OPTP The Original McKenzie Cervical Roll, 20" Neck Support Pillow to Relieve Neck and Back Pain - Round Pillow for Improved Sleeping Support and Cervical Pain Relief - Made in The USA

I have really severe chronic neck pain secondary to 2 auto accidents (both whiplash injuries) which later resulted in neck surgery as I got older. I have suffered with chronic neck pain for 30 years. Sleeping at night is difficult because I will have severe neck pain if my neck is not in an anatomically correct position while I am sleeping. If I happen to deviate from the correct position during the night then I will wake up with severe neck pain & muscles spasms that will continue throughout the next day. This cervical roll was recommended to me after the second injury by my physical therapist. It has been a life saver as far as helping to control my neck pain. I am now on sixth cervical roll. You need to replace them every 1-3 years as the foam will soften up over time & not give adequate support. You place it inside your pillowcase on top of a SOFT (extremely important that it be a soft fluffy pillow) in a position that it be at the base of your neck when you lay your head on the pillow. You will know when you have it in the correct position as it will be comfortable with no strain on your cervical muscles. It will work for side or back sleepers. It keeps me for curving my neck (I am a side sleeper) while I am sleeping. I will not wake up with neck pain from sleeping in an incorrect position as long as I use this cervical roll. I was starting to wake up with severe neck pain that lasted throughout the day before I realized that I needed to purchase a new roll. My morning neck pain was gone after sleeping on the new cervical roll the first night. Sleeping & sitting in the correct positions will help control your neck pain better than anything else you can do in my opinion. Of course you also have to use good body mechanics when performing tasks & no heavy lifting.

This neck pillow works great. The neck pain Ive had is now gone. I would not think of sleeping with out it.

A miracle has happened today because I actually love this thing!MY STORY:I have always been a back sleeper using NO PILLOW. Then 2 or 3 years ago I started needing more neck support. Now, I find it's substantially more comfortable for me with some kind of a pillow so I tried lots of different feather, feather and down, and 100% down pillows. I tried Tempur, My P\\\ow (H A T E D it even after I sliced it open and removed some of the filling so that it wasn't so puffy but that still didn't help and I still hated it), down alternative (horrible), and on and on. I just have not been able to find a pillow that I love or even like that:A. Doesn't go flat within an hour;B. Doesn't curl up around my head like earmuffs; andC. Supports my neck.Anyhow, I tried creating my own neck support gizmo by cutting a 3" x 6"-ish piece of memory foam from a mattress topper. It was better than nothing but every morning I'd wake up with huge knots in my hair from the stupid piece of foam. I knew there had to be a better solution. Frustrated, I finally started doing some research online to see what's available now since my memory foam/foam rubber idea was just not working any more. I read hundreds of reviews for all kinds of cervical pillows/rolls and decided to try this one. Even though I did my homework, I wasn't holding out hope that this would be my salvation.First of all, when the box arrived, I thought it was empty. It was so light, I didn't think there was anything inside at all, surely not a pillow-type thing, but I opened the box and sure enough - there it was. Hmmm... no weight whatsoever to this thing so how good could it be? Well, ha ha on me because it is great!THE PROS:Nice presentation in the plastic bag and the blue zipper cover.Didn't have any odor or chemical smell that I was expecting, like so many of the other pillows I've bought or read reviews about.The zipper cover or case is not hard or crispy or plastic-like, and it's quite handy and possibly sweat-proof. I'll find out in a month when it gets to be 100° here in L.A.I removed it from the plastic out bag, simply stuck the whole thing inside a pillow case and positioned it comfortably under my neck. It keeps my head at the correct and most ideal height.THE CONS:I have only one: I do have to position it either all the way to the left toward the other side of the bed or all the way to the right (hanging off the bed) because it is too long for me and I don't want it encasing my ears. My solution is that I am going to cut it into either 3 equal pieces (that way I'll end up with 2 replacements for when this one gets flat or old or whatever) or I'll cut it just in half so I'll have one extra for when the first half gets old and flat. Remember, it just has to fit under the neck - it's not like it's a sandbag keeping water from seeping into the house and it is not one of those door jamb sealers. It's for cradling the neck which this does perfectly - it's just too long for me.All in all, I am so happy that I bought this OPTP Original McKenzie Cervical Roll. My neck feels better and better every morning. Can't wait to cut it into 2 or 3 equal pieces so it fits perfectly under my head.Totally happy with this purchase.