A randomized, comparative trial: does pillow type alter cervico-thoracic spinal posture when side lying?
- PMID: 21966226
- PMCID: PMC3180478
- DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S23028
A randomized, comparative trial: does pillow type alter cervico-thoracic spinal posture when side lying?
Abstract
Background: Many patients ask for advice about choosing a pillow. This research was undertaken to determine if pillow type alters cervico-thoracic spine position when resting in the side-lying position.
Aim: To investigate the effect of different pillow shape and content on the slope of cervico-thoracic spine segments when side lying.
Materials and methods: The study was a randomized blinded comparative trial set in a laboratory that replicated a bedroom. The subjects were side sleepers aged over 18 years. Exclusion criteria were history of surgery to the cervico-thoracic spine, an injury or accident to the cervico-thoracic spine in the preceding year, or currently receiving treatment for neck symptoms. Each participant rested in a standardized side-lying position for 10 minutes on each of the trial pillows: regular shaped polyester, foam, feather, and latex pillows, and a contour shaped foam pillow. Reflective markers were placed on external occipital protuberance (EOP), C2, C4, C7, and T3, and digital images were recorded of subjects at 0 and 10 minutes on each pillow. Images were digitized using each reflective marker and the slope of each spinal segment calculated. Univariate analysis of variance models were used to investigate slope differences between pillows at 0 and 10 minutes. Significance was established at P < 0.01 to take account of chance effects from repeated measures and multiple comparisons.
Results: At 0 and 10 minutes, the EOP-C2, C2-C4, and C4-C7 segmental slopes were significantly different across all pillows. Significant differences were identified when comparing the feather pillow with the latex, regular and contour foam pillows, and when comparing the polyester and foam contour pillows. The regular and contour foam pillows produced similar slopes at all spinal segments.
Conclusion: Cervico-thoracic spinal segment slope alters significantly when people change from a foam, latex, or polyester pillow to a feather pillow and vice versa. The shape of a foam pillow (contour versus regular shape) does not significantly alter cervico-thoracic spinal segment slope.
Keywords: cervical spine; slope; spinal segments.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Pillow use: the behaviour of cervical pain, sleep quality and pillow comfort in side sleepers.Man Ther. 2009 Dec;14(6):671-8. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2009.02.006. Epub 2009 May 7. Man Ther. 2009. PMID: 19427257
-
Pillow use: the behavior of cervical stiffness, headache and scapular/arm pain.J Pain Res. 2010 Aug 11;3:137-45. doi: 10.2147/jpr.s10880. J Pain Res. 2010. PMID: 21197317 Free PMC article.
-
Pillow preferences of people with neck pain and known spinal degeneration: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2019 Dec;55(6):783-791. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.19.05263-8. Epub 2019 Sep 4. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2019. PMID: 31489809 Clinical Trial.
-
The effects of pillow designs on neck pain, waking symptoms, neck disability, sleep quality and spinal alignment in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2021 May;85:105353. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2021.105353. Epub 2021 Apr 19. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2021. PMID: 33895703 Review.
-
Cervical sagittal balance: a biomechanical perspective can help clinical practice.Eur Spine J. 2018 Feb;27(Suppl 1):25-38. doi: 10.1007/s00586-017-5367-1. Epub 2017 Nov 6. Eur Spine J. 2018. PMID: 29110218 Review.
Cited by
-
Changes in neck pain and somatic symptoms before and after the adjustment of the pillow height.J Phys Ther Sci. 2023 Feb;35(2):106-113. doi: 10.1589/jpts.35.106. Epub 2023 Feb 1. J Phys Ther Sci. 2023. PMID: 36744195 Free PMC article.
-
Ergonomic Consideration in Pillow Height Determinants and Evaluation.Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Oct 7;9(10):1333. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9101333. Healthcare (Basel). 2021. PMID: 34683013 Free PMC article. Review.
-
A Survey of Koreans on Sleep Habits and Sleeping Symptoms Relating to Pillow Comfort and Support.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jan 1;17(1):302. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17010302. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020. PMID: 31906363 Free PMC article.
-
A preliminary study: The effect of ergonomic latex pillow on pain and disability in patients with cervical spondylosis.Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2018 Sep 5;32:81. doi: 10.14196/mjiri.32.81. eCollection 2018. Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2018. PMID: 30643756 Free PMC article.
-
Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex: investigation of the cranio-cervical pressure and cervical spine alignment.PeerJ. 2016 Aug 31;4:e2397. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2397. eCollection 2016. PeerJ. 2016. PMID: 27635354 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Gordon S, Grimmer K, Trott P. Pillow use: the behaviour of cervical pain, sleep quality and pillow comfort in side sleepers. Man Ther. 2009;14(6):671–678. - PubMed
-
- Bernateck M, Karst M, Merkesdal S, et al. Sustained effects of comprehensive inpatient rehabilitative treatment and sleeping neck support in patients with chronic cervicobrachialgia: a prospective and randomized clinical trial. Int J Rehabil Res. 2008;31(4):342–346. - PubMed
-
- Persson L. Neck pain and pillows – a blinded study of the effect of pillows on non-specific neck pain, headache and sleep. Adv Physiother. 2006;8(3):122–127.
-
- Hagino C, Boscariol J, Dover L, et al. Before/after study to determine the effectiveness of the align-right cylindrical cervical pillow in reducing chronic neck pain severity. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1998;21:89–93. - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous