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
