The benefit of neck traction for neck pain

Neck Traction (cervical traction) is a non-invasive treatment that stretches the soft tissues in the neck to separate spinal joint structures in order to relieve neck pain.

In my clinical practice, I find that combining massage and acupuncture treatment with neck traction reaches the best result especially, in cervical nerve pinched cases.

Fritz, Thackeray, Brennan, & Childs, 2014, have done a similar study.  In their study, 86 patients with cervical radiculopathy were divided into 3 treatment groups: exercise alone, exercise and use of an over-the-door home traction device, and exercise and mechanical traction delivered at clinic sessions. The researchers concluded that the combination of exercise and mechanical traction was more effective at 6 months and 1 year after treatment than the combination of exercise and over-the-door traction or exercise without traction.

Through their research and my clinical experience, we believe that it is the best medication-free therapy to relieve the cervical compression in an effective manner.

Benefits:

1.    Limit the cervical spine activity to help reduce the local inflammation.

2.    Relieve neck muscle spasm

3.    Increasing vertebral separation

4.    Reducing nerve conduction disturbances

5.    Improve blood flow

Some conditions achieve greater benefits from neck traction than others.  

·       Herniated or compressed intervertebral disc in the cervical spine

·       Radiculopathy

·       Osteoarthritis

·       Neck tightness cause the headache

However, some conditions are contraindicated, such as:

·       Spinal infection

·       RA or other acute inflammatory joint disorder

·       Osteoporosis

·       Spinal cancers or tumour

·       Cervical spine fracture and dislocation