What Does Neck Traction Do And How Can It Help Me?

This is a natural treatment for bulging discs and other problems with your neck. It is non-invasive and to answer the question what does neck traction do is that basically it stretches the muscles of the neck, the shoulders and the upper back as well as stretching other structures of the cervical part of the spine (i.e. where the neck is). Neck or cervical traction has been around for many years and is a well-established way of treating neck, shoulder and arm pain.

Neck pain is very prevalent in our society and is one of the major causes of absence from work today. Unfortunately our lifestyle nowadays does not give us much chance to stretch, particularly our spine. Therefore we often sit hunched up over our computers all day or evening and gradually due to this compression, we may get problems with our spinal discs. If you have a bulging disc, stretching can allow healing because it can relieve this compression. Of course this is a gradual process and it is important to do these exercises regularly.

What Does Neck Traction Do?

By removing compression involved with the weight of the head, strain is removed. Further traction force can separate joints which are causing irritation to sensitive nerves. Arthritis and degeneration neck conditions are known to alter the structure and function of joints, and traction can help relieve this by reducing pressure and allowing vital nutrients to flow into the joints. This is particularly evident with herniated discs, often called a slipped disc.

A disc lacks blood supply and relies on motion to bring in nutrients which help it in it’s role to be a shock absorber to protect the cervical spine. The continual force of gravity and poor neck posture habits like forward head posture can distort the disc, allowing the soft inner part to bulge or protrude out where it can contact nerves and even the spinal cord. Neck traction can help reverse this, allowing the bulging or protruding disc to settle back in place and bring in fluids to help maintain a protective height for better motion and nerve protection. This also helps to reduce inflammation.

Traction can help relax stiff neck muscles. As a result of poor posture, lack of proper motion and the effects of gravity, muscles can become shortened and constricted. This decreases blood flow and weakens the muscles, causing other structures like discs, joints and tendons to assume more of the functions normally performed by properly functioning muscles. What traction can do is stretch the muscles, allowing an increase in blood flow and assist muscle recovery to help regain smooth muscle function and tone.

A study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Science indicates traction improves the amount of blood flow from the nerve roots to the spinal cord, thus improving disturbances in conduction.

How Can Neck Traction Help Me?

If you have stiff, sore and tired muscles, traction can help rejuvenate them, improving motion and reducing pain. Traction forces can help improve the quality of scar tissue that has formed in muscles from old injuries which can alter muscle function and trap sensitive nerves and blood vessels. Perhaps you have a herniated disc. This can cause neck pain as well as pain radiating into the shoulders and/or arms. Traction can help reduce herniations providing much needed relief from neck pain. It can help revitalize your neck by aiding in the restoration of appropriate posture, which often deteriorates from sitting at a computer for hours or driving long distances in vehicles with road vibrations and sudden, unexpected motions.

Traction can help you when you need it. New traction devices for the neck are easy to use, even in a sitting position. They are lightweight and easily portable, so you can take this therapy on the road, vacationing or to the office. It can also help to relieve tension headaches from contracted muscles as well as neck related headaches from joint restrictions. So, it can help you ranging from a relaxing therapy to specific therapy directed towards specific problems. It can help with relieving neck pain and also improve concentration, mood, overall energy levels and increase productivity and help you enjoy life more. These are some of the many ways it can help you.

It is important to discover what does neck traction do and how it can help you, so you can better decide on which type of product to invest. There are different devices on the market. It is always best to consult your doctor to see what he or she would recommend. It is best to do two sessions of fifteen minutes each day when you start and apply force to tolerance – the point that you notice relief. As you become familiar with the effects and the particular device you choose, you can extend your treatment time and/or increase the force of traction as needed.

What Is The Best Home Device

Most doctors and therapist recommend the Saunders, and even use it in their clinics.

Saunders Home Cervical Traction

Traction should never be painful. If it is, you are either using too much force or too much time. If traction causes pain at minimal levels, you should stop using it and consult your health care provider. While you can buy devices to use at home, you can also have traction done manually by another person. You doctor can probably put you in touch with a qualified practitioner in this field who can help you. Neck traction devices can help reduce costs associated with office visits and allow you to benefit from this treatment in the comfort of your own home.

So what does neck traction do as far as the cervical spine is concerned? It helps to enlarge the space between the vertebrae as well as tightening ligaments along the spine. When you create more space in the spinal column with this stretching, this will relieve pressure on the discs, bones and spinal joints. It will also stretch neck muscles. If the neck is the problem, it would take at least 20-30 lbs. of pull to have a therapeutic effect. Sometimes it will take more force to deal with certain neck issues.

You should note that devices used in the sitting position must overcome the weight of the head, which can be about 10 or 12 pounds, so having a wide range of traction force can be helpful.

Some people do better than others with the use of traction and certainly traction often achieves short term relief and can be used as part of a rehabilitative approach to neck pain, injuries and more chronic conditions.