Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Therapy Collar for Forward Head Posture and Chronic Neck Pain in Active Duty Service Members- MHSRS 2024

smith m, hogaboom n, dellanno r, st laurent m, yuan x,

nordstrom m

Abstract accepted for poster presentation at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium

Chronic neck pain impacts active duty Service Members (ADSMs) across all occupational specialties. Reduction of cervical lordosis in forward head posture (FHP) can lead to muscular imbalances, degenerative spinal changes, and increased neck pain. This study investigated the safety and efficacy of a novel, non-invasive therapy collar to improve FHP and neck pain among ADSMs.

Recent literature suggests current treatment strategies for neck pain may not be as effective for the active duty population, given their occupational, training, and external load carriage requirements. Therefore, evaluating the effects of a wearable, take-home device for neck pain due to FHP is highly relevant to ADSMs. Preliminary results suggest donning a non-invasive therapy collar for 6 weeks can yield pain reduction and postural improvement compared to conventional treatment.