Physical Therapist Reviews the Iron Neck Pro | Is it a Game-changer?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
- If you think the Iron Neck is some goofy, gimmicky device that looks weird while sitting on top of your head, then this device is not what you think it is.
As a physical therapist, I've been using the Iron Neck Pro on my patients as well as on myself for nearly a year now and it has been a game-changer for many of them. I've honestly been surprised with just how many patients have responded positively to it, and how it has either drastically improved their neck pain, or eliminated it entirely.
In this video, I give you my personal and professional thoughts on my experiences with the Iron Neck, including its strengths as well as its limitations. At the end of the day, it's been an outstanding piece of equipment to have in our clinic, and I'm very grateful to use it as one of the many pieces of equipment in my rehab and prehab arsenal.
No piece of exercise or rehabilitative equipment is right for everyone, mind you, so it's important to make sure that you know what is causing your neck pain to help you understand if the Iron Neck Pro is right for you or not. Please seek an appropriate medical assessment for any pain you may be experiencing.
While much of this video is directed at the rehabilitative approach that I use it with, the Iron Neck is also an outstanding piece of equipment to use for injury prevention as well.
If you would like to support this channel, you can head over to the Iron Neck website using this link: bit.ly/46nQg99 (This is an affiliate link that will provide me with a small commission with any purchases you make at no extra cost to you.)
I hope this video helps you out with gaining a better feel towards whether or not the Iron Neck is worth it or not for your own personal needs!
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
0:25 - The Final Verdict
2:45 - Disclosure statement
4:01 - Who I treat with the Iron Neck
5:35 - Packaging
6:00 - Build Quality
8:19 - Comfort
10:05 - Limitations
12:04 - The Elephant in the Room
13:37 - Final Thoughts
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Come find me in the clinic at: www.towerphysio.ca
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More info on deep cervical neck flexor endurance (mentioned in the video): If you'd like to learn more about how to assess the endurance of your deep cervical neck flexors, check out this video by the Physiotutors (you'll likely want to subscribe to these guys - their content is outstanding!):
• Neck Flexor Endurance ...
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My website: www.strengthresurgence.com
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Interested in becoming a physical therapist or just want to know a bit more about the profession? Check out my blog: www.strengthresurgence.com to get all sorts of helpful information!
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Medical Disclaimer: While I am a licensed physical therapist, I am not YOUR physical therapist. Any information given within this video is therefore strictly for informational purposes only. I cannot determine whether or not this exercise (or any other physical activities mentioned within this video) may or may not be appropriate for you. Any attempts to perform this exercise or any modifications to it are therefore done so at your own risk.
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Affiliate Disclaimer: This video and video description contains an affiliate link for the Iron Neck Company, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!
Hey Everyone! Quick heads up: Iron Neck changed up their affiliation process, so unfortunately, I can no longer help get you a discount on any of their products. I’m really sorry about that. If you’d like to continue to support this channel just click on the link I’ve placed in the description to take you to their website. Any purchases you make through that link will help provide a small commission for this channel, albeit without the discount. Again, sorry for the bad news!
Would this be viable for someone with degenerative disc in c5 6 7? I don’t want surgery and tired of cortisone shots, thank you
@@XXTROB it would depend on a few different factors, which I know is not a great answer. I wouldn’t make the purchase without first trying similar exercises using some Theraband. I have a video on my channel showing how you can replicate much of the same movements of the Iron Neck with just some Theraband, which would be my preferred starting point. You might find it works to the extent that you wouldn’t need anything else! So, check out the video on my page and start there! Hope this helps!
@@StrengthResurgence thank you so much for the reply! I will check that out….I’m avoiding surgery for as long as possible
@@XXTROB Any time. Degenerative conditions can require a few more interventions aside from strengthening, so keep that in mind as you work to put off the surgery for as long as possible (which is hopefully forever)! Disc degeneration is very common and happens to us all as we age, so the more you can arm yourself with basic knowledge of what it consists of and how to treat it, the better off you’ll be!
@@StrengthResurgence I will research more about it, it’s been a constant battle for years now
Thank you so much for providing this review. I have been considering the purchase of the Iron Neck for months. As a retired nurse, I appreciate learning the opinion from someone who works in the healthcare field. Thank you for being open and honest concerning the pros and cons. I look forward to watching more of your videos in the future.
Thank you for the kind words, and I’m glad the video helped! It’s a good piece of kit, but since treating necks can be quite a tricky process in terms of all the things that can go wrong, and that different interventions are often required, I want to do my best to let viewers know who this device could be helpful for and who it might not be ideal for - necks can be tricky depending on the situation!. Everything has pros and cons and not every tool is right for every situation (as you likely know). Keep making great things happen!
Putting final verdict at the start? Subscribed
You recommending it right away is appreciated
I love how genuine you are! Thanks!n
Thanks for getting to it sooner rather than later.
You’re very welcome!
Great review! I will probably try it but I’d also like to see those neck exercises you mentioned in another video. Thank you! 😄😄😄
I've got a video in the works on that - it's coming, I promise! Thanks very much for your kind words!
Thank you I like the way you format your videos. I appreciate it.
You’re very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! Keep making great things happen!
Normally I wouldn't complain about the price. But a $250 dollar difference in price for a tightening knob is outrageous.
I’m a 72 year old female who was severely rear-ended in a near-fatal car accident in 2006 (in addition to 4 other rear-ending accidents in the past).
I’ve tried everything including years of PT, a variety of types of injections including stem cells, chiropractic, lots of meds (currently on low-dose morphine), etc., but my Cervical disc disease keeps worsening. I’m a somewhat active person and I fight through pain daily, but I long to have less pain so I can get out more and have a fuller life.
My latest Cervical MRI was 3 pages long! Pain radiates into my head but not my arms, so I’m not a surgical candidate.
I’m 5’3” and weigh about 130. I’m nervous about the Iron neck being to heavy for me and too advanced for my poor damaged neck. I would love a video on neck exercises that may be more appropriate for me. Thanks!
Without knowing your situation exactly, I’d be hesitant to start with the Iron Neck. You may want to check out the NecksLevel Glide. I use it much, much more frequently for my clinical population; you won’t have to put any weight around your head, and can lay down when performing exercises, taking gravity out of the equation when performing the exercises. I just released a video reviewing it (I don’t have any affiliation with the company or product, I just really like it and have had great success with it), so check my channel for a recent upload covering its specifics. Hope this helps!
Fantastic thank you
Hi Dr, can you please let me know where I can assess the iron back exercises you showed in the video?
The Old Arizona Cowboy appreciates your video!
Are you in Arizona?
Thanks for the awesome review.... I'd already ordered it before I saw your video s oxidant get to use your code. Sorry about that. I am curious though if you have recommendations for specific exercises for a mountain biker (me) who has large cracking occurring just beneath the sub occipitals? I understand you can't offer exact prescription here, but just in general based on the iron neck plans? Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words! I’d start off with their standard F6 protocol/exercises (which they’ll provide some info for when the Iron Neck arrives) and make sure your neck gets used to those for a week or two before progressing from there. I’d also say experiment with keeping your chin tucked on some of the exercises and see how that feels; a chin tuck will put the suboccipitals into more of a lengthened position, which should feel nice. As a mountain biker, since you’re looking up a lot while leaning forward a bit, you’ve been using them quite a bit to keep looking forward/up, so they’re probably rather gunky (join the club, haha).
The cracking could potentially be due to some extra compression on the joint surfaces (facet joints) as they articulate with one another. When there’s excessive tension of a muscle that crosses a joint, it can increase the congruency of the joint surfaces a bit as the joints now are compressed together a bit. Despite what a lot of people think, the joint surfaces of of the facet joints aren’t perfectly smooth, so the little “bumps” slide over one another and produce the little “Rice Krispies”sensations of popping/cracking that can result.
One exercise I think you’d find to feel really good for your upper neck is to get everything set up, have the band’s anchor point around forehead level, then while staring at the anchor point, tuck your chin down and hold it there while you walk away/backwards until there’s a decent level of tension on the band. You’ll likely feel a nice little stretch in the suboccipital region. Hold for a few seconds, walk forward to take the tension off and then repeat. I have a lot of patients who quite enjoy that one for the stretching sensation it provides to the upper neck.
I also have a video on my channel that shows how to do a really cool upper cervical mobilization at home for your upper neck joints and suboccipitals, which you may find useful. It was uploaded a few months ago and has a picture of me wrapping a towel around my face (a technique called a cervical SNAG). That’s a great one that helps a lot of people as well.
Hope that all helps! Let me know how it goes!!
@@StrengthResurgence wow! That is so extremely helpful - thanks so much for caring and helping.... I have recently found some great posture exercises and as I wait for my iron neck, I have been releasing my SCMs and stretching the subocciputals with some other exercises. Seems to be making a difference.
I'm excited to receive the iron neck in a few days. Thanks once again - very much appreciated. 🙏🏻❤️💪🏻
@@AlanChurchill Anytime! Keep me updated on how it all goes! Love hearing stories of others coming back stronger!
@@StrengthResurgence for sure - will do!
Does this help with osteoarthritis
Yes so does heat to increase circulation, get a sauna or infrared red light therapy panels
Would this be a good device for someone who has forward head posture? Just came across your videos today and have subscribed and watch quite a few already 🥰 Thank you!!!
While it’s a good device, there are plenty of exercises you could begin working on for correcting posture that wouldn’t require any specific equipment. I wouldn’t start with the Iron Neck if this were the case. I have a video on my channel showing how you can do some very similar exercises with nothing more than a piece of Theraband, which would only cost a few dollars, so you may want to consider starting with that! Hope this helps!
@@StrengthResurgencel
Appreciate the very thorough review. What are your thoughts on folks who have compressed discs? Jiu-Jitsu injuries? Stingers?
It’s tough to say without a direct assessment, but as a general rule, if your neck tolerates rolling/Jiu-Jitsu injuries, it will likely tolerate the Iron Neck. The Iron Neck itself won’t do anything to help with reduced disc height, but it can certainly be helpful for protecting the discs via more strength and robustness from the neck muscles, postural improvement, endurance, etc.
For stingers, depending on the severity, I’d likely wait out the initial painful phase of the injury before doing a ton of resisted neck work; for stingers/burners, I’d look up how to do some neurodynamic exercises to settle the nerves down first before putting tension and muscle activation through the neck. Let me know if this helps - happy to answer more questions, if needed!
Very much appreciated, thank you. I purchased one last week and am only on day 2. Crawl, Walk, Run approach. @@StrengthResurgence
@@johnwagner6126 absolutely. Start with isometric movements, then progress to small, inner range movements, then into full range, etc. As they say, “constant dripping hollows out a stone.”
Keep making great things happen!
I am thinking of getting the Iron Neck. My neck is so bad; one time, I jumped into a pool feet first and hurt my neck. I also lost strength in my right arm once after injuring my neck.
Would this be ok for someone who has bulging disc arthritis and mild stenosis?
Right now is the time to buy it’s on sale on Amazon for Black Friday
nice vid well made
7 years ago I had a neck fusion done c5&c6,.. I’m a truck driver for living. The Truck is a rough ride and at times my neck will bother me..I’ve been thinking about strengthening it… would the iron neck be ok for me to use
Thats exactly what I'm using it for to strengthen my neck and alleviate the pressure on my neck/spine.
I'd say use it but start at the lowest resistance and don't move up resistance until you know its not hurting you.
Just listen to your body before, during, and after use and if you feel alright and its not causing you extra pain then it can only benefit you.
Strengthening your neck is one of the best things you could do for yourself.
I'm making a decision today. Is the 3.0 pro worth the extra 200 over the 3.0? I use it for rehab and strengthening. Not sure if I need additional resistance.
I’ve only ever used the pro, so I’m not sure how much built-in resistance comes on the Varsity model. If I had to guess, you’ll be ok without the Pro model and using the Varsity instead, assuming you don’t need tons of resistance. $200 is a decent amount of extra money, so it might be worth trying to save that money by not going with the Pro model. You could always return it if you did feel like you needed to go for the Pro instead. Hope this helps!
Would this be good for upper cervical instability related to Hypermobility syndromes? I have ligament laxity at C2
No, I would not recommend using this device for hypermobility, especially if you have C2 laxity. Upper cervical instability is best dealt with through professional evaluation and guidance. In the name of keeping you safe as possible (since I haven’t seen or evaluated you) I would look to different ways of incorporating some neck strengthening, but I can’t recommend anything over the internet. Best bet would be to find a qualified healthcare professional who could evaluate you and guide you with individualized exercises for working on your neck strength while keeping you as safe as possible. Hope this helps!
I have a very straight neck, no injuries or anything like that (done X-Rays) I have an iron neck, what exercises are good for trying to bring back the curve? I WILL consult my Chiro/osteo regarding this too, but just thought in the meantime is there anything you can suggest? like chin tucks/juts or anything else?
Thank you
Ditch the chiropractor, they tell patients a straight neck is bad which is bs
@wread1982 why is it bs? Since my nexk lost its curve I've bad head aches everyday and neck pain
I have tingling in top of chest, front of neck sides of neck, jaw up to ear from a chiropractic adjustment. Do you think this could help me with my issue?
I wouldn’t make any purchases on any equipment until you can have someone tell you what’s causing the tingling and overall issue. An evaluation from a qualified professional will help ensure you stay safe and have an accurate understanding of what’s going on, at which point, they could make the recommendation for you as to whether or not any specific equipment could help you. Tingling is most often the result of a nerve that’s irritated or unhappy, so it may need a bit of time to calm down or different intervention before neck strengthening exercises are appropriate. Hope this information helps!
Is there a best way to clean it between patients? We are thinking about getting this for the clinic.
For cleaning, it’s pretty much just the forehead pads that require a bit of work, but it’s pretty minimal. For that, I’ve been using our disinfecting solution that we have in our spray bottles. If you have patients who have makeup on, you’ll see a bit of it come off onto the pad, and sometimes a bit of dead skin, but the pads clean pretty well with a rag and some cleaning solution on them, for the most part. And thankfully the pads seem to hold up well to repeated cleaning/soft scrubbing. For patients who may not want to have the pad on their skin, I’ll have them wear a thin beanie/toque that they bring into the clinic with them, which can act as a nice barrier, though sometimes it makes the fit a bit less ideal (but other times it makes it more ideal). You can also opt to put a small strip of facial tissue between the forehead and the pad, if you have any such tissue in the clinic (the type that patients use when laying on a bed/plinth). Thankfully, overall the device cleans quite easily overall and the pads clean pretty well too, just taking a bit of extra work, but nothing too crazy. Hope this helps!
Is this a good product for osteo arthritis of the cervical spine?
It would likely depend on the extent of the arthritis and your current pain levels, which would be best to have a qualified professional determine this. Generally speaking, however, arthritic joints need movement, just at the right intensity, frequency, etc. keeping arthritic joints sitting still is a recipe for quicker degrading of the joint. Strength is good to have, but keeping the joints moving in pain-free ways is likely priority number one if everything else with the neck is otherwise healthy. Lots of great ways you can strengthen the neck with some general theraband (I’m getting ready to make a video on how to do this). I’d probably start with that. Sorry I can’t be more specific. If you get on a general neck regimen for keeping the joints moving and find that your neck feels better, then the Iron Neck could be considered. But as a starting point (just because I don’t know anything of your individual condition/extent of OA), I’d say to get someone qualified to check you out and then proceed from there. Hope this helps!
Is it good for optimal strength gains or is it more of a rehabilitation device than not?
I use it more-so for strength gains (injury prevention) or late-stage injury rehabilitation. For early-stage recovery or for more involved cervical issues, I use other neck devices and even just general Theraband. Hope this helps!
I’ve reached out to them many times and they’ve never responded. I’m inclined to trust you though, you seem honest. Thanks for the info.
For what it’s worth, it was somewhat of the same experience with me; they are seemingly a smaller-sized team, which they informed me of when I had sent them a few emails with general inquiries when I initially reached out to them. They are very good folks over there (I’ve chatted with them over phone, online, etc.), but yes, I have at times had to send follow-up emails to get a response when first reaching out with inquiries. So, it’s likely due to them perhaps being a bit understaffed/overwhelmed at the moment as to why you haven’t heard back.
@@StrengthResurgence Thanks man. I bought it. I used your code, hope that helps, peace.
I don’t know if your code is old. But it doesn’t work anymore. I typed it in and it said $0 off
Do you think this device could help build a thicker and stronger neck? Thanks for your professional opinion.
It can definitely build strength, absolutely. As for thickness, that’s a combination of some neck work and lots of upper back work. The trapezius muscle plays a significant role in neck girth, and is best worked with exercises like shrugs and not so much with direct neck training. So, yes the Iron Neck can help significantly with strength, but building a thick, robust, and strong neck also takes a lot of upper back work, which you wouldn’t necessarily need the Iron Neck for accomplishing. I hope this helps!
@@StrengthResurgence you saved me $560 Cdn as I almost hit the buy button. Thanks
@@chunwong1807 it will always be there if you need it, but plenty of other ways to get there in the meantime. Just come up with a good routine and stick to it consistently. 6-12 weeks and strength results should be very evident and some girth/thickness changes might be evident then as well. Changes in strength will always proceed changes in size.
@@chunwong1807 ☝Glad I found this video ,and saw your question! I was wondering the same thing. I am only interested in building a bigger neck. So I bought the Josh Bryant weight plate holder, I use that inconjuction with my vintage leather head harness.
(5:30) I would be interested in ways that I could strengthen my neck for general conditioning without using the Iron Neck. Thanks.
Go to my main channel page; about 8 months ago or so I put out a video on how to use Theraband to strengthen your neck doing very similar movements to the Iron Neck. It’s got a thumbnail of me wrapping some Theraband around my forehead. You can’t miss it. You’ll be able to do a fair number of the same Iron Neck exercises for only a couple of bucks worth of Theraband!
@@StrengthResurgence Okay. Will do. I'll check it out. Thanks for your reply. Also , I appreciate perspective on the Iron Neck.
i bought the pro! i get immediate relief of tension headaches that ive dealt with for 15 years. this is the greatest product ive ever bought. im 39 and i train brazilian jiu jitsu 4-5 times a week. if you think you "need" something because typical physical therapy isnt getting you the results you want ->BUY IT.
Fuckkkk I have undiagnosed stuff in my neck and it's nothing too bad but I want to prevent it from getting worse. The chiropractor has helped me but I am tempted to buy the starter.
@Francisco Feest Get it, I've had it for one week after 3 years of chronic neck pain and I'm already doing better
How long are your neck exercises per day
Was the pro model worth the extra money? Do you actually use the tension adjuster?
@@randya.kozerskicpa1080
Definitely
Its nice to get your range back but after a couple weeks/month its too easy and you intuitively know there needs to be more resistance. Its a good tool.
Would like the other options you mentioned
Hang tight! I’m literally working on the video as we speak! It should be one of my next videos to get uploaded to the channel and it will show some of my favourite exercises I use with my patients with a standard Theraband!
@@StrengthResurgence cool thanks!
Please send me a discount code link. I could not find it. Thanks.
nice！
Attach a fish scale and measure the resistance. Very simple and repeatable.
I had a car accident years ago which resulted in having two cervical disc replacements and one herniated cervical disc. I think this product will benefit my recovery
Why is this beneficial? Use the product for awhile, and then report.
@@propbrakerWhy wouldn't it be?
If you build up muscle it will help protect and relieve stress on your injured areas.
If your muscles are stronger they don't have to work as hard and they take the pressure off your skeletal structure.
Do you have an update?
Your discount code does't work 😕
Hey man, watched this, I fell backward on my neck, basically stretched my neck out landing backward, heard something in top of my spine, but I’m fine when it comes to walking running etc, been going to a chiropractor but no luck with that, any recommendations?
Start by finding a qualified healthcare practitioner whom you feel can answer your questions satisfactorily and one you can trust. Get a diagnosis or clinical implication from them so that you don't feel out in the dark on what's going on. If you stretched out your neck when landing (I hope you didn't hit your head), depending on how forceful the impact was, it might have tweaked or mobilized one of the facet joints of the spine or any of the other nearby structures or tissues. Try to get a diagnosis and then find the therapeutic exercises that work to strengthen the area and improve the movement function through the area as need be. Recovery is often highly limited when exercises for strengthening and reducing movement dysfunction are not incorporated. Movement truly is medicine when it comes to all this stuff, so find someone who can help you to do the right exercises and movements to take care of the issue. Wishing you the best in your recovery!
I bought the 3.0 Pro after watching a few reviews. These guys must be getting paid big bucks to promote this thing because its absolutely trash. The rotational tension dial is useless. It has either no tension and feels smooth and pointless, or a bit of tension and too much friction making for choppy movement. I expected a smooth progressive resistance like a spring or wind-up toy effect.
Save yourself a few hundred bucks and use your hand as resistance. If you must buy it, don't spend the extra for the Pro. Note: I'm a 15 year Personal Trainer.
Video starts at 1:03. First minute he talks about getting to the point
Why would you popularize this? Are you aware they promoted it for Major neck injuries? I am pretty sure it would kill someone with a fractured vertrebrae
• Hence why I gave the big ol' discussion on how this product, like any other product, isn't for everyone and that anyone who wasn't sure what's going on with their neck should get examined by a qualified healthcare practitioner ;)
• If you're worried about the "fractured vertebrae" thing: read up more on "cord signs"; a patient with a fractured vertebrae, odontiod fracture, pars fracture, alar laxity, transverse ligament laxity, etc., would likely be exhibiting these signs long before even attempting to don the device around their head.
• I'm "popularizing it" because when used appropriately, it makes massive improvements in the quality of life for those whom it's appropriate for - just like the multiple patients of mine who have thanked me for rehabbing them through their whiplash, postural dysfunctions and other orthopedic-related conditions.
@topdidlydog youre kind of a moron huh?
Booooo