Wearing a Cervical Collar

A cervical collar is used to give support and limit movement of the neck. It's usually used after a moderate to severe neck sprain. It may be used to prevent damage to your spinal cord. It may also be used after spine surgery to reduce movement. Different types of collars have different purposes.

There are two types of cervical collars:

• Soft collar. A soft collar is often used for neck pain. You may wear it all the time or only during certain activities.
• Rigid collar. This type of collar is used to make sure that the spine doesn't move. Rigid collars are used after a trauma to prevent spinal cord injury from spine movement. A rigid collar may also be used before or after spine surgery. It helps to prevent movement and to promote healing and bony fusion (formation of new bone between vertebrae). Your health care team will tell you if and when you can take the collar off, such as during some activities.

General instructions for wearing your collar:

• Unless told otherwise, wear the rigid collar 24/7, all day and all night. You may NOT take it off for sleep and for bathing, unless instructed otherwise.
• Rigid collars are usually worn for many weeks until your doctor tells you it's safe to remove it.
• Don't wear the collar longer than advised by your doctor. This may lead to muscle atrophy and stiffness from lack of neck movement.
• Follow any instructions given to you for changing the padding on your cervical collar.

Contact your doctor right away if any of these occur:

• Pain in your neck gets worse
• Pain spreads from your neck into your shoulder or arms

Call 911 or get medical care right away if you get new weakness or numbness in your arms or hands.