Cervical Traction

Spinal injuries can be caused by sports or accidents, internal injuries such as lesions, or improper healing of the affected area. Cervical traction has a variety of uses. It can alleviate pain from pinched nerve roots, moving joints, and damaged spinal disks. The most widely used treatment is for aligning the spinal column.

Cervical traction can be used in conjunction with medication and can be a beneficial home therapy solution to spinal injuries. The Doctors of Chiropractic at DeCrescenzo Chiropractic can provide you with a physical therapy strategy.

MECHANICAL TRACTION

Up to 71% of the adult population can recall experiencing an episode of neck pain or stiffness in their lifetime. Neck pain is more common in females than in males, with rates reported as high as 77.8%. Neck pain has a costly impact on society, some reasons for this includes: increased visits to healthcare providers, sick leave, and loss of productivity. There are a number of treatments available for neck pain, one of which is mechanical traction.

Mechanical traction tables that the patient lies down on, either on their back or face down, depending on which therapy the doctor decides would be most beneficial for their condition. There are a few different types of traction tables.

TREATMENT

Mechanical traction 'stretches' the neck. With the patient comfortably lying on their back, a head halter is placed under the back of the head and in some instances the jaw. Once the patient is properly settled into the halter, they are attached to a machine. The machine is set for a certain time period and specific weight for the pulling action to occur. The traction can remain on steadily for the specified time (referred to as continuous or static) or intermittently (on/off cycle) during the treatment session. The amount of time spent on traction is dictated by the treating chiropractor; however, the patient has the ability to shut the machine off at any time. Experts think that traction expands the space between the vertebrae, increases the movement of the joints, and stretches the muscles and ligaments around the vertebrae. Side effects are generally few, but can include headache, nausea, fainting, and injury to tissue.

For patients suffering from low back pain, there is Lumbar Traction, which is designed to specifically target the lumbar curve, restoring your lumbar spine to its appropriate degree of curvature. Each of these machines has rollers that move under your back. Similar to getting a massage, the rollers help reduce tension, break up scar tissue, hydrate discs, and bring new blood and fluids to the area. This in turn will help your body to heal faster. We also provide full spinal traction, for this method, we use a table without specific attachments for either cervical or lumbar treatments.