Gloria Arroyo says she still wears her neck brace

When former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came out of a four-year hospital arrest last July, she was noticeably not wearing her neck brace.

On Monday, the former chief executive and incumbent Pampanga congresswoman said she still does.

"In my car," Arroyo told reporters when asked when and where she wears her neck brace.

Arroyo said she continued to have back-related pains due to her spine condition.

She said she continues with therapy twice a week, and also resorts to acupuncture to help relieve the pain.

"The facility where I had my treatment continues to give me after-care and one of the reasons [for the] continued pain," Arroyo said.

The former president said her doctors ordered her to stop taking "cholesterol medicines" after learning it contributed to her continued pain.

"They are still managing my oral medication," Arroyo said.

In June 2011, Arroyo was rushed to the St. Luke's Medical Center after complaining of neck pain. In a medical bulletin, doctors said the former president has "cervical spondylotic radiculopathy" – a pinched nerve in her cervical spine was causing the pain in her neck.

The ailment is not life threatening and is common among people aged 50 and older, although it could lead to paralysis if left untreated.

Her doctors have said that she's had the condition even when she was still President, only now the pain in her neck has become unbearable. They advised her to rest and wear a neck collar.

On June 19, 2011, Arroyo was seen wearing a neck brace/collar during the renewal of vows of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and husband Arthur Santiago.

It was taken off when Arroyo joined the procession of sponsors.

In July 2011, Arroyo underwent an operation on her cervical spine. The operation (alterior cervical decompression and fusion or ACDF) included the insertion of titanium implants to correct the alignment of her cervical bones. —NB, GMA News