The neck in medical terms is called the Cervical Spine. It starts from the base of the skull & through a series of seven vertebral segments (bones) connects to the upper back.

It has an intricate structure & stresses placed on it through trauma or day to day activities, put it at risk for developing painful conditions, such as:
Cervical disc disease, Cervical herniated disc, Cervical stenosis, Cervical osteoarthritis, muscle strain resulting in a painful/stiff neck.

Neck pain is fairly common these days specially with a lot of us spending many hours a day on computers/tablets/mobile phones etc Using this technology requires static positions & intricate wrist/hand use. If the positioning of your joints is incorrect, which it mostly is and the activity is sustained for hours- it results in tense neck-shoulder muscles & early degeneration.

The type of Neck pillow you use, appropriate height of your computer screen & awareness of neck posture are important factors to maintain healthy alignment.

People with stiff, worse painful necks know well that it is not easy to find the right neck pillow. Some pillows feel too soft offering no support & some feel too hard not supporting the shape of the neck. Some cervical pillows are too thick feeling like they make the neck bent up & some are too thin causing the neck to hang backwards. None of these situations are good for the neck. The neck needs to be aligned in its neutral position on the pillow. This means it shouldn't be bent up or bent backwards or even to one side. It should be in line with the rest of the spine.

The width of the support varies from one person to another, as it also does while lying straight or on your side. The gap between your neck and the bed is more on the side than while lying straight on your back. This means that the pillow will have to be thicker for lying on the side. Best pillows for side sleepers are those that adequately support the neck, holding it in line with the rest of the spine, not allowing it to sag downwards.

Memory foam is a material used for neck pillows - it is firm & takes shape of the spine. It is highly recommended for spine care & is widely used. Memory foam cervical pillows can be flat shaped just as regular pillows or Contoured with one side thicker for extra width & support. Contoured pillows are considered best pillows for side sleepers.

The shape of this neck pillow helps to hold and support the natural inward curve of your neck. This is instrumental in better neck alignment & so lesser stiffness/pain off an unsupported position all through the night.

Cervical Spondylosis, Cervical Disc Disease, Cervical muscle sprain/strain are all conditions in which a Memory Foam Cervical Pillow would be very useful.