The Best Neck Pillow for Neck Pain, Headaches, Arm or Hand Pain...
Have you ever awoken up with pain on the one side of the neck? Maybe you had tingling into your fingers. Or Numbness into your arm?Are you tossing and turning all night because your pillow loses shape and does not give your neck the support that it needs?
Do you continually get headaches?
Do you wake up with a stiff neck?
Imagine being able to function early in the morning without pain and stiffness.To be able to work on the computer with no headaches. Imagine being ale to sleep through the night. In this arc4life blog post, we are going to talk about a pillow that works for all of the above. It is called the arc4ife cervical traction neck pillow, and it has a lot offer.
Do I use this Arc4life Cervical Traction Neck Pillow?
My personal recommendation
Surprisingly, I did not start using this pillow until 2 years ago. I was one of those people who propped up their neck pillow at night. Finally, I woke up one day with a stiff neck, and decided to try a different pillow. I started using the traction pillow. I use the support or roll side, because for me that is the most comfortable. I am mainly a side sleeper, but i sometimes sleep on my back as well. This neck pillow works to decrease stiffness and achiness in my neck. I even take it on vacation with me. Even my sisters love this pillow when they come visit me. They ask for the V Pillow every time they sleep over ! - NavBut that's just my viewpoint about this pillow. I have compiled frequently asked questions about this traction pillow in this special blog post. It is not your average neck pillow. I will talk about why the contours of this neck pillow are important for your neck curve, and how it can help you feel better when you wake up. Most importantly, it will help you wake up pain free.
Update 8/13/2012 I am still using the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow. In fact I cannot sleep without it. My husband has his, I have mine now. He even knows whose is whose- even though its the same pillow, and same pillowcase LOL !! Still using the support side- great for when i sleep on my side and on my back.
For what neck pain problems would someone want to use this traction pillow
Not Just for Neck Pain
- Acute neck pain- neck pain that started all of a sudden
- Chronic neck pain- neck pain that has been going on for some time
- Stiff neck
- Herniated disc in the neck
- Bulging disc in the neck
- Numbness and tingling in the hands or the arms
- Weakness in the arms or the hands
- Degeneration in the cervical spine
- Arthritis in the neck
- Loss of curvature in the neck spine aka. Military spine
- Whiplash in the neck from a car accident or other injury
- Reversal of the Neck Curve
- Occipital Neuralgia
- Tension, and migraine headaches
- Cervical spondylosis
- Poor Neck Posture
- Neck Pain when turning to one side
- Fibromyalgia
- Shooting Pains into The Extremities
Do you have a pillow that you have used for stiff neck, numbness and tingling, headache, or neck pain?
Which Neck Pillow do you Use for Neck Pain Relief?
- Arc4life cervical traction neck pillow
- Foam Pillow
- Foam Pillow
- Water Pillow
- Fiber Pillow
- Buckwheat pillow
- Side Sleeper pillow
- Feather Pillow
- contoured pillow
- Another pillow not mentioned above
Why do We Need A Neck Pillow?
Is a neck pillow necessary in the first place? Why not sleep simply on the mattress?
A good neck pillow can help you resolve your neck pain issues. The key is that you need to take pressure off of the nerves, and keep those nerves free of pressure. What you need is optimal alignment of the neck? What does this mean? Our spines are designed with specific curvatures to keep the nerves in the best neck alignment, free from any unwanted pressure. Also your body can withstand the forces of gravity pushing down on you. In this way, you are able to withstand from normal activities.Your Posture Tells a Bigger Story
Posture is really a window into your spine..its tells us a lot
Posture is the window to your spine Just by looking at somebody's posture, you get a hint of what their spinal alignment may be. For example lets say someone has a head that appears to be shifted forward of the shoulders.We actually call this forward head carriage. As you might guess, this spine cannot withstand downward pressure than the spine compared to one that is in correct spinal alignment. For every inch that the head is shifted forward, it increases the downward pressure on the head by 10 additional pounds.Use the Traction Pillow to Correct This Posture and Relieve Nerve Pressure
Component #1 NECK ROLL
The first component of the neck traction pillow that makes it ideal is the NECK ROLL. The neck roll helps to restore your normal alignment. Normal neck alignment is the c curvature of the cervical spine. The neck roll does precisiously that when you lie on your back. It helps to restore or maintain the normal curvature.Open up the space between the bones of the spine
Component #2 NECK TRACTION
The next component of the traction neck pillow is the v pattern on the pillow itself. This is what sets this apart from regular pillows.The V gives gentle traction to your neck. The traction helps to relieve nerve pressure by slightly stretching the spine in the vertical direction.See it Live: The Arc4life Cervical Traction Neck Pillow on YOUTUBE
Two Pillows In One - The Cervical Traction Pillow Is Two Pillows In One
Listen and See what Dr. Bellinger says about the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow, and why he recommends this neck pillow to all of his patients.
What if I am a Side Sleeper?
You can Sleep on your Side or On Your back with this pillow. It accommodates both sleeping positions.
you can sleep on your side or on your back with this pillow This is a great question. Looking at our spine from the side we have smooth flowing curvatures. Looking from the front or back, we should be straight up and down.That being said, when you are laying on your side, you want a pillow that keeps your head level. Think of your pillow that completely compresses after a few hours of sleep? What does your head do? Your head completely tilts towards the bed. This can put a 45 degree angle in your spine. Is this good? NO ! If done night after night you start developing misalignments in your spine and posture.Too much Pillow is also a Problem...
Propping your head up with too many pillows can be very comfortable.
This does the exact opposite. It cranks your head in the other direction towards the ceiling. We are now 45 degrees to the other side. We are dealing with the same problem. Poor alignment and posture equates to pressure on nerves. The pressure on the nerves will equal various symptoms:- Pain
- Headaches
- Numbness and tingling
- Weakness in the upper extremity and more.
As is not Enough Pillow: Flat Pillows offer minimal neck support
No pillow= no support for your neck.
Using no pillow or a flat pillow is not the answer either. No pillows means no support for your cervical neck spine. The Proper C Curve is not supported. This can mean neck pain, headaches, and an restless uncomfortable sleep.Extra Firm Support Arc4life Cervical Traction Neck Pillow- Newest Addition to the Traction Pillow
How long with this pillow last for?
It depends, for some people a few months, for some a few years.
One of the sacrifices that we make with our pillow is that it may not last as long as other fiber pillows on the market such as the Tri core support pillow. The tri core pillow is also a contoured pillow, but with much more stuffing and higher density. This means that the pillow is really firm to sleep on. Does it last longer (prob a good 4-5 years): yes, but the extra stuffing does not make it a usuable pillow. The traction pillow on the other hand, has some give to it, and is not filled with as much fiber. It is made to be comfortable for you and still give you the effectiveness of the traction. We know that by stuffng the pillow a little less, we are sacrificing the shelf life of the pillow. But then if we stuff it too much, our customers are not able to use it for conditions such as bulging disc, degernerative disc or herniated disc.Can I use this contoured neck pillow the whole night?
It depends on the individuals neck pain condition. Also, on your sensitivity level.
Each person's neck pain is different. For some patients,they lay on the pillow, and are able to use it the whole night with not problem. There are 2 ways to get used to using the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow:Start using the neck pillow little by little
For others, who for example have acute neck pain or have a lot of sensitivity in the neck- they may have to use the pillow little by little. Start by using the pillow one half hour to an hour the first night. If the pillow starts to get uncomfortable, change back to the regular pillow you have been using. Keep increasing the amount of time you are using the pillow
Start by using the Neck roll side of the pillow
As I mentioned above, there are two components to the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow. The neck roll side is softer and easier to get used to. If you have a lot of sensitivity in the neck, the traction pillow may be too much for your right in the beginning.
So What are the People Saying?
The Good, the Bad and the ANGRY!!!
Lets See what everyone is saying... Read more Customer Feedback for the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow
Additional Reading
More Detailed Information about the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow:
- FAQ's about the arc4life cervical traction= neck pillow- -more information on the pillow -shipping cost -international shipping -how to use the pillow most effectively
- I'm sore after using my new neck pillow for the 1st time.-This is often a completely common and normal finding we see after the 1st few times you use a new cervical support neck pillow, such as the cervical linear traction neck pillow.
- Understanding A Disc Problem with a Jelly Donut: Herniated Disc or Slipped Disc?-Doctors and health professionals use many different terms to describe a problem in your disc. What's the difference between a herniated and a slipped disc? Whats the difference between a prolapse or an extruded disc?
- Forward Head Posture- A Painful Neck Posture-what causes forward head posture and how to get rid of forward head posture