Manual Cervical Traction

 

Cervical traction can help separate the bones, discs, and joints in your neck. This can take pressure off of nerves, decrease pain, and can help relax and gently stretch your neck muscles.  Manual traction is used as both an evaluation and as a treatment tool.  Using manual traction during the evaluation can tell me a lot about the origin of your pain.

 

The purpose of manual traction is to provide a very specific and controlled distraction force to the spine or joint in order to alleviate pain or compression.  Manual cervical traction is applied to your neck while you are lying down on your back. You will be resting comfortably on a treatment table, and your head will be near one end of the table.  I will then gently hold the back of your neck/head toward the base of your skull.  I will then gently lean back to provide the traction force to your neck. No forceful tugging of pulling will occur. A slow and gradual traction force is applied and held for 5-10 seconds, and then the traction is gradually released.  This is repeated and the treatment will typically last several minutes.