Neck Collar any use in Cervical Spondylosis ?

 

Cervical Spondylosis is a disorder in which there is abnormal wear on the cartilage and bones of the neck (cervical vertebrae). It is a common cause of chronic neck pain.

Cervical spondylosis is caused by chronic wear on the cervical spine. This includes the disks or cushions between the neck vertebrae and the joints between the bones of the cervical spine. There may be abnormal growths or “spurs” on the bones of the spine.

Symptoms

The pain may be mild, or it can be deep and so severe that you are unable to move.

You may feel the pain over the shoulder blade or it may spread to the upper arm, forearm, and rarely fingers.

The pain may get worse:

and After standing or sitting

and At night

and When you sneeze, cough, or laugh

and When you bend the neck backwards or walk more than a few yards

You may also have weakness in certain muscles. Sometimes, you may not notice it until your doctor examines you. In other cases, you will notice that you have a hard time lifting your arm, squeezing tightly with one of your hands, or other problems.

Other common symptoms are:

and Neck stiffness that gets worse over time

and Numbness or abnormal sensations in the shoulders and arms

and Headaches, especially in the back of the head

and Loss of balance-Vertigo

Using Soft Neck Collar?

Neck immobilization with a soft collar is a common, nonoperative treatment for neck pain and/or sub occipital pain syndromes caused by spondylosis and cervical radiculopathy. Despite widespread use, soft collars are largely believed to work by placebo effect because they do not appreciably limit motion of the cervical spine. The collar should be worn as long as possible during the day. However, patient comfort is key. As symptoms improve, the collar can be worn only during strenuous activity. Eventually, it can be discontinued. More rigid collars and devices may better limit motion of the cervical spine, but they may reduce muscle tone and cause neck stiffness from disuse. Implement a daily cervical exercise program to limit loss of muscle tone.

Those having positional vertigo-imbalance- due to cervical spondylosis will benefit from wearing a soft collar.But long term use is not recommended.It can be used few hours a day while at home, but not comfortable to wear it at night.