Mechanical traction are 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.
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 it’s appropriate degree of curvature. Cervical Traction is designed for the cervical curve, helping to reduce neck tension and is especially beneficial for headache sufferers. Each of these machines has rollers that are brought up under your back, helping to reduce tension, break up scar tissue, hydrate discs, and bring new blood and fluids to the area, helping your body to heal faster. We also provide full spine traction, that is a table without specific attachments for either cervical or lumbar treatments, and is just overall traction for the entire spine.
Leander Traction is another type, in which they patient lays face down, and moist heat or ice packs are applied to the low back, helping to bring healing blood and fluid to the low back area, while providing a deep stretch in the low back. This therapy reduces pain, while increasing range of motion in the lumbar spine. In addition to traction’s health benefits, it is relaxing to the patient, and many fall asleep while being treated.
Indications
- Nerve root compression, disc herniation that responded with decreased pain to manual traction
- Where joint stiffness, torsional and compressive stresses are found e.g. spondylosis, spinal stenosis
Contraindications
- Active inflammatory ( rheumatoid ) or infective arthritis
- Signs and symptoms of cauda equina, spinal cord lesions
- Signs of vertebral artery disease
- Joint and ligament instability, fracture/ dislocation
- Increased pain with traction or manual therapy
- Active bone disease or malignancy
- Non-mechanical causes of pain
