The Shants collar is a cervical spine brace, which doctors also call a splint. You can buy it in specialized orthopedic stores.
When worn, the Shants collar relieves the cervical spine, thereby creating comfortable conditions for the restoration of damage in this area. Thanks to the bus, blood flow to the brain is normalized. This soft foam device wraps around the neck and closes with Velcro at the back.
A distinction should be made between a soft Shants collar and a hard trauma fixation device, which is worn in case of serious injuries.
Such a retainer is useful in the following cases:
- with instability and sprains of the vertebrae inside the neck, with osteochondrosis
- with fatigue or tension in the cervical spine after physical work
- with vertebral artery syndrome, during an attack with pain in the neck and head and nausea
The Shants collar for fixation is selected correctly if:
- there is no feeling of suffocation and the finger passes freely between the neck and the collar
- collar height exactly matches the distance from the base of the neck to the beginning of the skull at the back and to the jaw at the front
- the bottom of the collar rests against the bones of the clavicle, and the top supports the lower jaw for an even head position
It should be borne in mind that the retainer cannot cure, it only temporarily relieves symptoms and relieves the neck muscles and ligaments, supporting the head in the correct position. On average, it is recommended to wear it for no longer than two hours without a break. In parallel with this, massage is also often prescribed to strengthen the muscles of the neck.
Wearing the brace for too long can lead to weakening of the neck muscles and tissue atrophy.
Doctors often prescribe a collar for babies with short neck syndrome or at risk of developing torticollis. Since childbirth does not always go well, sometimes the cervical spine is damaged in newborns. Children cannot wear a collar on their own, without a doctor’s prescription: if used improperly, atrophy of fragile muscles may develop. It is also important to find the correct size for the retainer.
The doctor may recommend wearing it from 10 minutes to a day and for different periods of time, all instructions must be followed exactly. The collar is most effective after a massage, manual therapy, or physical therapy. He must always be clean. If the device is chosen incorrectly, it will cause discomfort in the baby, about which the baby will notify you by crying.
In the next article, you will read about how to give an enema to a newborn.