Support your neck while you sleep: You may need to sleep without a pillow if you sleep with your collar on. Make sure your pillow is comfortable and supports your head and neck if you sleep without a collar.
Treatments for a Pinched Neck Nerve
Treatment will depend on the root cause of the problem. A cervical collar, which is a neck brace that limits the motion of your neck while the neck is healing, can help prevent further injury and aid in the healing process.Support your neck while you sleep: You may need to sleep without a pillow if you sleep with your collar on. Make sure your pillow is comfortable and supports your head and neck if you sleep without a collar.
The soft type of neck collar is often used for moderate neck pain, while the hard collar is typically used for severe neck pain, spinal fractures, and injuries.
If needed, you may roll onto your side the way you were taught by your therapist. 4 The collar should be snug enough to be in contact with your neck all the way around.
The most common reason is to relieve pain. The neck brace helps your neck support the weight of your head while the soft tissues in your neck have a chance to heal. You may need a neck brace after spinal neck surgery to keep your neck bones in line while you heal.
Avoid using too high or stiff a pillow, which keeps the neck flexed overnight and can result in morning pain and stiffness. If you sleep on your side, keep your spine straight by using a pillow that is higher under your neck than your head.
If the device is effective, wearers should have fewer — but not zero — injuries. That is exactly what they found: 239 cervical spine injuries in those not wearing a brace and only 26 in those who did wear a brace. Critical neck injuries were far less common among riders wearing a neck brace.
Support your neck while you sleep: You may need to sleep without a pillow if you sleep with your collar on. You may need a special neck pillow. You may be more comfortable on a firm mattress. Support your neck and back if you sit most of the day: Keep your computer monitor at eye level.
It is important that you ask your Neurosurgeon when it is safe to return to work. Driving is not permitted while wearing the hard collar.
The best sleeping position to reduce your pain after surgery is either on your back with your knees bent and a pillow under your knees or on your side with your knees bent and a pillow between your legs.
Do the following to put on your soft cervical collar:
- Look straight ahead and keep your chin parallel to the floor.
- Fit the collar snugly around your neck.
- Attach the fasteners at the back of your neck.
- Make sure that you can breathe comfortably.
- If the collar feels too tight, remove it and put it on again.
Begin by removing the front portion of your collar and switching it with the front portion of the shower collar. Holding the front piece securely with one hand, log roll onto your side and repeat with the back half of the collars. Roll back onto your back and Velcro the shower collar in place. You may shower as normal.
Spinal Bracing: A Treatment Option for Whiplash. Whiplash is very treatable, and very often, the first treatment tried is a cervical brace, also known as a cervical collar. The brace will provide support to your neck as the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, etc.) heal from the whiplash injury.
Recommendations
- The cervical collar may be removed if the following are met: The patient has shown gross motor function of all four extremities. The patient is able to range the neck.
- The cervical collar should remain if: Any focal neurologic deficit on physical examination. The patient is unable to range the neck.
While hard collars are an important part of acute injury and spine stabilization, they are not routinely used to manage pain. The use of cervical collars to treat neck pain is an area of controversy.
