The correct method of cervical traction

  Very often, cervical traction is a good and indispensable method in the treatment of cervical spondylosis, but many of our doctors in the clinic do not pay attention to, or even do not understand how to carry out the correct cervical traction.  1, cervical traction can relieve muscle spasm and pain, restore the normal physiological bending state of the cervical spine, so that the distortion of the vertebral artery between the transverse processes can be stretched; can regulate and restore the damaged balance within the cervical spine, lengthen the narrowed intervertebral space and intervertebral foramen; can reduce the influence of the tissue around the bone structure on the vertebral plexus, indirectly relieve vascular tension, reduce vascular resistance, increase blood flow, and improve cerebral blood circulation.  2, traction weight, traction time and traction angle are the three important factors of cervical traction. For example, in the treatment of cervical vertigo, it is more effective to use 3% to 5% of body weight. The traction time is more suitable from 10 to 30 min, and the elderly patients can adapt to the gradually increasing time, in order not to produce side effects. Cervical traction angle generally does not advocate posterior extension traction, in this case the posterior part of the vertebral space is reduced, will cause cervical segment instability or vertebral-basilar artery blood supply is insufficient, the patient’s risk of accident increases.  3, traction angle to cervical anterior flexion 11 ~ 20 ° traction effect is best, when cervical anterior flexion 11 ~ 20 ° traction, can moderately stretch the head oblique muscle, the head after the large rectus muscle and half-spine muscle and other posterior cervical muscle and release its spasm, improve the vertebral artery blood circulation, cervical anterior flexion traction can also stretch the transverse process spacing, can moderately elongate the tortuous vertebral artery, increase the effective blood flow. Physical therapy methods such as local manipulation massage, medium-frequency electrotherapy and drug ionization introduction in the neck and surrounding area and acupuncture at Hua Tuo Pinch Point can directly act on the local soft tissues to effectively improve local blood circulation and increase the blood supply to the soft tissues to facilitate the elimination of inflammation, reduce the stimulation of sympathetic nerve at the lesion, relieve the spasm of vertebral artery and improve the blood circulation in the brain. The clinical treatment of cervical vertigo has also achieved obvious results.  Therefore, based on the above, we do not support the use of simple inflatable cervical spine devices for the formal treatment of cervical spondylosis in clinical practice, as it is difficult for such devices to give patients an exact required traction weight and a satisfactory traction angle.