Spinal Traction Therapy in Jaipur | Modern Physio
Spinal traction applies a gentle, controlled pulling force along the length of the neck or lower back. It is used selectively — as a short trial alongside exercise — for patients whose arm or leg symptoms come from an irritated nerve root, and it is stopped if it does not help.
How Does It Work?
Traction applies a sustained or on-off pulling force along the long axis of the spine. While that force is applied, the space between adjacent vertebrae increases slightly, pressure inside the disc falls, the facet joints at the back of the spine are gently distracted, and the openings through which nerve roots exit are momentarily widened. Muscles guarding a painful segment often relax during the pull as well.
Those effects are real but largely temporary — the spine is loaded again as soon as you stand up, and the mechanical changes reverse. This is the most important thing to understand about traction: it modifies symptoms for a period, it does not permanently change the anatomy of a disc or a joint. Any account of traction that promises to 'put a disc back in place' is not describing what the treatment does.
Cervical traction is applied with the patient sitting or lying, using a padded halter around the back of the head and jaw or a supine unit that cradles the skull. The angle of pull is chosen deliberately — a small amount of neck flexion is commonly used to open the exit foramina — and the force is kept low. Lumbar traction uses two harnesses, one around the pelvis and one around the lower ribs, with the patient lying on a split table so the pull separates the two halves rather than dragging the body along the surface.
Force comes in two patterns. Sustained (static) traction holds a steady pull throughout. Intermittent traction alternates a hold with a partial release in a repeated cycle, which many patients tolerate better over longer sessions. Manual traction — the physiotherapist applying the pull by hand, usually to the neck — allows fine control and is often used first, to test whether symptoms respond before a machine is set up.
The honest position on evidence is that traction is not a first-line treatment. Guidelines for low back pain, including NICE guideline NG59, do not recommend traction as a routine treatment, and systematic reviews of lumbar traction for back pain with or without sciatica have generally found little or no benefit compared with sham or other treatments. The picture for cervical radiculopathy is somewhat less unfavourable, with some reviews reporting short-term symptom relief when traction is combined with exercise, though the studies are small and varied.
That evidence shapes how traction is used at Modern Physio. It is offered as a short, response-tested trial for a specific group — typically patients with radiating arm or leg symptoms from an irritated nerve root who report relief when the segment is manually distracted during assessment. It is always paired with the treatment that does have strong support: graded exercise, nerve mobilisation, load management and education. If a few sessions produce no meaningful change, traction is discontinued rather than repeated week after week.
Types/Variations We Offer
Manual Traction: the physiotherapist applies and controls the pull by hand, allowing fine adjustment of force and direction and an immediate read on how symptoms respond.
Mechanical Cervical Traction: a motorised unit applies a measured pull through a padded halter or head cradle, with the neck angle set by the physiotherapist.
Mechanical Lumbar Traction: pelvic and thoracic harnesses on a split traction table apply a measured pull to the lower back.
Intermittent Traction: force cycles between a hold and a partial release, often better tolerated over a longer application.
Sustained (Static) Traction: a steady pull held throughout the application, usually for a shorter period.
Positional and Self-Traction Techniques: positions taught for home use that produce a mild distraction or offloading effect without equipment.
Conditions Treated
Advantages & Expected Benefits
Some patients report that radiating arm or leg symptoms ease during the pull and for a period afterwards
That easing can open a comfortable window in which exercise, nerve gliding and mobility work are easier to perform
Force is graded and adjustable, so treatment can start well below the level at which symptoms are provoked
Non-invasive, with nothing injected and no medication
Muscle guarding around a painful segment often relaxes during application, making hands-on treatment more comfortable
The response is a useful clinical signal in itself — a clear improvement supports the working diagnosis, and no response is a reason to change the plan early
Potential Risks & Short-term Side Effects
An increase in pain, or symptoms travelling further down the arm or leg, during or after treatment — this is a stop signal and must be reported at once rather than tolerated
Aching or stiffness in the treated region for a day or so after a session, particularly after the first application
Discomfort from the harnesses: rib or abdominal pressure from lumbar belts, and jaw or temporomandibular joint soreness from a cervical halter
Headache, dizziness or nausea after cervical traction in a small number of patients
A feeling of breathlessness or constriction from the thoracic harness during lumbar traction, usually relieved by loosening or repositioning it
Contra-Indications / Precautions
This treatment may not be suitable for individuals with:
- •Known or suspected spinal tumour, spinal infection, or unexplained weight loss with night pain — these require medical investigation, not traction
- •Acute fracture, spinal instability, or recent spinal surgery and instrumentation without written clearance from the operating surgeon
- •Cauda equina symptoms — loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the saddle area, or rapidly worsening weakness in both legs — which are a medical emergency and need immediate hospital assessment
- •Progressive or severe neurological deficit, including worsening muscle weakness or foot drop, until reviewed by a doctor
- •Rheumatoid arthritis, Down syndrome or any condition associated with upper cervical instability, in which cervical traction is not used
- •Vertebrobasilar insufficiency, carotid or vertebral artery disease, or symptoms suggesting them
- •Severe osteoporosis or fragile bone
- •Uncontrolled hypertension, aortic aneurysm, hiatus hernia or significant cardiorespiratory disease, particularly where thoracic and pelvic harnesses would be used
- •Pregnancy, in which lumbar traction is avoided
- •Any patient in whom the initial manual test reproduces or worsens the radiating symptoms
What to Expect in a Session
Assessment First: Your physiotherapist takes a full history, screens for the red flags listed above, examines your spinal movement, and performs a neurological examination of the affected limb — reflexes, sensation and muscle power. Traction suits a specific mechanical presentation, so this step decides whether it is appropriate at all.
A Manual Test Before Any Machine: The physiotherapist first applies a gentle pull by hand and asks what happens to your symptoms. Easing of arm or leg pain during the distraction supports a trial of traction; an increase, or pain spreading further down the limb, means traction is not used.
Setup and Positioning: For cervical traction you sit or lie with the neck angle set by your physiotherapist and the halter or head cradle padded and adjusted. For lumbar traction you lie on a split table with pelvic and thoracic harnesses fitted firmly but comfortably. You are shown the hand-held stop control before the pull begins.
Force and Progression: Treatment starts with a low force chosen for your size, diagnosis and comfort, and is progressed only if you tolerate it well and your symptoms respond. The physiotherapist stays with you and asks for feedback rather than leaving the machine to run unattended.
During the Session: Application is short — commonly around ten to twenty minutes within a longer appointment. You should feel a comfortable stretch and, ideally, some easing of the radiating symptoms. Sharp pain, symptoms travelling further down the limb, dizziness or breathlessness all stop the session immediately.
Straight After: Harnesses are released gradually rather than abruptly, and you rest briefly before standing. Your physiotherapist then uses the more comfortable period for the parts of the plan that produce lasting change — nerve gliding, mobility work and specific strengthening for your condition.
Trial Period and Review: Traction is trialled for a small number of sessions, then reviewed against how your symptoms and neurological examination have changed. With no meaningful improvement it is stopped and the plan revised. It is never continued indefinitely or used alone.
Evidence & Clinical Guidelines
Systematic reviews of lumbar traction for low back pain, with or without sciatica, have generally found little or no difference in pain or function compared with sham traction or other treatments — which is why it is offered here as a selective, response-tested adjunct rather than standard care.
The evidence for cervical traction in cervical radiculopathy is more mixed, with some reviews reporting short-term symptom relief when traction is combined with an exercise programme. The studies are small and their methods vary, so the effect should be treated as possible rather than established.
Across spinal guidelines the consistently supported treatments are graded exercise, movement, education and load management. Passive treatments including traction are best understood as ways of making that work more tolerable, and are worth continuing only while they clearly help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does spinal traction actually feel like?
Most patients describe a firm, comfortable stretch through the neck or lower back rather than anything sharp. With intermittent traction you feel the pull build, hold and ease off in a repeating cycle, and some people notice their arm or leg symptoms settle while it is on. What you should not feel is sharp pain, symptoms travelling further down the limb, dizziness or breathlessness — any of those stops the session, which is why you hold a stop control and your physiotherapist stays with you.
Will traction put my slipped disc back in place?
No. Traction does not reposition a disc, and any treatment described that way is being oversold. What it does is briefly reduce pressure within the segment and widen the opening the nerve root passes through, which can ease radiating symptoms for a period. Lasting improvement in disc-related pain comes from the natural course of the condition combined with graded exercise, nerve mobility work and load management — not from the pull itself.
How is cervical traction different from lumbar traction?
Mainly in scale and setup. Cervical traction uses a padded halter or head cradle with the patient sitting or lying, a carefully chosen neck angle, and a low force. Lumbar traction uses pelvic and thoracic harnesses on a split table so the two halves separate rather than the body sliding along the surface, and needs a substantially greater force. The precautions differ too — cervical traction is ruled out in conditions affecting upper neck stability, while lumbar traction raises concerns around the ribs, abdomen and pregnancy.
How many sessions will I need, and how do you know if it is working?
Traction is trialled over a small number of sessions and then reviewed honestly against your pain pattern, how far the symptoms travel down the limb, and your neurological examination. Symptoms retreating towards the spine and away from the hand or foot is a good sign. If there has been no meaningful change after that short trial, traction is stopped and the plan changed. Being kept on a traction table for months without measurable improvement is not good care.
Who should not have traction therapy?
Anyone with a known or suspected spinal tumour or infection, an acute fracture, spinal instability, or recent spinal surgery without the surgeon's clearance. It is also avoided in severe osteoporosis, in conditions affecting upper cervical stability such as rheumatoid arthritis, in suspected vertebral or carotid artery disease, in uncontrolled hypertension or significant heart and lung disease, and in pregnancy for lumbar traction. Cauda equina symptoms — bladder or bowel changes, saddle numbness, rapidly worsening leg weakness — are a medical emergency needing immediate hospital assessment, not a physiotherapy appointment.
Can I buy a home traction device or just hang from a bar instead?
Please discuss it before you try. Home cervical devices are frequently used at the wrong angle and force, and hanging from a bar loads the shoulders without controlling the direction of pull at all. More importantly, using traction without an assessment means using it without knowing whether your symptoms are the kind that respond to it, and without the screening that rules out the conditions in which it is unsafe. If a home technique suits you, your physiotherapist can teach a positional or self-traction method you can apply safely.
If traction helps, do I still need to do exercises?
Yes — more than ever. Relief from traction lasts a limited time, and the point of that window is to make the exercise, nerve gliding and strengthening possible while you are comfortable enough to do it well. Those are the parts of the plan supported by strong evidence and the parts that reduce the chance of recurrence. Traction without rehabilitation ends the moment you get off the table.
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Medically Reviewed
This content was reviewed for medical accuracy by Dr. Surabhi Bansal, BPT, MPT (Ortho) with 14+ years of clinical experience.
At Modern Physio, all medical content undergoes a thorough review process to ensure accuracy and alignment with current physiotherapy standards. Our content is created to educate and should not replace professional medical advice. Learn more about our review process.
Real Reviews From Our Patients
Verbatim reviews from patients treated at Modern Physio, sourced from Google and Practo.
I work at a desk for long hours and developed severe neck pain and cervical spondylosis. Dr. Surabhi Bansal at Modern Physio Jaipur gave me traction therapy, dry needling, and a home exercise program that made a huge difference. Within 2 weeks, the stiffness reduced a lot. She is the top physiotherapist in Vaishali Nagar for neck and cervical problems.