Today's health-conscious consumers have more choices than ever before in their pursuit of good health. While it's good to have different options, too many choices can be overwhelming and can lead to confusion. We need a framework for making the best choices, especially with cervical support pillows that are specially designed to help support your head and neck.
One area of growing confusion is in orthopedic cervical pillows. As the number of orthopedic pillows on the market has grown, so has confusion about selecting the right pillow for your needs. The choice is easier to make by first understanding that despite all of the orthopedic pillows available, there are really only two different categories: displacement pillows and supportive pillows.
Displacement pillows use materials - such as memory foam, water or air - that conform or displace to accommodate the head and neck in their current state. These pillows will accommodate many distortions of the cervical (neck) spine to help stabilize an injury during an acute stage of care. If you have never used anything other than a standard pillow that you can buy at any local department store, this may be a great place for you to start on your journey to better health through better sleep.
Supportive or corrective pillows use the firm elasticity of resilient foams and fibers to provide support to the neck while softly cradling the head. These pillows are best used in the post acute stages of care, as they provide the resistance necessary to gently traction the neck, encouraging the return of the normal, neutral curve of the spine. If you have used a cervical pillow before and enjoy the effect that a contoured (shaped) pillow has had on your ability to sleep well, these pillows are going to be a good fit for you.
To select the best pillow, you must determine the end benefit desired. Is the need to accommodate a recent injury or correct the cause of pain by restoring the natural neck curvature? Sometimes people just need to maintain a normal, healthy neck. Whatever the condition, the TriCare: Circle of Health can help determine the best pillow to meet a person's physical needs.
Accommodate
Accommodate and relieve neck pain and discomfort.
Pillows in the Accommodate Category help relieve pain or discomfort by conforming to and stabilizing an existing condition. These pillows provide immediate comfort, but do little to correct the condition. If you have recently developed discomfort while sleeping or when you wake up in the morning, these pillows are going to be a good match for you.
Once a condition has been stabilized and comforted, you can move to the therapeutic "Correction Category". |
Correct
Correct the cause of pain by restoring natural neck curvature.
These pillows help eliminate symptoms by helping treat the cause of the condition. They work toward restoring the natural curve of your neck, which helps reduce neck pain, headaches and snoring. Use in conjunction with advice and care from your health care professional. |
Maintain
Maintain your body’s proper position to ensure continued good health.
The Maintain Category helps ensure continued good health by helping to sustain the body in it’s proper, natural state. Using these pillows regularly helps maintain the natural curve of your neck. Use in conjunction with advice and care from your health care professional. |
