How do you do a manual lumbar traction?

How do you do a manual lumbar traction?

Manual traction is usually applied for a few seconds duration or can be applied as a sudden, quick thrust. This form of traction is applied by placing the patient in various positions using pillows, blocks, or sandbags to effect a longitudinal pull on the spinal structures.

Does traction help Lumbar spinal Stenosis?

Lumbar or cervical decompression therapy can help heal herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and pinched nerves. It can also be used for patients with bone spurs, facet joint disease, and foraminal stenosis.

How much weight should I use for lumbar traction?

Generally, at least one-quarter of the body weight must be used just to overcome the friction of lumbar traction. The maximum force that a patient can tolerate is often used. Meszaros et al.

How effective is lumbar traction?

Approximately 89% of patients in each group had improvement of their symptoms, and 90% in each group were satisfied with lumbar traction. Co-intervention with heat modality, NSAIDs use and back exercise did not differ between the two groups.

How long does it take for lumbar traction to work?

Cohort studies suggest that the condition of many patients with a herniated lumbar disk improves in 6 weeks. In other words a conservative therapy is generally recommended for 6 weeks in the absence of a major neurologic deficit.

Is lumbar traction effective?

Summary evidence in recent systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines concludes that mechanical lumbar traction is not effective for treating acute or chronic nonspecific low back pain (LBP); however, many physical therapists continue to use it, primarily as an additional modality.

How often should you do lumbar traction?

For conditions requiring separation of the intervertebral spaces for a therapeutic effect, a relatively high force (40-50% of the body weight) and low treatment times (8-12 minutes) are recommended. The general rule is: The higher the force, the lower the treatment time. We rarely use traction for more than 20 minutes.