Wearing a cervical collar is the most effective method to prevent a neck hernia. This is apparent from research by neurologist Barbara Kuijper.
Although a neck hernia often goes away on its own, the pain can be a big burden † The combination of neck collar, rest and physiotherapy will quickly relieve the pain. Of these treatment methods, the cervical collar is the most effective. Physiotherapy alone also leads to a faster decrease in pain, the study shows.
Kuijper compared three non-surgical treatment methods in a group of more than 200 patients with a recently developed neck hernia. After six months, the differences between the groups had disappeared. Most patients had little or no pain †
The research was conducted in collaboration with Professor of Neuromuscular Diseases Marianne de Visser and Frans Nollet, Professor of Rehabilitation, both affiliated with the Academic Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam.
