DDS, Inc. MAX Cervical Traction Collar Neck Brace for Discomfort Reduction, Neck Decompression Devices for Pinched Nerve, Stretcher, Pneumatic Support, Relaxation & Cervical Spine Alignment(13"-16.5")

I ordered the DDS Max because it appeared professionally designed and constructed and, in my estimation, had a good chance of actually performing the job of separating the cervical vertebrae. I have been dealing with a progressive narrowing of the nerve passages in this region due to a degeneration of the discs for many years. The problem has now caused a nerve to my left arm to be impinged to the point that I lost complete use of the arm. Some of the nerve function has returned and I do now have some use of my arm and hand, but still lack some dexterity in my hand and fingers. My doctors are recommending surgery. Wanting to avoid that, I began looking for something that might help to alleviate the problem.Some time ago, while in a chiropractor's office, he placed an inflatable collar around my neck and pumped it up. Returning in about 20 minutes, he asked, "Well, what do you think?" I replied, "I don't think you understand the magnitude of the problem." In looking on Amazon for some sort of product that would separate my cervical vertebrae, I found many that looked more-or-less like the gadget my chiropractor used. I wanted something more professional. The DDS Max stood out. For this reason, and the fact that it has some good reviews, I chose the DDS Max.Having used it for about a month now, I can say that it is indeed very professional and does work. I have been using it for about 20 minutes per usage, three times a day. I can feel a difference and have less neck pain for about an hour afterwards. Too early to tell about any long term effects, however. It does have some drawbacks. First, it cuts off circulation to your scalp and I notice it most immediately after releasing pressure. At that moment, my scalp begins to tingle. Every head is shaped differently, so you may not feel this affect. Second, it is secured under your chin by velcro. If not positioned perfectly, it tends to come loose as you apply air pressure. This means 2 or even 3 tries to get the unit secured before pumping up to the proper pressure. Third, it is very uncomfortable when in use. This is to be expected. When have you ever had any sort of a medical procedure done that was comfortable? It jams your lower teeth up against your uppers so that you cannot even talk. Neither can you eat or drink while using it. You can watch TV, but I have found it difficult to read or to use a computer when it is in place. Fourth, the valve which releases pressure is quite small, only about 1/4" in diameter and it only has a range of just over 2 full threads. This means it is very easy to completely unscrew it and it has no mechanism to retain it. I have screwed it completely off twice now and lost it both times. Found it on the floor once and in the sofa cushions the second. It is only a matter of time before it is lost for good and then the entire unit will be inoperable. This is a design issue that should be changed.All in all it is a well designed and well built apparatus which does the job it is supposed to do. Five Stars DDS!

* If you dont get this positioned correctly it won’t be very effective, even if the air pressure can be seen on the pump dial. I like the pump, as it works pretty quickly, but that’s irrelevant to finding an optimal setup.* I have used a few other neck pillow styles of cervical traction devices, which helped me immensely. They were more comfortable during use and easier to adjust for improving traction. And they didn’t even have an air pressure measurement dial. Not knowing the exact air pressure was not even a factor in my experience.

I did a lot of reviewing of the available products before selecting this device. It's design is somewhat unusual but made sense to me in terms of providing the motion that relieves my symptoms. Very high quality product and well worth the money. Yes it will cut off the circulation to your back lower scalp if you pump up the pressure a lot but that's because it is lifting the back of your head, probably no way around this. It absolutely does not feel like it's choking you, not sure why the video reviewer said that. Great design and great results, don't hesitate!

So far been using this for a few days to save on costs of doing this traction via a Chiropractor.It works great, although can cut off circulation at higher pressures if going over 15 minutes.It does push up on a chin in a bit of an uncomfortable way, but if you set yourself in it right and adjust from the start you'll get used to it.Overall, great product for price vs value so far. We'll see in a few months if it leads to actual healing of this issue of my compressed disc and discomfort.

This device saves my life, relieve the pain! This product is designed so well

The brace seems well made and in good quality. I followed the instruction for the first use (5bar 15 min). Didn’t feel much during use but immediately afterwards had extreme dry mouth and difficulty swallowing and caused nausea

I bought this device because of the high ratings, but it didn't work out for me. I had a weight lifting incident several years back and I get temporary relief from having my neck muscles stretched...primarily by pulling my head straight up.The DDS was easy to set up and put on and the instructions were easy to follow as well. The first day or two that I used it, I followed the directions and set it at a low pressure. I could feel a lift in my neck, but felt that it needed more pressure to really get to the crux of my pain. However I gave it a week at this low pressure and then started gradually increasing the pressure.Once I reached the top level of pressure I could tell it was going to be a problem for me. The unit was putting such a strain on my chin that all I could feel was minor pain and major discomfort from wearing it. By the time I would take it off, I felt like I was addressing the chin issue more than realizing any neck benefits.I consulted with my physical therapist and she recommended that I stop using this device because I have experienced TMJ issues in the past and she was afraid this device could cause more for me.I would not try to dissuade anyone from trying this device, but it unfortunately didn't work for me so I'm returning it.

Works fine but it does force your jaw closed. Which made my teeth grind together. Use a mouth guard to compensate for this.