in the muscle that helps to get blood flow to the area. If this is an acute injury, use biofreeze, but if this is something chronic use a heating pain relief gel like sombra. Both work wonders to the muscles. One more point, massage for a good 2-5 minutes. If the area is red that means you are have worked the muscle well. Also, you don't need to use a lot of pressure, just what you are able to withstand. If someone can help you with this, even better. 
2. Use a heating pad or a cold pack on the neck and upper shoulders. Again, if this is an acute injury use ice, if this is chronic use a heating pad. For both cases, use a towel in between you and the therapy pack.
3. Stretch your Neck- Simple neck stretches can do wonders for muscle spasm. Simple flexing your head forward and holding the stretch for a few minutes can feel really good and allow the muscle to elongate. 
4. Position your workstation so that you are not in an awkward position that can cause a neck ache to begin with. Recently my sister in law mentioned to me a workstation that she uses at her work, where you actually stand up and work. She has the ability to sit at her computer or to stand up and work. The choice of two positions gives her muscles a break from the usual routine. 
5. Get a massage- a massage therapist can focus on certain muscles that are tightened up and have trigger points. The key is tell your practitioner how much pressure you can take. No need to be a macho man/woman and endure pain during your sesssion. You will be in pain afterwards. Start with low pressure and keep working your way up to more pressure with each visit. 
6. Get your neck adjusted by a chiropractor- a chiropractor can perform a simple cervical adjustment that will keep your bones aligned. If they are out of positiong that can help you get proper posture. They can also show you postural exercises and neck stretches  that you can do at home yourself.
7. Use a supportive pillow at night time so that you are in a naturally aligned position for sleep. Use a contoured neck pillow. It makes a big difference to the anatomy of how you sleep at night. Here is an example of great neck pillow: The Linear Gravity Neck Pillow has two neck rolls, one firm, one softer. The neck roll keeps your neck in a position that is a natural c curve. With this particular fiber filled neck pillow you can sleep on your back and on your side. 
8. Do gentle neck traction - stretch out the ligaments, and muscles for pain relief. Neck traction is one those therapies that patients think is very scary because they picture an over the door neck traction unit that looks more like a torture device. Not the case. Check out passive traction units like the soothe a ciser and the posture right soft neck orthotic. 
9. Drink Water. Plain water. Make sure you are being hydrated enough throughout the day. A tried and true practice. One tip, keep your water accessible to you. Fill up a gallon of water and keep it near you. This will mean that you have to take regular trips to the bathroom. Actually a good thing. It will break up your work schedule, and give your neck and back a break from sitting or doing whatever work you do. I know this may not be feasible in all jobs but do your best. Its overall just a smart thing to drink water. Keep sugar drinks like soda and juice to a minimum. 
10. Try a natural muscle relaxer. One example of this is formula 303. It has valerian root in it which is a natural relaxant. It also has passion flower and magnesium.

 

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