hercolor Over Door Cervical Neck Traction Neck Pain Relief Kit,120723-007

I bought this to treat a stiff & very painful neck & shoulder, caused by 'age-related wear & tear', which I did have treated a few years ago by a physiotherapist who used a very similar traction device. It helped then so I thought I'd have a try for myself before paying another physio.As other reviewers have said, this device does not hook directly over the door, but I thought that was quite clear from the photographs on the product page. I have mine hooked onto the narrow section of a telescopic chin-up bar, but it could easily be hung from an over-door hook (very cheap here on Amazon or in many high street stores). Just don't try hanging it from a coat hook screwed into the back of the door!The instructions are minimal and poorly translated (see the attached photo), but I found them reasonably easy to follow.I have used the device twice so far (5 minutes each time), and already it has reduced the pain in my neck and shoulder, and I can turn my head from side to side more freely.All in all – brilliant!!… read on for my thoughts on how best to use the device ...I interpreted the instructions as followsHow to use:1 Hang the traction frame from a door or a hook placed at a suitable height2 for cervical spondylosis (age-related wear & tear) traction, use it sitting on a chair3 adjust the tension gradually and keep the head tilted forward approx 15 degrees4 increase the tension as far as is comfortable for the user (i.e. it shouldn't feel uncomfortable)Notes:1 ensure the device is firmly fixed before use2 best to consult your Doctor before using3 do not use if pregnant, prone to bleeding, or suffering from cancer, high fever, neck / spine fracture or severe hypertension.It wasn't quite usable straight out of the box: the bit that looks like a coathanger had to be unfolded & hooked onto the 'dynamometer' (tension spring), and the harness hooked onto the ends of the 'coathanger'.The harness goes over the head and fastens at the back with velcro straps. The longer strap goes under the chin & the shorter strap goes under the base of the skull behind the neck. Make sure to tie back long hair before you put on the harness so it doesn't get caught in the velcro! The first time I used it, I put the harness on whilst looking in a mirror, then sat on my chair before attaching the harness hooks to the hanger, but it's not too difficult to put over your head & do up while it's attached to the hanger.Once the harness is comfortable, pull on the 'traction rope'. (Mine is quite short, it ends above my head, so I lengthened it by tying on an extra piece of cord). Take it slowly & don't overdo it: I was told by my physio that it should take the weight of your head off your neck but not feel as if your head is being pulled off!To stop using the traction device, slowly sit up very straight, or stand up, so as to release the tension gradually - don't just yank the release cord or your neck will be jarred by the full weight of your head dropping back onto your neck.I hope these thoughts will be helpful to anyone else considering buying the neck traction device.

What I received will definitely not work on a door without an additional S hook, as the hook is too small and the mechanism is all wrong, but if you have a mounting point above your head ( I have a metal shed and I can hang it from the roof - and a pull up bar in the house ) then this product is useable and at a fraction of the price everyone else is charging. I found I needed to be able to lean behind the perpendicular to enable it to lift up the base of the skull and not just yank the jaw up which is what I imagine this this will do if you try and tack it to a door. Cheap product with hilariously poor instructions, but with an overhead fixing point this does the job.

It does sort of work in terms of pulling although it's kind of fiddly to get to work well and feel the pull like I want. I am thinking of getting one of those inversion chairs instead as this doesn't feel like the whole head is being pulled up and is more like it's being pulled up from strings which aren't really enough to support the whole head.It does work though, eventually I used a carabiner to attach the device hook (the hook was too small) to a pull up bar which gives it a good anchor and means I can put an adjustable height chair there to sit comfortably but it's a bit of a faff and feels like it's pulled up and squeezing my neck more than pulling my whole head up as I mentioned so 3 stars from me.

I have a herniated disc at c6/7. It’s been causing me bother for quite some time but I attributed it to stress or just regular muscle ache. About a week ago I did some pull-ups. Following this I had a searing pain radiating from shoulder to my arm with numbness and weakness affecting my index finger and Tricep respectively. I got an MRI yesterday confirming my self diagnosis of C6/7 radiculopathy.I was sent home with pregabalin and neurosurgical follow up. The pregabalin made me feel drunk and just a bit stupid! Decided to give this traction device a go. The box is in Chinese and the instructions, although English, make very little sense! Thankfully the product is easy to assemble!Things have been better today but the pain, numbness and weakness is still there. Tried this in the morning.... I just can’t belive how much better I feel! The pain is much more bearable, the weakness seems better and the numbness is significantly reduced.I would recommend this product to anyone suffering with this problem. It’s gives instant relief without having to deal with strong drugs. I hope that with further use, posture adjustment and physio, I will be able to start exercising normally soon.

The mechanics are sound but OH MY what a stink. Sad to say that the material used to make the head harness must have been made in a fish market because that is what it smells like so you would not dare to wear it unless you wanted to stink like a fish shop. I'm going to try and hand wash it in disinfectant to see if it improves the bouquet that is of course if it doesn’t disintegrate or try and swim away first..

Doesnt have anything to fit it over the door so I haven't been able to use it. You need a good strong hook to fit it to.

I love this - it does exactly what its supposed to do - as long as you are very slow and gentle with it when extending the neck then it really works so well. I use a bit of rubber in my mouth so my teeth don't grind together too hard. I recommend using a chair as well. Once you get used to it I can hang almost my whole body weight from it and it streches my whole spine - be careful though!

Instructions were pretty unhelpful as picture that shows how it supposed to go is almost unseeable.Most people will hang from a doorframe I expect so expect a little damage to end up in your hair, in time.Not sure if it will last but can’t wait to try it.