Traction?

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tyciol

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I've read that progressive traction (obviously not too much or you can hurt yourself before you've adapted) with good nutrition is a good way to fix problems as it can reset proper spinal alignment, is there any truth to this? I figure, with pulling force put on the ligaments, perhaps they will icken and strengthen over time and adapt to that, and that it will help bring fluid into the discs.

There seem to be a lot of ways to do this. For the cervical spine (neck) it seems you either need something like a neck comforter, or to go upside down (inversion) so that the weight of your head is taken off and used to pull it. In theory, getting hung by the neck would also do this but it seems rather dangerous to me, and how to anchor it properly without cutting off circulation would be complex. Anyway ways for this seem to be hanRABtanRAB, hang upside down by hanRAB on pullup bar, gravity boots/table/chair.

The lower back seems easier, because there are probably more ways to do it. Dips, hanging from a bar, and the gravity boots/chair/table all do this. HanRABtanRAB don't, nor would hanging upside down by hanRAB on bar, because this still compresses the spine, as people can understand.

So you could corabine modalities in different amounts depending on your current condition. I much like the various tables that can stop at different degrees of rotation, since this emphasizes the gradual factor, not to mentio nit can be instinctively stopped if you overtraction.
 
I think it would depend on what your problem is. Be careful!!!

Before my first fusion 30 years ago, I was put in traction. It did help my problem at that stage, but before my last fusion, 15 months ago, I asked about traction again and my doctor told me it could do permanent damage to me now and would not be a good idea.

Others have found relief from inversion therapy, but I would be cleared by a doctor before using it.

Emily
 
Hello and welcome to the board, tyciol...You will easily find that everyone here is more than willing to help you with any questions that you may have. Are you experiencing back problems? If so, have you had any x-rays or a MRI? What were the findings? Do you take any medication(s) for your condition? My experience with traction was a rather bad one. It, along with physical therapy, actually worsened my condition(s). My internal medicine doctor (before he moved) actually told me to discontinue physical therapy and also not to go to a chiropractor because that too would worsen my condition(s). Please tell us more!
 
I only get slight back pain, Im' only 21 so it's nothing serious, just like tight muscles or pinched nerves or something like that time to time, either from lifting heavy or chronic slouching (I'm doing it now!).

I've found that deep squat sitting along with hanging from a bar's been pretty helpful.

Definately for people with fused discs it is risky. After all, they're fused to keep em together, and traction tries to pull them apart.

I do wonder, if fusion should only be a temporary thing rather than permanent though. However, it shouldn't be reversed without a doctor's input on how that would go in restoring things.
 
I'm a newbie to this board. I have been over on the anemia board until now but I also have a chronic back problem and I would like to resurrect this thread because I have specific questions.

I have a "mild disk protrusion" with a bit of arthritis between L5-S1, confirmed by an MRI. Well, for something that is supposedly "mild", my life has been made fairly miserable by it for the past 5 years. My sleep especially is destroyed and I'm growing desperate. I don't have sciatica. Just pain after a few hours in bed. I don't even have pain when I walk or sit. For this, I was told by the spine surgeon that I am "lucky" although he didn't want to trivialize the fact that I can't sleep comfortably past 5 am.

Between this and my other physical problems and co-pays over the past year, my husband and I have plunked down a fortune. I really want to try home traction or an inversion table but I am afraid of the cost and it not working. I did have traction at the PTs a year ago and it seemed to help some. But after my 12 sessions he proclaimed me as "cured" and sent me home. I sure wish I can do it again, and I could ask for more sessions, but I think I will have this forever and would like the option of doing traction when I need it. And I would like to go slowly with it, so home traction seems ideal.

Can anyone here recommend a home traction system? Does anyone know about the Comfortrac system? Who would I consult to see if insurance can cover it? My chiropractor? Because my MD only said "try it", but would not vouch for it beyond that. What about inversion tables? I am petite so I am not sure if my size matters in a home traction system. And am I even a good candidate for traction based on my condition?

I apologize for all the questions. I just wish I could try something and send it back if it doesn't work but can't seem to find any place that sells anything with a return policy and these things are expensive. I can't afford to make a mistake here.

Thank you SOOO much!
 
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