Effect of a cervical support pillow on sternocleidomastoid activity and satisfaction in asymptomatic participants.
Min-Hyeok Choi, Jin-Hwa Jung, Jong-Hoon Moon and 3 others
PMID 29950776WHAT IT FOUND
A cervical support pillow reduced neck muscle activity and increased satisfaction compared with a general pillow in 20 asymptomatic people, but only during 5-minute supine rest, not sleep.
Key findings
01SCM mean activity was 3.42 ± 0.95 μV with the cervical support pillow and 3.62 ± 0.96 μV with the general pillow; maximum activity was 5.49 ± 1.10 μV and 6.12 ± 1.19 μV.
02Satisfaction scores were 8.83 ± 1.15 with the cervical support pillow and 8.21 ± 1.01 with the general pillow on the Visual Analog Satisfaction Scale.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 20 people, and all were asymptomatic. Participants had no sleep problems or neck pain, so the results do not show what would happen in people seeking treatment. The pillows were tested for 5 minutes while lying down, not during sleep. Only immediate effects were assessed, not longer-term effects. The outcomes were muscle activity and satisfaction, not pain, sleep quality, or function.
Declared interests
The paper states there are no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the pillow treats neck pain or improves sleep. The participants had no neck pain or sleep problems, and the measurements were taken only while resting supine, not during sleep.