Another Way to Use the Arc4life Cervical Traction Pillow for Neck Pain Relief...

Over the last 10+ years, the arc4life traction pillow has worked for many patients who suffer from neck pain, stiff neck, degeneration in the neck and other painful neck conditions. The versatility of the neck pillow allows users to use the pillow in two ways- one for neck support, the other for a gentle neck stretch. Typically patients sleep on the pillow at night, either on their side or on their backs.

What happens if you have tried to lie on the pillow at night, and you are in too much pain? For example, you have a pinched nerve in the neck and have been diagnosed with a disc bulge at Level C3-4. Today I want to talk about how you can use the arc4life traction pillow for therapeutic benefit.

Simply lay on the traction V Side of the Pillow for 20 minutes

To help your neck get used to this arc4life traction pillow, start by simply laying on the pillow, specifically on the traction V Side. Lay on your back on your bed, or any comfortable stable location. Place a knee elevator under your knees so that you are more comfortable. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Just Relax in this position for the full 10 minutes. Over the next few days work yourself up to 20 minutes.  In this way, you are opening up the spaces between the bones, opening up the disc spaces and allowing the nerves to heal. This can provide a lot of relief for neck pain, as well as numbness and tingling. This will help your neck muscles get used to sleeping on a contoured neck pillow.

Additional Reading Resources:

• What does a neck herniation feel like?
• Frequently asked questions about the traction V Pillow
• Neck Pain That You Get from a Radiculopathy at C5, C6, C7 or C8
• Which Arc4life Pillow Should I buy? Med or Large, Regular or Firm Support?
• Getting into a comfortable position for sleeping at night time

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

I'm not sure which type of Pillow I need. I have been told I walk like an Old Person...

"Hi, I'm not sure which type of pillow I need. I would like to improve my posture and lessen my neck hump. I am not in pain, but have had several people comment on my posture and tell me to "straighten up" that I walk like an "old person." I am 72 and 5'7". Did have a c6-c7 disc fusion about 12 years ago. Spend a lot of time on computer too. Thanks" - Richard

Dear Richard,

This Posture Corrector Brace Adjusts
from the Front and in the Shoulder Area

Thank you for your email. I would recommend the arc4life traction pillow in the medium size. This pillow will gently stretch your neck for comfort while sleeping on your side or on your back.

Also, I would recommend some kind of a posture corrector brace for you. This will help you walk and sit straighter. Spending long amounts of time in front of the computer can cause a slumped forward type of posture. This posture corrector brace will also help bring your shoulders back. It can be adjusted in the front and at the shoulder level, making it more comfortable. The key is to get the right size. If you are in between sizes, get the larger size. It comes in small, medium, medium/large, large and x-large. Also this brace is thin enough to wear under your clothing. Please email us if you have any further questions.

- Arc4life

Additional Reading:

• Options for pinched nerve in the neck
• What to do if you have a hunchback posture
• Neck Exercises you can to improve posture
• Improve Your Posture with the Posture Corrector
• Recommendation for the best pillow to prevent back pain

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

Buy Combination Traction Pillow Sets on Arc4life Now

Buy the arc4life traction pillows in sets with dust covers

One of our most effective pillows for a patient with a herniated disc, bulging disc, pinched nerve in the neck or numbness and tingling is the arc4life traction pillows. You can now buy them with a dust covers and in combination sets:

• medium arc4life cervical traction pillow + medium dust cover 
• large arc4life cervical traction pillow + large dust cover

Another peculiar request we have been getting a lot of is to order one medium, and one large pillow. So now you can buy this on arc4life as well. I guess our customers and patients want to try out both sizes.

• medium arc4life traction pillow + large arc4life traction pillow + medium dust cover + large dust cover

Finally, you now have the option of purchasing two of each pillow + two dust covers

2 medium arc4life cervical traction pillow + 2 medium dust covers

2 large arc4life cervical traction pillow +2  large dust covers

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

Additional Reading:

• Traction neck pillows on arc4life.com
• How to use the V Side of the arc4life traction pillow for maximum pain relief and neck traction
• FAQ's about the arc4life traction pillow
• Understanding the neck roll on the traction pillow
• Video for the arc4life traction pillow: How to use it. 

I Have a Neck pillow But I sleep on my belly?

Are you a Stomach Sleeper? Are you waking up with morning neck pain,
stiffness and headaches?

One purpose of the arc4life traction pillow is to convert you to a back or side sleeper.  Stomach sleeping can really put the neck in a bad position. In addition, it can cause headaches when you wake up in the morning. Not a good way to start the day.   That being said, getting a good night's sleep is extremely important, but this only lasts for so long being a stomach sleeper.

When we are little kids we have so much flexibility we can easily do it but as we get older we can't.  The best thing to do is get out of the habit now.  A neck pillow is great because the pocket holds you better in place.  Sleeping on your side is just fine, and the neck pillow fills in the gap between your neck and shoulders.

Additional Reading:

• The Right Pillow choice for a herniated disk
• When there is a misalignment in your upper neck spine
• Products for Better Posture Everyday
• Help me choose a pillow for my neck pain
• Products that work with my traction pillow to help my numbness and tingling

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

What are Products that Compliment my Traction Neck Pillow?

The arc4life cervical linear traction neck pillow is great for helping with neck pain. The neck roll helps to improve the neck curve but doing neck traction will help even more. Therefore, some kind of true neck traction will compliment. I would recommend a neck stretcher called the posture pump 1000. This works to get that curve back but will help you do it sooner.I like this particular neck stretcher because it is comfortable, it helps to get the c curve back into the neck and its user friendly for home use.

Another good compliment is a hot and cold pack. I would use heat before traction or when you get up in the morning. This helps to loosen things before traction. Periodically post traction you may have some soreness because of increased inflammation; ice works best at this point.

A third complimentary treatment is biofreeze gel. This pain relief gel will also help to warm and relax a sore area of muscle. You can use this before, after, or during tractioning.

Lastly, Formula 303 acts as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. The great thing is that it is all natural...

You may also be recommended exercises or stretches that can help as well. You don't need a product to do these, although, eventually you can use resistance bands for added resistance.

Additional Reading:

• Different types of neck stretchers that work with the traction pillow
• One way to use the traction v side of the arc4life pillow
• A Posture Corrector that Works Under your clothes
• What To Do for A Stiff Neck
• What does a herniated disc look and feel like?

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

I have been Diagnosed With a Military Neck? What can you Suggest for home treatment?

A Military Neck basically means that you have a straightening of the cervical curve in your neck. Meaning that normally you should have a "C" shaped spinal curve if one was to look at you from the side profile on an x-ray. This also affects the discs in the spine. The fluid is forced out of the disc when the vertebrae are pushed forward.  When the neck loses this C shape that is normal, they call it is a military spine. A straightening of the cervical curve has occurred.

How can this happen? Well it is not an overnight occurrence. It happens very gradually over time- often taking months or years. It can happen from such things as:

• being at a computer desk for many hours
• spinal injury that involved hyper extension
• a whiplash type of accident
• having a slouched posture when walking or sitting
• sleeping on a pillow that is too high to too low

A military neck can be the cause of neck stiffness, aching and pain.

So what can help with this condition of the neck? Two things I am going to suggest: a special pillow and a device to help stretch your neck in the right direction. Your plan of action will be to use the traction device during the day for 10-15 min at a time and use a special pillow at night. Alongside with this, doing postural exercises will also be beneficial.

A specialized pillow with contours will help you get the proper curve in the spine. At first sleeping on such a pillow can be painful and cause soreness. However overtime it will help your neck and also you will sleep better with proper posture. One example is the arc4life traction pillow. For a more firmer pillow choice, the tri-core pillow is also great ( I would recommend the gentle version of this neck pillow).

A traction device to help you get the curve back in the neck is the posture pump 1000. This traction device stretches your neck in the C Curved shape. You can get upwards of 20 lbs of pressure with this traction unit. You have a lay down while you do this. Not only does the traction unit help to get the proper curvature in the spine, it also helps to hydrate the discs as well. Here is a video showing you how to use the posture pump hydrating the discs and helping you get rid of the military neck:



Off course we always suggest at arc4life that you have your cervical spine checked by a doctor to make sure you are cleared for neck traction. A proper consultation, examination and x-rays can help determine what your spine looks like.  These are suggestions for treatment of a militatry neck, but keep in mind there are contra-indications to doing neck traction as well. So check with your Doctor first. 

Additional Reading Resources

• Having a Pinched Nerve in the Neck..What a Pain in the Neck
• How the arc4life traction pillow can help you get the curve in the your c spine
• Understanding how the posture pump 1000 hydrates your discs
• The Different Types of Neck Traction Recommended by Doctors
• How having good neck posture helps you neck pain

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

The New Arc4life Neck Pillow: Extra Neck Support for those who like a firmer pillow

At Arc4life.com, we are constantly adding new products, new product descriptions, patient testimonials and more information that can help you make the right decision about pain relief.

Recently we added a new version of the arc4life cervical traction neck pillow. It is not yet available on www.arc4life.com, but is available on our sister site: The Neck Pain Relief Shop. It will be available on www.arc4life.com in a few months.

More Support and More Traction with this
Special Arc4life Pillow

Over the years, we have received many requests for a firmer traction pillow. Well the Extra Firm Cervical Linear Traction neck pillow is now available:  it has about 25% more fiber fill than the regular traction pillow. It is still the same size: 20" x 26" still considered a standard size. However, this pillow offers more support, and is firmer.

Also of note, this is a special order item for Arc4life. We don't make these pillows everyday. This pillow involves more labor, and more material. The shipping on the pillow will take longer, and the usual return policy that applies to our other pillows does not apply to the extra firm pillow.

We have hesitated over the years to make a firmer pillow because for most patients this can be very uncomfortable to use. Especially, when one suffers from a herniated or bulging disc. However, some people want that extra support, and extra traction; we know because it has been requested on a number of occasions by our established customers. Incidentally, one advantage with the extra firm pillow is that it will last longer, because naturally there is more fiber in the pillow: it is more dense, and will break down less than the regular pillow.

Visit the Neck Pain Relief Shop for More Details on this 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.

Additional Reading Resources:

• Extra Firm Cervical Traction Neck Pillow By Arc4life
• How to Choose the Best Neck Pillow for Pain Relief
• Arc4life - Your choice for neck pillows and neck traction
• I need a Firm Neck Pillow
• X-ray shows degeneration in my neck. What are my treatment options?

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