In Summary: The 8 Steps to Beating Cervical Radiculopathy - What Is Traction?

· View The Video
· View The Transcript
· View Comments
· Post Comments

Posted by Rich Leach on 08/17/2008 @ 5:49AM. Categories: I.T. Aches & Pains

8 Steps to Beating Cervical Radiculopathy
WHAT IS TRACTION VIDEO BLOG

BANDWIDTH ALERT: I did everything I could to shorten, compress and stuff this movie into as small a file as I could, but it's over 1 minute long and you might experience some lags and cutting out the first time you view it. For the best possible viewing experience you may want to simply let this movie load first (the slider control in the gray box beneath the movie will let you know when the entire movie has loaded) even though the streaming feature allows it to start playing before it's completed downloading.

 

WHAT IS CERVICAL TRACTION TRANSCRIPT
Welcome back I'm Rich and today as part of my series on cervical radiculopathy I'd like to examine the notion of - what exactly IS cervical traction? Simply put traction is a mechanism or force that will help relieve pressure on your skeletal system. All day long gravity pushes down on our bodies, and traction is a means to oppose those forces by providing mild forces in the opposite direction. By applying cervical traction we're simply providing temporary relief to our upper spine and neck.

Now as you probably know our spines are actually made from alternating boney vertebrae and soft cushions or discs between the vertebrae. Traction may actually help improve the health of those discs by improving circulation and bringing necessary natural fluids to those tissues. Unfortunately, as we age and become inactive these discs can go from being soft, lubricated and elastic (like they should be) to actually drying out and even deteriorating which can then expose the fragile nerves between the bones of the spine and ultimately cause uncomfortable conditions like cervical radiculopathy. The goal of cervical traction is to apply correct, comfortable and safe levels of force that will oppose the downward forces of gravity that are present all day long so that the joints and vertebrae of the spinal column are temporarily relieved of that pressure. By doing so the forces of traction help to generate and bring in helpful, natural fluids to the area and help nourish the slowly failing dics between the boney vertebrae and most importantly, spare the fragile nerves that are delicately intertwined between those boney joints and provide some relief from cervical radiculopathy.

I quickly made a realization (but not until after I spent a lot of money, so I'm hoping you won't run into that same problem, learn from my mistakes!) that any of these cervical traction devices that generated its forces for traction by pushing down and/or against my neck and shoulders was wrong for my situation and would not work for me. My thoughts were that since the nerve impingement I was suffering from was probably at or below the level where the device was exerting its downward force were simply aggravated by those very downward forces. Ironic, but logical. Obviously you'll want to check with your own doctor but bring up this very point when your doctor prescribes cervical traction; and notice I said "prescribe". With a prescription some of these devices, which can be quite costly may be eligible for coverage by your insurance company (and you'll need to contact your insurance company to confirm this - it may be worth the phone call). As a result of all of this experimentation I concluded that traction devices that generated their forces WITHOUT generating downward forces against my neck and shoulders would be the only devices I could use, a thought later validated by the physical therapist I was working with.

THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT IS FROM WIKIPEDIA, FULL CREDIT GIVEN FOR CERVICAL TRACTION INFORMATION

Traction (orthopedics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Early Greek traction device, from a Byzantine edition of Galen's work in the 2nd century AD.

In orthopedic medicine, traction refers to the set of mechanisms for straightening broken bones or relieving pressure on the spine and skeletal system. There are two types of traction: skin traction and skeletal traction.
It is largely replaced now by more modern techniques, but certain approaches are still used today:
* Bryant's traction
* Buck's traction - hip fractures
* Dunlop's traction - humeral fractures in children
* Russell's traction
* Milwaukee brace

Skeletal traction
Although the use of traction has decreased over the years, an increasing number of orthopaedic practitioners are using traction in conjunction with bracing (see Milwaukee brace). The section below provides some details on traction and its use.
Purpose
The purpose of traction is to:
* To regain normal length and alignment of involved bone.
* To reduce and immobilize a fractured bone.
* To lessen or eliminate muscle spasms.
* To relieve pressure on nerves, especially spinal.
* To prevent or reduce skeletal deformities or muscle contractures.

In most cases traction is only one part of the treatment plan of a patient needing such therapy. The physician's order will contain:
* Type of traction
* Amount of weight to be applied
* Frequency of neurovascular checks if more frequent than every four (4) hours.
* Site care of inserted pins, wires, or tongs
* The site and care of straps, harnesses and halters
* The inclusion of any other physical restraints / straps or appliances (eg. mouth guard)
* the discontinuation of traction


Comments: 0 | Post Comment |

COMMENTS
No comments have yet been posted.

POST A COMMENT
* Required field.

First name*	Enter your first name here.
Last name*	Enter your last name here.
Email*	Enter a valid email address.Enter a valid email address.
Comment*	Enter your comment here.
To cut down on spam - enter the characters on the right (case sensitive!) into the field directly beneath it*	Enter the letters/numbers as they appear above!
Subscribe to this thread (any new posts to this thread will be sent to your email address)	Choose... Y N Please select Y or N.Please select Y or N.