Back Pain Relief Tips - Avoid Cervical Collars

Posted by Kym on April 19th, 2010 at 09:45pm

You’ve probably seen someone at one time or another wearing an awkward, bulky-looking collar around his or her neck. If you currently have acute and severe neck or even lower back pain yourself, this recollection may immediately prompt you to ask, Would a cervical collar help me?’

The answer is: probably not. Medical research offers no conclusive indication that the average neck and back pain sufferer would benefit from wearing a cervical collar. And of the five US survey participants who wore collars for pinched-nerve neck pain, only one found it offered any noticeable neck or back pain relief.

If the point of wearing a collar is to keep you out of physically stressful positions - dropping your chin towards your chest when reading, for example - you would probably be better off learning to hold your neck properly without an aid. Eventually you will have to learn to do this on your own anyway.

If, on the other hand, there is a compelling medical reason for immobilizing your neck - the risk of permanent nerve damage, for example - then you will need to wear a cervical collar. After you remove it, however, you must still work to restore lost muscle strength and flexibility.

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