The use of orthopedic pillows has been recommended by health care providers for a long time already. More often than not, people need to use these not only to alleviate the pain or discomfort of sleeping in the wrong position but also to prevent future occurrences of muscle and joint strains as well. In other words, you can buy an orthopedic pillow or two, even if you do not suffer from bodily aches and pains yet. This is especially true if you have trouble sleeping at night, wake up with inexplicable headaches, suffer from work related neck and shoulder pains, or generally toss and turn before you find a sleeping position that works for you.

Aside from teaching you how to correctly align your body for a restful sleep, using an orthopedic pillow will also provide you total body relaxation and prevent muscle cramps or strained joints. If you are looking for a product like this in the market, here are a few things you ought to know first.

1. Not all orthopedic pillows have the same function. Now, this is a common oversight that people make. It is easy enough to assume that the main purpose of a product like this is to support the neck and shoulders when sleeping. However, this assumption is only correct if you are buying cervical pillows either for your bed or for your chair. The almost square or rectangular shaped one is for your bed; while the horseshoe shaped orthopedic pillow is best used if you are trying to grab some sleep while sitting down (e.g. in the car or in the plane.)

The other types of orthopedic cushions or pillows are: pillow body (cylindrical cushions that cradles the shoulders and the hips, and support the entire length of the spine,) knee pillows (small rectangular or circular cushion that is cradled between the knees, which helps make sleeping on your side more comfortable,) and lumbar pillows (small logs that offer support for the lower back area when a person needs to sit for prolonged periods of time.)

For best results, try to find particular areas of your body that seem to be straining the most when you sleep, work or travel. If you feel you are more prone to suffer from neck and shoulder problems, a cervical pillow might suit your needs. However, if you tend to suffer from muscle cramps in the lower extremities or you sometimes wake up with a backache, then you ought to try the pillow body, knee pillows or lumbar pillows instead.

2. One very simple rule of thumb when buying orthopedic pillows is that if it feels comfortable and you do get the rest you need, then the product must be working. If not, then its either you are using the product incorrectly (e.g. you are not following the recommended sleeping position) or this is not the particular type of orthopedic pillow for you. Instead of doing the trail-and-error method for all the products that come your way, you might want to ask your health care provider, preferably a chiropractor or an orthopedic surgeon, for his or her recommendations.

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