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Neckbrace

Sometimes it is necessary for me to use a collar, but it has many disadvantages and I can not buy a collar that is good for me.
A collar of firm foam which is high enough for me, does not seem to exist. Also the way they provide support, is in a unpleasant way.
In addition to that, the collars which are higher are also provide less support.
The manufacturers make a collar for several neck circumferences and different heights. For a certain type of collar, foam of a certain thickness is used. If a collar is twice as high, the collar also becomes a lot weaker. So the collar would have to use (two times) thicker foam for the same support. As far as I know, there is no manufacturer that takes this into account.

I tried to make my own neck collar. After many years that was successful, see my page about my homemade neck brace with good support.

A neck collar of firm foam:
neck collar
Brand: GM / Bort
Type: GM051
Sometimes I use a neck collar (or neck brace) of firm foam. Especially when I'm in a car as a passenger, I usually use a neck collar.
I have a neck collar for an average circumference, and for the longest neck. However, that one is not high enough for me. So I wrap two kitchen towels around it.
With those towels it was not high enough, so I combined this collar with a cheap inflatable collar, that I put underneath it.
In 2012 I bought a new one (the third one of this brand), but it turned out that the manufacturer had changed the foam. The collar was too soft for me, and I didn't have a good collar anymore.

Below are my three GM / Bort neck braces:
neck brace neck brace
I bought the one on the left about in 1993, the second one in about 2001, and the one on the right in 2012.

Because my older GM / Bort neck braces did no longer satisfy and the model of 2012 was too soft, I went looking for something else. I bought a few different types and collars which were also available in higher sizes.
Below are my neck braces:
halskragen
None of those neck braces was good for me.

neck brace neck brace neck brace neck brace

Below is a neck collar with memory foam:
neck brace with memory foam neck brace with memory foam
In 2011 I had to use a neck collar at night sometimes, to be able to sleep. In the long term it seems to me that it can be disadvantageous, because the upper part of my neck is weak, and this way it can only get weaker.
To minimize the adverse effects a little, I added a layer of memory foam to the neck collar.
As the picture shows, I first place a pillow case. Then a plate of memory foam 50 x 35 cm and 2 cm thick. And then a low (small) neck collar of firm foam. I put that on, with the pillow case against my neck. I fold the top and bottom back, over the collar, like the second picture shows.

In 2019 it turned out that both brands no longer supply the same neck collar. They have their own collars now. They both make neck collars of 11 cm height, there are not many manufacturers that make that height. The 11 cm height is still too low for me.
The brands are:
•   GM Medical bv, the Netherlands.
•   BORT GmbH, Germany.

GM Medical has in 2019 a neck collar of firm foam, the type is still "GM051".
firm neck collar

However, the BORT neck collar has a better fit.
I still have my neck collar from 1993, which is firm and has a good fit.

For inflatable neck collars, see inflatable neckbraces.
I used my firm neck collar from 1993 for my homemade neck collar.

Last change to this page: April 2022