Dr. Bob's Portable Neck Traction - Medium Cervical Distraction Device Neck Pain Relief, Headache Relief Medical Grade Materials The Doctors Choice for over 20 years

This Neck Traction works well. It is easy to use and gives relief.

I've used the Dr. Bob's traction collar on and off for a few years now. It provides traction that relieves my neck pain. Overall I find it very helpful (which is why I'm still using it), but it does have a few flaws. 1) As other reviewers have noted, it does have a strong tar/petroleum smell, although that does go away after a couple of months. 2) It puts pressure on the lower jaw that can be uncomfortable. Probably this varies from person to person, based on their particular physique. For me, it's annoying, but a small issue compared to the neck pain relief. 3) As other reviewers have noted, the hose connecting the device to the air pump is cheaply made. It will likely spring a leak after several months of use. However, you can usually fix this with duct tape. Alternatively, for a few bucks you can purchase a short length of replacement rubber hose at your hardware store. Irritating? Yes. But, contrary to what other reviewers have said, if you're willing to spend a few minutes repairing the one you've got, you probably won't have to buy a new one. Overall, this product certainly isn't perfect. But in a field with few good options, this one gets the job done relatively well, relatively conveniently, and at a reasonable price (for medical equipment).

Works great for the moment

I used the product twice. It did not come in a box which makes me wonder if it is new and if it's the brand that it should be. I did not get any instructions or directions. Had to figure out how to use the product. The smell makes it difficult to use because it burns my eyes. My neck did feel better, but I am looking to return this product.

Item was used before. It came in a torn inside packing and plastic was ripped too. During the order did not see the size since it was not marked. Box was marked Medium. Tried using it and it comes off

Traveling traction, baby! I have and over-the-door contraption that is the best when I am home. But when I'm on the road? Dude! Gotta get you one of these! Yes, it can kind of choke you if you don't adjust it right, but you can just deflate and readjust. And yes, it smells like petroleum for the first week or two, but it fades to nothing soon after. Taking pressure of the neck is great. Plus, it can be used as a neck BRACE. You can't nod or waggle you head. Double duty!

After viewing my neck x-rays, my chiropractor recommended that I try this device. I've been using it for just over a month, and it's been making a huge difference for me (I noticed relief after only wearing it periodically for a couple days). I find that I can do most normal activities around the house while wearing it (including eating and drinking). I'm hopeful that this will help me to finally resolve my neck problems that have plagued me for years. The medium size fit me comfortably -- I measured my neck at ~13.5". I agree with other reviewers about the awful smell, but it does go away after a while, and the benefits outweigh that annoyance for me.

Like many customers I read the reviews before ordering this product. I did see that many customers complained that the product smelled like gasoline or grease upon receiving it. Because I had a used older version of the product, given to me by a friend several years ago I was doubting that the item could stink like gasoline. Mine did not though my friend is now deceased and I can’t ask her if hers did when she originally bought it. I just know that when I got it from her it did not stink. But since it is old and worn from use, I opted to buy another and also got an extra for a Christmas gift. Sadly, when they arrived and I opened both wrappings, the smell was absolutely awful! Both reeked quite strongly of gasoline and oil and had some kind of powderlike coating on them. I tried a couple times to get a person at Helio Living, the company that sells it. I left a message for someone to call me back- but noone ever did. So I called them again and finally talked to a woman in retail who informed me I should clean the product to decrease the smell. She said to try soap or rubbing alcohol. Firstly, no one should have to clean a newly bought item! I did to no avail. Firstly, they are hard to wash because you can’t immerse them due to the velcro. When I tried to wipe in between the layers, it tore a hole in the rubber part that connects each layer. The rubbing alcohol just made it stink worse. Also the little blue strip of cloth that is suppose to cover the layer that goes under your chin, does not fit because it doesn’t stretch far enough to cover the layer. So I reported all this to Amazon and recommended they stop selling this product! I cannot say whether the product received works or not because I did not want to put it on nor send it as the intended Christmas gift due to the smell and greasy powder film on both and the other issues I have stated here. I can say that the older one I had, given to me by tha friend years ago, is made with a higher quality and worked great to ease my neck discomfort. Perhaps there are folk out there who don’t mind the awful odor and would benefit from this lesser quality product.