What is the best pillow for neck pain? The answer to this question all depends on how you tend to sleep. As a chiropractor Fredericksburg we see a lot of different types of sleepers. We have side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers. The worst position to sleep in is on your stomach. There is no best pillow for this position except for certain tables that are utilized for physical medicine. The type of sleeper that would benefit the most from a “best pillow,” would be that of a back sleeper. A back sleeper needs to maintain correct positioning all night in order to avoid waking up with that stiff neck. This type of pillow is considered an orthopedic pillow and will keep the neck in neutral position all night.
The neutral position for the neck is one that maintains the cervical (neck) lordosis. A lordosis is considered a secondary curve because it develops in early life to accommodate for you walking upright. The lordosis is a backwards curvature of the spine as seen in the diagram below from Netter. It occurs in the cervical and lumbar spine.
The 2 types of curves of the spine as illustrated by Netter. Lordosis or backwards curve seen in the neck and lower back, and kyphosis which is forward curve seen in the mid back and sacrum. The lordosis is also considered a secondary curve as it develops later in life when we start standing upright.
A Chiropractor Fredericksburg, Best Pillow for Spinal Neutral
So if you can imagine laying down with this lordosis in mind there has to be some sort of extension involved in this. Pillows that are too plush or fluffy will cause issues in maintaining this neutral position by causing too much flexion instead of the little bit of extension necessary. The best Pillow that will support this lordosis are the pillows with the center core removed, allowing for some extension as well as keeping your head in a straight forward position. If your head is rotated all night and not straight forward you may wake up with that stiff achy neck.
Best pillow for the neck with center core removed. This keeps the head in neutral with slight extension when on the back. It also keeps the head situated forward without falling off to one side.
This is an example of a cored out pillow that is the best pillow when on your back. Your head is to be in the center creating the lordosis of the cervical spine and maintaining it throughout the night.
For those that are side sleepers, the best pillow for you is whatever fills the gap from the shoulders to the head and does not cause any lateral tilting of the neck from a thicker than normal, or thinner than normal pillow. The cored out pillow will also work for a side sleeper just make sure that if you roll over to your side that you DO NOT use the cored out portion in this pillow. You will need to move to the edges of this pillow to avoid injury or stiff neck. The cored out center will cause a lateral tilt of the neck creating pain in the morning (use the thick portion of pillow).
Best pillow use for side sleeping. A. Shows the neutral position with the pillow keeping the neck straight. B. Shows too thin of a pillow creating a loss of cervical neutral and can lead to stiff neck in the morning. C. Showing too thick of a pillow causing loss of cervical neutral upwards that can lead to stiff neck in the morning.
Another thing to consider with a side sleeper is to make sure that your back is also protected in this position. You need to have BOTH knees bent and a pillow between the knees to keep the pelvis in neutral.
To keep the back sleepers back protected from the pull of the hip flexors when lying on back you can place a pillow under the knees to elevate them.
Proper sleeping positions to keep low back protected.
What is a Chiropractor Fredericksburg best pillow for neck pain?
The best pillow for neck pain is one that allows you to use it in the way that you like to sleep. If you are both a back and side sleeper then the previously mentioned cored out pillow is for you. It allows you to sleep on your back (head in the cored out portion), and also on your side (move to the thick portion of the pillow not the core). If your a side sleeper then any pillow will really work as long as it is not too thick or too thin. It must just fit in the area between head and shoulder.
If you are a stomach sleeper, sorry there is no correct pillow for you. The only way to help your pain is to change old habits to more long term protective sleeping positions such as on your back with a pillow under the knees or on your side with both knees bent with a pillow between them.
How should you sleep to relieve neck pain?
As mentioned before using the best pillow for your sleeping habits is absolutely necessary and can save you some added pain in the mornings. The only way to help your pain is to change old habits to more long term protective sleeping positions such as on your back with a pillow under the knees or on your side with both knees bent with a pillow between them. Use a cored out pillow if you are a back sleeper and a pillow that fits in the space from the neck to the shoulders if your a side sleeper (look at above texts).
Is a high or a low pillow better for neck pain?
As a Chiropractor Fredericksburg, the answer to this question is neither. Using a cored out pillow will be the best pillow for any of the two correct ways to sleep. Back sleepers will use the cored out portion to rest their head in that cause the head to rest lower than the rest of the pillow creating the normal neutral position of the neck and decrease pain. Side sleepers will use the higher portion of the cored out pillow to create lateral neck neutral keeping the spine straight by only filling the space between the neck and shoulder.
Can pillows cause neck pain?
Pillows can be a very large contributor to your neck pain or even chronic neck pain. If you don’t sleep in neck neutral all night because your head is cocked-up on two pillows this will cause neck pain in the morning (this is true for both back and side sleepers). The reason for this is that the neck has special ligaments and muscles that will be stretched out all night if you don’t sleep in neutral called creep deformity. These muscles and ligaments can be damaged if lengthened (stretched) for prolonged periods and can cause neck pain and headache. This is one of the most common causes of acute neck pain that occurs from a nights sleep with a different pillow of too many pillows. A chiropractor Fredericksburg sees this commonly and can help though physical therapy modalities and manual medicine without the use of medications.
See a Specialist, Orthopedic Chiropractor Fredericksburg
At Stine Chiropractic Clinic we do our best to educate our patients on correct sleeping habits to minimize neck pain. We are able to provide treatment for the current pain starting on your first visit. Equipped with x-ray in office we are also able to take images and address any of the findings that could contribute to the condition. We will also be able to answer any questions you may have. Our clinic will assess the need for a specific pillow based off your sleeping habits, and determine whether the pillow is necessary for your situation.
If your in need of a specialist in the Fredericksburg, VA area give us a call today at 540 898 4100. Stine Chiropractic Clinic has been specializing in Chiropractic Orthopedics and sports injury since 1992. Chiropractor Fredericksburg.
