Tips for Wearing a neck brace in hot weather

[LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood]

A friend of mine has a degenerative neck condition. She has been wearing a hard collar since January. She needs to wear it pretty much all the time. There isn't a plan for her to stop wearing it as her condition won't get better, so it's not a case of looking forward to getting it over with.

She is going demented in this heat. The collar is thickly padded and doesn't seem to have big ventilation holes like others I've seen. She is constantly sweating and itching and is thoroughly miserable.

Has anyone coped with similar? Any tips I can pass on? Or should she ask her consultant for a different model.

A friend of mine has one you can insert cool/warm packs into to help with pain, something similar could help with the heat?

Hi, I have a neck problem, and although I don't wear a collar now, I did for a little while after an operation. I am also struggling in the heat - it must be awful for your friend.

I would ask for a new collar, but even if she gets one, I think she will still need some relief in the short term. I doubt she can put anything cooling under the collar, but I have been using a combination of: Kool and Sooth migraine patches (but around my neck not on my head!), and cooling towels/cooling bands (you put them in cold water and they stay damp and cold for a few hours - you can get them on Amazon).

I also get very itchy over my scar when I sweat, and I use Neat 3B Action cream, which is an antiperspirant for sweat rash and chafing. It is quite expensive (about £8.50) on Amazon, but your friend could use it under the neck brace and it might help a bit.

Oh poor thing. I had to wear a hard collar for 4 months after an operation and I did find a small battery powered travel fan helpful for that hot, claustrophobic feeling.

I had to wear a hard collar after my halo was removed

I found some lovely pure cotton pillow cases ( ok they were hospital ones) and I cut them up into rectangles. I put them in between my skin and the collar. They soaked up the sweat and could be washed so I had a constant supply.

Your poor friend - having a collar on for three months was bad enough