Before seeing any clinician for neck pain, you should be checking your pillow to see if it is a “Down” pillow (made with feathers). Do not go cheap with your pillow, remember you are using it for 8 hrs/day (1/3 of your life). “Down” is feather only and does not have the stalk of the feather which will poke through the pillow. Down pillows will support your head and neck properly, unlike the foam pillows. Concerning Contour pillows, about 1/2 of my patients love them and half of them do not. At BPT we sell a “Cervical Roll” that you can place inside your pillow for additional support. Also, “My Pillow”, seen on TV, appears to be a fan favorite with my patients, although my wife and I tried it and we didnt like it as much as our Down pillows. Experiment and see what pillow supports you the best, my advice would be to stay away from foam pillows.
~ Peter St.Germain, PT