Cervical traction is a treatment for neck pain that involves lightly pulling on your head to create space between the bones in your neck (your cervical vertebrae). You might see it referred to as spinal traction.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Easetak.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Cervical traction can be done either by your healthcare provider or by yourself at home. It can be done manually (by hand) or with a cervical traction device. No matter how it’s applied, cervical traction creates additional space between the vertebrae in your neck to reduce pressure and tension. It’s used to relieve symptoms like pain from a variety of conditions and issues.
Your spine is divided into three main sections:
Cervical traction gently pulls apart the vertebrae in your cervical spine.
Cervical traction is used to treat lots of conditions that cause neck and back pain. In addition to treating conditions that affect your vertebrae, it can treat issues with nerves and muscles around your spine, too.
Cervical traction can be used to treat temporary conditions, including:
Your healthcare provider might use cervical traction to treat longer-term issues that develop over time, including:
Advertisement
Your healthcare provider will diagnose an issue or condition cervical traction can treat before they recommend it. You might need it after a specific injury (like a fractured spine), or it could help with the pain of a longer-term spinal issue like cervical stenosis. Before you receive cervical traction, they’ll perform a physical exam to make sure you’re a good candidate for it.
No matter why you need cervical traction, there’s nothing you need to do beforehand. You’ll either receive it at your healthcare provider’s office, as part of a physical therapy session or you’ll do it to yourself at home.
There are two types of cervical traction:
Cervical traction is easy to perform, and — if it works for you — can deliver quick symptom relief. People who benefit from cervical traction often have an instant improvement in their neck pain after a few treatments. Some of the most common benefits include:
Some studies have found that in addition to stretches and other physical therapy exercises, cervical traction can improve your range of motion (how far you can move your neck). However, this might not be true for everyone.
Cervical traction has very few risks. No matter which kind of traction you use, you shouldn’t put enough pressure on your neck to hurt it.
Some people shouldn’t receive cervical traction, including people who are:
Any health condition that weakens your bones or that can affect your spinal cord might make cervical traction unsafe for you, including:
Talk to your healthcare provider about any risk factors you have before starting cervical traction. Follow all the instructions and read all the safety warnings before using an at-home cervical traction device for the first time.
Advertisement
There haven’t been many studies on cervical traction’s long-term benefits. This means that even if it improves your pain and other symptoms, there’s a chance they might come back in the future, or that the symptom relief may only be temporary.
Most neck pain can be treated with nonsurgical methods, and there is a wide range of potential treatment options. Many people find effective pain relief through a combination of treatments.
Most treatment plans for persistent neck pain include some form of physical therapy to improve neck strength and flexibility. Multiple sessions per week with a trained physical therapist may be recommended to start. After learning the prescribed exercises, you will be instructed to continue the exercise program at home.
Watch 3 Easy Neck Exercises for Neck Pain Video
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen, are typically tried for neck pain.
For severe neck pain, a doctor may prescribe stronger medications for one or two weeks, such as muscle relaxants or opioids.
For more information, please visit Neck Muscle Pain Relief.
All medications carry significant potential risks and side effects, even over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, so be sure to work with your doctor and pharmacist.
In This Article:
A targeted massage kneads the neck and shoulder muscles with the goal of loosening overly tight muscles that pull on your cervical spine and nerves. A secondary benefit is that massage promotes blood flow to the area, and the blood brings with it healing nutrients. There is not much conclusive evidence that massage is effective for neck pain, but it is low risk and non-invasive and many people find it helps at least in the short term.
See Massage Therapy for Chronic Stiff Neck
A chiropractor, osteopath, or other health professional may use their hands to adjust the cervical spine for improved range of motion and reduced pain. Spinal manipulation may be done with a mobilization technique that is slow and gentle, or a a high-velocity manipulation. Manual manipulation is sometimes used to treat certain types of neck pain, depending on the patient’s individual condition and preferences.
advertisementA certified acupuncturist places thin needles into specific points on the skin based on the pain type and/or suspected cause. When treating neck pain, the needles may be placed in the neck and/or elsewhere on the body with the goal of unblocking stagnant energy (qi) to promote healing.
Some people feel better if their neck is supported by a soft cervical collar or brace. For a trauma, such as whiplash, a hard brace or cervical collar may be prescribed. There is mixed evidence about the effectiveness of neck bracing and support, but it is noninvasive and for short periods many people and doctors find it helps reduce pain.
For severe pain that has not gotten better with the most common treatments, a cervical injection may be recommended, for example:
Injections tend to provide temporary relief because they reduce inflammation or block pain, rather than address the underlying cause.
Watch Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection Video
While the risk is relatively low, injections carry the risk for serious side effects. Injections are typically one of the last treatments to try before considering surgery.
advertisementIn addition to medical treatments, most patients engage in their recovery process through self-care techniques and lifestyle modifications, such as:
One or two days of rest can provide a good healing environment. To rest your neck, keep your neck and head in an aligned and supported position.
After a short period of a few hours or days, you will typically be encouraged to gently stretch and move to make sure your neck doesn’t become weaker and stiffer.
Simple and inexpensive ice and/or heat therapy is surprisingly effective in reducing neck pain and inflammation.
For ice or heat therapy, applications are limited to 15 or 20 minutes with at least a 2-hour break in between to give the skin time to recover. Some people find continuous application of low-level heat works best, such as a heat wrap that you put on and wear for 4 to 6 hours during the day.
Some forms of neck pain or muscle tightness are alleviated with gentle range-of-motion neck stretches. If a particular movement or stretch exacerbates pain, stop and try another movement instead.
Watch 3 Gentle Stretches to Prevent Neck Pain Video
Practicing mindfulness and meditation helps relax your body, reduce pain, and helps by giving a sense of more control over the pain. Various mindful coping methods for pain management are available, such as controlled breathing exercises and distraction techniques.
advertisementA pillow specifically designed to keep your cervical spine aligned while sleeping prevents awkward angles and stresses that worsen pain, stiffness or radiculopathy. Another good option is to use a relatively thin pillow, so your neck is not at an angle while you sleep.
There is some evidence that application of a topical cream or gel with pain relieving and / or anti-inflammatory properties can relieve local neck pain, particularly pain related to muscle strain.
Many gels and creams are available over-the-counter that anti-inflammatory agents (e.g. Voltaren for arthritis pain, or lidocaine for muscle strain) and/or natural pain-relieving ingredients, such as ginger, tiger balm, and arnica.
Some are designed to work by interrupting the transmission of pain signals, and other patches have pain relieving ointment on them, such as lidocaine, tiger balm, camphor or menthol that penetrates through the skin. Many find them a good choice because the patch sticks to your neck and you can stay active.
In addition, most actions that are good for your overall health will go a long way in helping reduce your neck pain, such as:
Dr. Scott Curtis is a sports medicine specialist at Princeton Spine and Joint Center, specializing in sports-related injuries and general musculoskeletal care. He is the Director of Sports Medicine at Princeton Spine and Joint and is affiliated with Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Professional Cold Laser Therapy Device.