Back Traction Therapy- Introduction
One of the treatments I do for my herniated disc in the L5-S1 region is back traction therapy. I started back traction therapy around the end of March. Back traction is a type of therapy with regard to vertebrae ailments and has confirmed to be a good efficient device providing sufferers pain alleviation as well as elevated range of motion. Even though the prolonged term results of back traction therapy tend to be inclusive, the quick term advantages are motivating for struggling individuals.
The purpose of back traction therapy is to decompress the lower spine to give relief to bulging and herniated discs. By decompressing the discs, space can be opened up for the bulging or herniated disc to re-position itself back to its natural alignment and stop pinching the spinal nerves which are causing all of the pain and agony. This short-term 20-30 minute treatment gives the patient some much needed pain relief and even increases the patients range of motion to allow stretching to be performed. My personal experiences with back traction make me a bit sore afterwards but in a good way. The soreness is not pain and in fact feels like a workout. I am also able to bend up and down a bit more which is a good sign of progress.
Though back traction therapy is a good efficient kind of remedy, it is frequently utilized in combination with various other types of remedies which might contain, anti-inflammatory medication, herniated disc exercises, cold showers or heat, and massages.
Back Traction Therapy- How it works
The Back Traction machine is a table that uses a motorized hydraulic to separate itself. The patient will lie down on a table and be securely strapped to the table by a physical therapist. The therapist will then use the digital pad on the machine to enter in how many pounds of force should be used to separate the table. For instance, my physical therapist started with 80 pounds and we have slowly increased to 100 pounds as my flexibility has increased. The machine will slowly separate, decompress the area where your injury is, and then slowly move back into place. Often, I get a bit sleepy on this machine and have fallen asleep before. Its a pretty relaxing treatment and I am usually excited for back traction days. You are also handed a kill-switch to use to stop the machine if you’re experiencing pain or discomfort. Luckily, in my case, I haven’t had to use this thankfully.
Back Traction Therapy- Common forms
Mechanical like back traction uses a motor-driven gadget for the purpose of extending the lumbar area of the backbone to be separated very slowly for around a single minute. As soon as this has already been carried out, traction is reduced progressively for fifty percent of that period. This is subsequently preserved at that degree for roughly one extra minute. Based upon the quantity of discomfort or soreness the affected individual is encountering, the procedure is duplicated 10 to 15 intervals.
The majority of sufferers need the implementation of hand-grips throughout this procedure. The purpose with regard to this is actually to enable the individual to manage the movements and in specific if perhaps there is any kind of discomfort throughout the procedure, the client require simply discharge the hand-grips in order to put out the traction force which is in process.
Back Traction Table
Whenever utilizing the back traction table along with the motor-driven system, individuals may generally require to utilize a back traction harness. Even though the affected individual is within various placements, the back traction control is employed to assist the affected individual whilst becoming positioned in a range of placements which have already been confirmed to provide discomfort alleviation as well as mobility. The back traction harness is a good inflatable band which is reinforced by a strap which is connected to a couple of equalization rings.
The other form of back traction therapy is the manual lumbar traction given by a physical therapist. The physical therapist will pull the patients ankles through a slow, controlled force. The last kind of manual back traction will entail the physical therapist putting the patient’s legs above their own shoulders. As soon as the legs are covered above the physical therapist’s shoulders, the physical therapist will position their own arms upon the patient’s thighs and pull.
The majority of back traction therapy sessions last about thirty to forty-five minutes. Some days though I wish they could last longer because it is so relaxing, however over-stretching can be just as hazardous as having tight muscles and not having any flexibility at all.
