Looking for Neck Pain Relief? Try a Traction Device

Neck pain is a common issue that is poorly understood and often mistreated - you might even be thinking to yourself “will my neck pain ever go away?”. The good news is that in most cases, yes it will!

Regardless of who you are, understanding the causes of your pain, and how to treat it, can make a world of difference in your everyday life. Keep reading to learn more about common causes of neck pain, how to manage it, and how neck traction at home can be used to treat or prevent neck pain.

Common Causes of Neck Pain

Although neck pain is a very complicated and individualized problem, there are a few common causes that stand out: posture, work, and medical conditions.

Posture

Posture can have a big impact on neck pain. This is especially true for those spending several hours per day hunching over their smartphones or laptops, which is becoming a progressively larger issue with many of us working from home. While you might look at someone with slouched shoulders and assume that they are going to have pain at some point in the future, it turns out that movement is actually the most important part of posture. That means that as long as you’re changing your posture frequently, it’s okay to slouch sometimes. However, staying in one posture for extended periods, whether we think of it as “good” or “bad” posture, will lead to increased stress in your neck and increase your chances of developing neck pain.

Work

Whether you work at a desk or on a construction site, your work can have a massive impact on your neck pain. If you work at a computer most of the time, you’re prone to the pitfalls of staying in one posture for too long, which can lead to prolonged stress on certain areas of your neck and cause irritation. This irritation can slowly build up over time, causing muscle tension and eventually pain or headaches. If you spend a lot of time at work doing manual labor or heavy lifting, there are different factors to consider. Even though you’re moving your neck frequently, the repetitive stress and strain of bending and twisting with weight through your neck can lead to muscle soreness, inflammation, and pain.

Medical Conditions

Although most neck pain is caused by lifestyle factors and work activities, it can also be a symptom of other medical conditions. One common cause of neck pain in older adults is osteoarthritis (OA), which is inflammation of joints in the neck due to breakdown of cartilage and roughening of bones over time. Another common example is nerve root compression, a problem that stems from issues with intervertebral discs or stability in the joints of the neck. Because your neck pain may be due to a more sensitive problem such as arthritis or nerve root irritation, it’s important to consult with your doctor before starting a treatment plan.

Common Treatments for Neck Pain

Although neck pain can be difficult to live with, there are some time-tested methods for effective treatment: lifestyle change, medications and medical devices, and procedures.

Lifestyle Change

The most obvious and least invasive neck pain treatment option is lifestyle changes. This is the hallmark approach of physical therapy and it focuses on one big idea: modify your regular activities to reduce stress on your neck. Lifestyle changes might include taking regular activity breaks during your work day, changing the height of your computer monitor, or changing pillows at night. Your lifestyle changes might also focus on reducing stress during your day, which can help relieve muscle tension and reduce neck pain or headaches. The hardest part about lifestyle changes is that they take lots of time, and may not always be realistic or provide the relief you need in the short term.

Medications and Medical Devices

The next step up in neck pain treatments are medications and medical devices. Medications such as painkillers and anti-inflammatories are popular treatment options for neck pain because they’re a fast and inexpensive way to get relief from pain and inflammation. However, medications should be used sparingly because they can lead to a dependency without treating the actual cause of your neck pain, and many have side effects that should be carefully reviewed with your doctor before using. Medical devices such as electrical stimulation units are also popular for managing neck pain. These devices use adhesive pads to send electrical signals over the affected area to reduce pain signals and help relieve tension. While these devices are commonly used, they are not always effective for treating neck pain and may be very expensive to purchase for at home usage.

Procedures

Very serious neck pain that is due to an underlying condition such as arthritis, disc degeneration, or nerve root compression may require a procedure for effective treatment. Common procedures for neck pain include cervical fusion, disc replacement, microdiscectomy, and nerve root cauterization. While surgery can be very effective at resolving underlying problems, it may not always resolve your neck pain. Because of this, it’s important to focus on more gentle approaches whenever possible to manage your neck pain.

The Posture Pump® Solution

Having an easy, safe, effective treatment for your neck pain is critical to your recovery. One great way to do this is with neck traction at home.

Posture Pump® is a cervical neck traction device that uses uniquely angled Expanding Ellipsoidal Decompression (EED®) air cells to decompress and shape the discs of your spine to relieve the symptoms of compressive forward upper body posture. With its specialized Comfort Visor™, the Posture Pump® gently molds to the shape of the forehead without hyper-extending your neck during use, making it the ideal home neck traction solution. Operating at moderate pressure levels, you can get extremely comfortable disc decompression and hydration while encouraging proper neck curvature.

For a neck decompression device that also targets your upper back, we recommend the Posture Pump® Dual Disc Hydrator® (Model 1400-D), which decompresses in two areas with two EED air cells at once for even more cervical neck traction relief! For those also dealing with low back pain, we recommend the Posture Pump® Dual Deluxe Full Spine (Model 4100-D), which adds a lower back unit with two opposing air cells to the neck and upper back unit via an additional comfort pad. This allows you to get to the cause of your pain and back stiffness fast, comfortably and with convenience.

Posture Pump® is backed by both medical research studies and excellent reviews. Here’s what customers are saying about Posture Pump®:

“I purchased the Posture Pump 1400-D Dual Disc Hydrator® for my husband back in October of last year. It has helped him tremendously since then & he uses it 2 or more times daily. He cannot go a day without it or he is in pain.  This traction device has saved him from being on pain meds & I can't thank you enough for such an amazing contraption!” - Kate

 

“Thank you so very much for designing, manufacturing and shipping this so promptly!  It is a truly outstanding - and as far as I know totally unique - posture device.  Everyone who has a spine should have one of these!!” - David

 

“I am so very thankful for your cervical Posture Pump. It has saved my life. I have used it for 2 years after suffering debilitating neck pain. I am practically pain free. It was recommended by my physical therapist… I manage a neurosurgery office and my docs know all about it. I want to tell everybody about it. No trigger point injections or surgery for me!” - Beth

Conclusion

Although neck pain can be seriously frustrating, building a better understanding of it can help you be successful in getting and staying pain-free. By staying active, making the right lifestyle changes, and using the right equipment when you need it, you can be better equipped to handle the challenges that come with neck pain and prevent it from happening in the future.

Ready to get your pain under control and get back to doing what you love? Get started here