I attempted a search but didn’t find anything current.
Anyway, I have a compressed/bulging disc in my neck and the pain comes and goes. It basically feels like someone crammed my head down into my shoulders at the base of my neck when it starts to act up. Eventually it will set off and I will be in severe pain, however usually it subsides at the annoying, but tolerable pressure level. The only real relief I have from the pressure is when my chiro manually does some traction. He felt an inversion table or a home traction device might be helpful in providing some relief when I asked. The problem with the inversion table is they are so big that I don’t have a convenient place to put it. I have looked at the traction devices, but they all look somewhat like a joke. Has anyone tried one of the inflatable neck brace thing ($30-50)? Looks convenient enough that I would actually use it regularly, but does it actually work. Any recommendations?
I have bulging herniations in my lower back (L4/L5 and L5/S1) and neck (C3/C4), and I have an inversion table. It helps me, but I use it sparingly, as I’m concerned about too much inversion and the consequences that can have for capillary damage in the brain (I’m over 50).
Two things affect my neck more than anything - my posture (especially when reading, using my tablet/smartphone, etc), and my sleeping position. One I have immediate control over, the other one, not so much. I recently got a memory foam pillow, though, and that seems to have helped out a lot with the sleeping position issues.
I use one of those inflatable horse collar pillows when I fly. I look like a nerd, but fuck it, I need the neck support. I’ve thought about getting one of those foam neck brace collars, if for no other reason I can scam my way into early boarding. But I digress…
This is a very touchy subject, because the variables are so many, and everything is so individualistic. You need to learn as much as possible about what your specific condition is and learn what works best for you and your life.
The chiro I went to a couple years ago and had people use these as pre-adjustment warmups. They really do allow you to take the load off your neck and stretch it out. I was able to hear some things pop and move around in my lower neck/upper back which has always been super-super tight for me.
Basically this thing hangs on the wall, you stick your head in it and do squats, more or less letting your body hang from your neck.
I bought an over the door one but didn’t like it at all. It was a major pain in the ass. The collar was much easier to use. I eventually gave up on the traction, had an MRI, and wound up with a cervical fusion which basically fixed the problems I’d been having for years. Good luck.
I had a bout of neck pain and numbness in the left arm extending to the hand (cervical radiculopathy) last year after several sessions of forced neck extension riding a tribike on the computrainer. I was trying to get lower and stretch so that I could see the road ahead of me. Bad idea. Turns out I had a disc bulge and foraminal stenosis. I opted for physical therapy with therapist who specialized in spine problems. She is also a pilates instructor. Several things helped including pilates exercise, use of an inflateable traction device at home and local therapy with heat. Also, she had me buy a posture shirt which improved my posture quite a bit and also helped in solving the problem. So far, no recurrent problem though I have given up on getting really low on the tribike. Good luck.