10/26/2011

“The Damp, Rainy Weather Seems To Make My Neck Pain Worse.”


This is a very common complaint, and it is very true. The dampness often cuts right into the neck irritating our spine. The change in pressure outside often creates increased gravitational pressure on our bodies. Even though it’s a tiny amount, to an already disrupted or arthritic spine that pressure change makes a difference. It’s like someone pushing down on you from the top of your head, you can imagine the increased pressure put on the spine, especially the neck.

The change in pressure also causes a disequilibrium which may cause swelling in some joints. That rise of inflammation puts more pressure on nerves that cause pain. It is also thought that the change in pressure and or equilibrium may get some nerve endings "stirred-up", hence, creating irritation and pain.

One each side of the spine you have foramen (or holes where the nerves come out). The discs between each vertebrae act as a spacer to keep these holes wide open. Extra pressure on the spine and increased inflammation can close these holes slightly creating pressure and therefore pain.

So what can be done? The best thing to slow degeneration in the neck (cervical degeneration) is to improve alignment. Perfect alignment of the neck means the nerves flow without pressure. When everything is in alignment, your spine handles the forces of gravity the best also. A good start to improve alignment is a cervical support pillow.


Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

10/14/2011

A great pillow for neck support AND travel

Everyday we have satisfied customers to really enjoy our pillows and pain relief products. When someone does find the right pillow specifically, the next question is "I need a pillow for travel, what do you have?" Unfortunately, your choices are limited when it comes to travel pillows. Yes you can get the U Shaped kind, but i am talking about one that you can sleep with. Not the too soft or too hard pillows you will find your hotel.

I do remember a while back, the Ritz Carlton called and requested 12 of our cervical traction neck pillows. One of their guests must have special requested this pillow before they arrived. I chuckled to myself as I filled this particular order.

Other customers who have second homes have us simply ship their favorite pillow to their house- with special instructions to make sure it arrives safely. We have been shipping pillows since 2003, so we do have many repeat customers. Once people get used to sleeping on a special pillow, they want to make sure they continue to sleep soundly.

But when it comes to getting a pillow that you can travel with, I would recommend the arc4life linear gravity pillow, the small size. The dimensions of this pillow are 23"x17". It has two neck rolls on it (one firm, one soft), that will ensure proper alignment of the neck. Yes, it does fit into a small suit case. If you have one of those vacuum sealers, it will work for this pillow too.



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Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

10/13/2011

Two Common Postural Misalignments Created by Forward Head Posture


One misalignment in one area of the spine can quickly lead to more postural misalignments throughout the spine. Your body will try to compensate for one misalignment with another. Find out how to stop this pattern from developing by keeping posture maintained during your daily life.

What happens when your head juts out forward? Well, your body always tries to keep your eyes even with the horizon. This typically can cause one of two things to happen.

#1- Your head protrudes forward then into slight extension. The neck shifts forward, but the head tilts upward. The body does this to keep those eyes even with the horizon.

#2- Your back extends. As you can imagine, tilting the lower back backwards also raises up the eyes. We typically call this a “sway-back.”

Your body can have a number of postural misalignment patterns because that whole spine works together. So, if one particular section goes out of position, the body will try to correct things by doing what it has to. The good news is that if we correct one area of the spine, it can help the rest. Start by correcting your neck posture by using the arc4life neck pillow.


Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

10/06/2011

“Great, I’m on Vacation and my Neck Pain is Acting Up!”



You don’t want this to happen to you. I can tell you from experience however that this happens all too often. You may not be on vacation, but traveling away from home for work. The bottom line is you are away from home with a different pillow, bed, and surroundings than what you’re used to.



Two things I recommend when you travel are a travel pillow and the Trac-Collar. Actually, three things because there are two kinds of neck travel pillows. One is a U-shaped pillow. These are great in a car or on a plane to keep your neck in good position. The other is a travel pillow that’s simply the smaller version of a standard sized pillow. This helps because it keeps the neck in alignment when you sleep. The Trac-Collar helps relieve immediate pain by stretching the spine out, opening up the nerve holes, and relaxing the spine. It’s super light and even has a small travel case. Literally buckle it around the neck and pump it up.



These are just a few things that I highly recommend for traveling neck pain sufferers. There are many other things also, like Biofreeze, Formula 303, hot packs, other spinal supports, you name it. These are the 3 most common that have been a big success to avoid neck pain while traveling.





Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

10/03/2011

“My Arms keep Falling Asleep when I’m in Bed”

Pillows age over time, just like anything. This can mean that the pillow that once helped you get a great night’s sleep may be the reason you are now waking up at night. Find out what to look for in a pillow and when to know that it’s time to find a new support pillow to get a better night’s sleep.

  I have found this often happens when the pillow this individual uses has either lost its support or did not have any support to begin with. 

            One of my patients had mentioned this happening when he was using a feather pillow.  He would wake up because his arms would go tingly, then he’d squish more pillow under his neck, fall back to sleep, only to have it happen again during the night.  Talk about ruining your night of sleep. 

            I recommended our Cervical Traction Pillow, which holds the neck support and is very comfortable at the same time.  He hasn’t had this issue since!

This is exactly what you need in a neck pillow: something that’s comfortable yet will hold your neck alignment in place. Every time, any pillow will lose some support. 

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Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

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