What is The Best Pillow for Neck Pain?

Before we jump into what pillow is best for neck pain it is best to have a quick look at what causes neck pain…
 
Neck pain is a leading cause of disability in adults, and in adults it is reported in up to as high as 20% of people. (1,2,3)
 
What Causes Neck Pain?
There are several risk factors that predispose us to the development of neck pain, which include mental/emotional stress, sleep problems, sedentary lifestyle, history of neck pain, trauma, back pain, and poor general health.  (5) Sports and work injuries have also been associated with neck pain. It has been found that office and computer workers, manual labourers, healthcare workers and occupational drivers are more likely than others to experience neck pain. (6,7) With acute neck pain, about half don’t resolve and patients continue to have low grade symptoms or recurrences, which means that it then becomes a chronic issue. (4) So it’s important to get on top of it and work out the cause.
 
For those of you who are reading this and are rubbing or moving your neck because this sounds like you and your neck, I’m here to tell you the best thing you can do is as soon as possible get some help. The sooner you do something about your symptoms, the easier it becomes to resolve them. If do nothing about your neck pain and let it get to that chronic state mentioned above, it can be more difficult and take longer to treat. 
 
Qualities of a Good Pillow
You want to be using a pillow that is supportive and is going to support your spine’s natural curves. There are many types of pillows on the market – it can be hard to choose which one is right for you, but that’s where we can help you out.
Good pillows are beneficial for many different reasons. It’s also important to keep in mind that the ‘right’ pillow for you may not necessarily be the ‘right’ pillow for someone else. As there is no one universal pillow that’s perfect for everyone, it’s important to look out for the below qualities:

• The pillow supports the head and neck in a neutral position, aligned with the rest of the body.
• There is no space between the neck and the pillow (the pillow may be too high or too low)
• The pillow is made from a dense material, such as memory foam
• The pillow should be breathable and comfortable
• The pillow should be contoured to suit your spine’s natural curves

It is recommended that you should be changing your pillow every 1 – 2 years. You will know when it’s time to update your pillow as the original support is no longer felt, breathability has decreased and/or you are uncomfortable or are waking up with a sore neck.
 
If your pillow is not supportive in the right way for your natural posture, you are constantly encouraging bad postural habits while you sleep –  remember we sleep approximately one third of our lives, that’s a lot of time unsupported if you have a bad pillow! It’s important to note that a new pillow can take up to three weeks to get used to – don’t be discouraged if you have an uncomfortable sleep during your first few sleeps! Your body needs time to adjust and break down the poor postural sleeping habits you may have had beforehand.
 
 
If you need help selecting the right pillow for you, do not hesitate to contact us here at Sprouting Health Chiropractic and Kinesiology.
 
 
 
1. .Cohen SP. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neck pain. Mayo Clin Proc 2015;90(2):284–99. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.09.008.
2. Moradi-Lakeh M, Forouzanfar MH, Vollset SE, et al. Burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2013: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76(8):1365–73. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-210146. 
3.Woodhouse A, Pape K, Romundstad PR, Vasseljen O. Health care contact following a new incident neck or low back pain episode in the general population; the HUNT study. BMC Health Serv Res 2016;16:81. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1326-5.
4.Cohen, S.P. and Hooten, W.M., 2017. Advances in the diagnosis and management of neck pain. Bmj, 358, p.j3221.
5.Croft PR, Lewis M, Papageorgiou AC, et al. Risk factors for neck pain: a longitudinal study in the general population. Pain 2001;93:317- 25doi:10.1016/S0304-3959(01)00334-7.
6. Hogg-Johnson S, van der Velde G, Carroll LJ, et al. Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. The burden and determinants of neck pain in the general population: results of the bone and joint decade 2000-2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. Spine 2008;33(suppl):S39-51doi:10.1097/ BRS.0b013e31816454c8.
7. Côté P, van der Velde G, Cassidy JD, et al. The burden and determinants of neck pain in workers: results of the bone and joint decade 2000-2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2009;32(Suppl):S70-86doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2008.11.012.
8. Corcoran, K.L., Dunn, A.S., Green, B.N., Formolo, L.R. and Beehler, G.P., 2018. Changes in female veterans' neck pain following chiropractic care at a hospital for veterans. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 30, pp.91-95.