Can A Neck Collar Cure Sleep Apnea?

February 5, 2011

A member on SleepGuide commented about his experience using a soft cervical collar to effectively treat his sleep apnea. Here’s a copy of my response to him:

I’m glad to hear that the collar worked for you. I’ve had a handful of patients that have reported similar results using soft and hard neck braces. You’re right in that it does keep your airway open. This is also the principle behind how the contour pillow works—by keeping your head extended somewhat, you’re less likely to obstruct, especially when you’re in deep sleep (when your muscles relax). Unfortunately, this option works for only some people, since there are so many other variables, including how stuffy your nose is, your sleep position, weather changes, what you just ate, and how extended your neck becomes with the device in place.


Here’s a picture of the airway in someone on his back with the head in a relatively neutral position:

Here’s the same person with the head bent forward a bit (flexed):

And with the head bent back (extended):


Notice a big difference in the space behind the tongue between all these positions.

Different people with have different levels of responses even with the same maneuvers. This is why some people can benefit from neck collars, but not all. The bottom line is, it can’t hurt to try. Hope this answers your question.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog 
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4 Responses to “Can A Neck Collar Cure Sleep Apnea?”

  1. Tweets that mention Can A Neck Collar Help With Sleep Apnea? | Doctor Steven Y. Park, MD | New York, NY | Integrative Solutions for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome, and Snoring -- Topsy.com on February 5th, 2011 9:58 am

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Maria Vasquez, Dr. Steven Y. Park. Dr. Steven Y. Park said: Can A Neck Collar Cure Sleep Apnea?: A member on SleepGuide commented about his experience using a soft cervical… http://bit.ly/i7AQ1q [...]

  2. Tod Merley on February 6th, 2011 4:30 pm

    Hi Dr. Park!

    Part of my go to bed ritual is to place my lower CPAP mask strap high enough on the back of my skull that it does not pull my neck when I tilt my head back. I start sleep on my back with my head tilted back. It makes breathing much easier.

    I monitor my pulse oximetery and record the audio and hope in the near future to include peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) (I guess I will have to build this myself – some things are hard to obtain). If I find too many awakenings I will probably pursue a soft neck brace – thanks for the tip – I may well need it.

    Sincerely,

    Tod

  3. TJ on April 17th, 2011 6:28 pm

    I thought I’d understood from my spinal surgeon that wearing a cervical collar daily for extended periods could cause permanent stiffness in the neck, especially as we are all prone to arthritic conditions as we get older. Perhaps I’m wrong, but it seems to me that doing this for years could result in some fusing in the cervical spine and I can’t imagine this would be an option for anyone that has any type of degenerative disease of the cervical spine already. This sounds like a good temporary option but I’d consult with an orthopedic or spinal surgeon before implementing this long term just to be safe.

  4. Jose on February 1st, 2012 9:24 am

    I would like to comment, I used to wear CPAPs but it never worked for me. After a few days I end up having severe sinus reactions. There is one alternative that worked hopefully it will work for others. Buy a cheap Futuro neck brace and wear it as normal. Pick a pillow that is about the same height as the distance from your ear to the bed when you sleep on your side and with the pillow compressed. Put one hand between that same ear and the pillow and the other hand between your knees. This will stabilize your side sleep position. Later in the night you will reposition during sleep, which is expected, but try to go back to this position when you have the chance and if it feels comfortable to do again on the other side. You will find breathing a lot easier and feel much better in the morning.

    After a few nights of doing this you will notice having a stiff neck in the morning. Do a few neck rotations and neck side-to-side exercises during the day to relieve this, in time the neck pain will go away and you will get used to the technique. There is an unexpected benefit to this method, your posture will improve during the day and you will get used to having your head tilted backward during sleep preventing airway restriction.

    One more advise, losing weight has helped a lot too. Best of luck to other CPAP users.

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