Why Cervical Traction?
From auto accidents to sports, to occupational injuries, there are many different causes of neck pain. Poor posture and mental factors such as stress, anxiety, or depression, can also lead to neck pain. If you're experiencing stiffness, pinched nerves, or unexplainable neck pain, you might want to speak to your chiropractor about cervical traction.
What Is Cervical Traction?
When you see a chiropractor for cervical traction, they will softly stretch the neck to create space between your cervical vertebrae. The purpose of cervical traction is to reduce pressure on the cervical discs. It is not recommended to try self-cervical traction. Your neck is a very important structure for your body, so it's best left to a professional to perform cervical traction on you.
Benefits Of Cervical Traction
When a chiropractor gently stretches the neck to alleviate pressure on the vertebrae, it could help significantly reduce tensions, tightness, stiffness, and general neck pain. If your neck pain is not muscular in origin, then cervical traction could also help treat pinched nerves. When "pinched," these cervical nerves can cause pain and weakness radiating all the way down into the upper extremities or mid-back/shoulder blades.
Techniques
There are different ways a chiropractor performs cervical traction. Some may perform it manually with their hands, while others use a device to help gently distract your head and spine. Regardless of the techniques used by your chiropractor, cervical traction improves your spinal alignment, range of motion, and mobility of the neck. Pain relief is almost immediate, as well.
Again, make sure you locate a professional who is adequately trained to perform cervical traction to prevent the risk of worsening conditions. However, there is no doubt that cervical traction is one of the best pain relief options for your neck.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.
By Nevada Rehabilitation Centers
September 1, 2020