Has your spine ever felt like it’s squished together and no amount of stretching will help? If you’ve dealt with the pain of spinal compression, you know it’s impossible to ignore. Short of getting back surgery or hanging upside-down forever, it can seem like nothing relieves the discomfort.
Thankfully, a type of therapy known as traction can release your compression without medications or going under the knife.
What is traction therapy, and could it be the answer to your chronic pain? To find out more about this effective natural treatment, read on for our guide to non-surgical spinal decompression therapy.
What Is Traction Therapy and How Does It Work?
As you get older, the cartilage disks between your vertebrae start to wear down and thin out. Some chronic health conditions and injuries can speed up this process. Over time the increased pressure can lead to spinal compression and pinched nerves.
Therapists use traction therapy to release this pressure by stretching your spine.
If you’ve ever seen historical pictures of people getting tortured on a device called a rack, that may be what you’re imagining. There’s no need to worry, though. Traction machines may look like medieval torture devices, but they aren’t painful.
Traction therapy works by applying a gentle, consistent stretching force in only one direction. Your chiropractor or physical therapist can control the exact amount and location of the force. This releases trapped nerves and realigns bulging disks.
Traction can provide pain relief in a single session. Even so, most patients find that they need to return every couple of weeks as their spine re-compresses over time. It also works best when combined with anti-inflammatory medications and regular exercise.
Types of Traction Therapy
There are three types of traction: spinal decompression machines, manual traction, and over-the-door cervical traction units. These all stretch out your spine, but they do so in different ways. You may need one, two, or all three types depending on your individual condition.
Mechanical Spinal Traction
A spinal decompression machine is a table with a sensitive microchip-controlled motor and various traction attachments. During the treatment, patients lie on the table, and their therapist straps on the correct attachment (usually to the legs or neck). The therapist will then program the machine to provide the exact necessary amount and duration of traction.
The benefit of mechanical spinal traction is that it can mobilize your entire spine at once. Along with reducing spinal pressure, this improves blood flow, reduces inflammation, and loosens tight muscles and connective tissue.
Manual Traction Physical Therapy
Some PTs and chiropractors use their hands to release tension in your spine. This technique is called manual traction. They’ll apply gentle pressure to a specific area of your spine, stretching it until they feel resistance and then releasing it after a moment.
This form of traction is can help patients that aren’t able to withstand the pressure from a traction therapy machine. It’s also useful for releasing tension in non-spinal joints and stretching between two individual vertebrae.
Over-the-Door Cervical Traction
An over-the-door traction apparatus consists of a doorframe attachment and a hanging sling. To use the device, patients rest their chin in the sling and use a pulley system to apply gentle traction. This stretches out compressed vertebrae in your cervical spine (neck) and can relieve widespread nerve pain.
Most therapy clinics don’t use over-the-door devices because they don’t offer the same precision as spinal decompression machines or manual traction. However, if you benefit from decompression in their clinic, they may recommend that you get an over-the-door unit to use at home.
Even though you can buy over-the-door traction devices online without a prescription, don’t start using one without first getting permission and instructions from an appropriate medical professional. Traction is safe when done correctly, but operating the device wrong can cause serious injury. When in doubt it’s always better to see a professional for treatment than to try it on your own.
Conditions Traction Therapy Can Treat
Both traction therapy for neck pain and traction therapy for back pain address various forms of spinal compression. The reasons for chronic compression and pain can include:
- sciatica
- cervical radiculopathy
- degenerative disk disease
- herniated or bulging disks
- posterior facet syndrome
- pinched spinal nerve roots
- other pain, tingling, or weakness in the limbs
Research shows that traction therapy, as part of a comprehensive treatment program, can significantly reduce pain from a wide range of conditions.
Who Should Avoid Traction Therapy?
While it’s a great solution for many people, traction therapy isn’t right for everyone. If you have a condition that reduces your body’s ability to withstand forces, traction could end up doing more harm than good. These conditions include:
- some cancerous or benign tumors
- spinal, joint, or muscular infections
- vascular disorders
- connective tissue disorders like EDS that cause joint instability
- rheumatoid arthritis
- osteoporosis
- old age (over 70)
- severe obesity
- current pregnancy
This isn’t an exhaustive list of reasons to avoid traction. As with any other treatment, make sure to inform your doctor of any pre-existing conditions so they can determine whether you’re qualified.
Is Traction Therapy Right for You?
To recap, what is traction therapy? It’s a gentle, effective treatment that can relieve even the most stubborn pain from spinal compression. If you think you could benefit from it, talk to your doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist today about starting a treatment program.
Not sure whether traction therapy is the solution for your pain? Keep reading through our site for more natural ways to take care of your body and improve your total health.
Feature photo by Karolina Grabowska
