What is a neck collar?
A neck collar is a support for your neck. It can help to repair an injury to your spine by limiting the movement in your neck. The brace can help:
- With the healing process
- Reduce pain or discomfort
- Prevent further damage
- To act as a reminder to avoid/limit certain movements
How long do I wear it for?
Your doctor or consultant will tell you how long you need to wear the brace for.
The brace might need to be worn for a period of 6 to 12 weeks. The amount of time that you need to wear the brace will depend on your diagnosis and the severity of your injury.
Can there be complications?
Your collar will not completely immobilise the movement in your neck. Further and/or additional treatment might be required. Please seek advice from your consultant/doctor.
Your checklist
- Keep your collar properly tightened
- Remove it only with the help of a second person
- Remove it only to wash your face and neck
- Do not drive or operate equipment
- Avoid strenuous activities
Sleeping
Your doctor might give you specific instructions about wearing your brace for sleeping. Please speak to your doctor about when to wear your brace. If your brace is required, regular checks and repositioning may need to be carried out to reduce the risk of pressure sores.
Eating and drinking
We advise you to place a napkin under your chin to prevent the pads getting food or drink on them.
Driving
Discuss with your consultant/Doctor with regards to when you can resume driving.
Wear and care
Your skin must be kept clean and dry. There is a risk of skin irritation and rubbing when wearing a close fitting device to your body. Please check your skin after every use of the brace. The collar comes with padding sections to try and minimise any rubbing/skin breakage risks.
If red marks on your skin do not fade after 30 minutes or your skin breaks down and causes a wound, please contact the Orthotics department for an appointment. Please contact your GP if you have any open wounds and dress them appropriately.
Pad cleaning
We advise to hand wash the neck collar pads with soap and water. Rinse out all soap and gently squeeze out any excess water. Allow to air dry (6 to 8 hours). Do not place the pads in a washer or dryer.
Putting your collar on
We advise putting the collar on either sitting or standing in front of a mirror.
- Fasten one of the straps on the back panel to the front panel of the brace. Only fasten one side.
- Place the front panel of the neck brace under your chin. Your chin should rest in line of the end of the brace.
- Bring the back panel around your neck.
- Fasten the other strap to the front panel of the neck brace.
- Check that the straps are straight. These should not be angled in a different position.
Please note: The spine changes position dependant on if you are lying, sitting or standing. The collar will need to be regularly adjusted to ensure a good fit. If your chin falls behind the chin piece simply, follow the guidance detailed below and re-fit the collar. Please also see the instructional video: https://bit.ly/42lBCg7
Taking your collar off
NOTE: You should only remove your brace to wash your face and neck and when advised to by your doctor.
We advise you to take the collar off either sitting or standing in front of a mirror. You may wish to get someone to help you.
- Release the strap on one side of the collar.
- Pull the front panel away from the chin.
- Keep your neck and chin still while the collar is off.
To wash your face and neck:
- Before taking off your collar, gather the supplies you will need: soap, wash cloth, towel, and pads.
- Remove the collar following the instructions above.
- Use a face cloth to clean your face and neck.
- Dry your skin well before putting the brace back on.
- Remove the dirty pads and replace with new pads.
- Re-apply the neck collar.