True Neck Traction: The Right Kind of Neck Traction for Long-Term Pain Relief
Many people get traction in a therapist’s office or at home. One type of traction is where the neck is basically just stretched. The other is where you stretch but it also helps restore the curvature of the neck.
On the neck there should be a 40-60 degrees C curve. This is the best position for the neck spine because it leaves the spinal cord relaxed and all the nerves can exit the back of the spine without pressure or interference.
True neck traction is a traction that aims to restore cervical curvature because it can be a long-term solution to nerve pressure and neck problems such as pain and muscle tension.
Traction where the head is simply stretched out is a short term solution. Often the most common type is “air pull” or “over the door pull.” This is where some kind of harness is attached to your neck or head and there is a weight on the other end of the harness (usually over a door) that creates the pull. Sometimes it is done with small weights or a bag of water. This is similar to someone gently pulling your head up. Gives temporary relief.
By using true neck traction you can get relief that will last much longer. It has been said that any loss of the normal curvature of the neck is classified as a misalignment Prayed subluxation of the spine Any misalignment or subluxation puts pressure on the nerves. Even a small misalignment can eliminate that nerve or the ability of those nerves to send the message from the brain to that particular part of the body.
This is why neck traction is often used only by people with pain and discomfort most of the time, but also by people who show no symptoms of neck pain or discomfort and the like.
unique lateral x-ray someone’s neck can show us what the curve of their neck looks like. Otherwise, looking at one’s posture from the side can tell us a lot. The middle of the ear should line up roughly with the middle of the shoulder. A vertical line should be able to be drawn between these two points.
If it doesn’t line up, then it’s another case of the dreaded “head forward posture.” If that head protrudes forward, there’s a good chance that some of the proper curvature and alignment of the neck will be lost.
A day of computer work or reading with your head down probably won’t change the curve of your neck, but prolonged poor posture or a whiplash-type injury can.
Take the example of the football quarterback. The quarterback is fired, hit from behind as he was about to throw. His back arches back, his neck arches back, as he is struck at torso level. His body is then thrown forward as the tackler’s momentum and force move in that direction. His neck whips back, forward, and then back as he hits the ground (“whiplash”). So the quarterback’s spine was completely crooked, but he gets up, shakes it off, and his spine snaps back into place.
The body is petty amazing! Many times it will realign itself. Sometimes, however, the spine does not go back into place and now we have a misalignment. This can be from a single vertebra (back bone) or, more often, a group of segments or vertebrae of the spinal column.
With loss of the curve of the neck (cervical lordosis), there is often a group of segments that are misaligned. Again, this can happen through some sort of trauma, like getting hit from behind by a hard tackle in your car. And it doesn’t always take much force at all actually. Loss of neck curvature can also be due to poor posture habits over time. Things like working on a computer several hours a day without a break; o continuous reading with head down; or long and stressful trips, to name a few examples.
This is why traction is used so often now. It is the best way to restore your neck alignment to what it should be. Curvature correction takes pressure off nerves, reduces swelling, and relaxes muscles. Neck traction not only helps people who have had neck trauma and clearly have severe neck pain, but it also helps prevent unwanted neck problems from arising.