Off the bat, I hand washed the cover before trying this wonderful pillow. When I used it, at first, it was weird because I personally never used a memory foam pillow. It is squishy when you lay your head down and then gets firm as it compresses. First few night was a tad uncomfortable, on the third I was used to it and it is awesome!I have a slight herniated disc in neck or a strain, I am not sure. This pillow truly works! It seems to hold the head/neck in a way that does not cause issues/heals the issues you already have. I cannot guarantee this will work for you but it has helped me some already and it seems many others in the reviews. Give it a couple of nights, it is a different experience compared to regular pillows. The downward slant part, adds much needed cushion for the neck.I will say, for me I find it a tad too high for sleeping on my stomach. Seems to hold my head at an angle I personally do not like. That may change though. I keep a spare pillow next to this Memory Foam Pillow, when I find myself wanting to lay on my stomach. I switch to the regular pillow for that. You may not have this issue but I figured I would mention it as well. When I sleep on my side, I alternate between the middle of the pillow and the wing where they suggest you lay your arm(s). Many different possibilities! Some people may even like the side of the pillow without a slant for the neck. Try them all!Was easy to remove the cover to hand wash and then put back on. You can machine wash it the instructions say but it should be on a low setting. Enjoy!At first I thought this pillow was priced too high but it truly is an awesome speciality pillow. We often spend more on junk, spend the money for comfort/health! Like I said, you can always try it for some days and return it if it does not help/you do not like it.