If you are looking for natural pain relief options for neck pain - neck traction might come up. When you first mention Neck Traction to patients they sometimes have a dazed look on their face. They think you are going to hook them to a machine that causes a lot of pain.
Neck traction can be beneficial for many conditions including:
- neck arthitis
- radiculopathy
- pinched nerve
- nerve root compression
- spinal stenosis
- fibromyalgia
- whiplash (not acute)
- headahces
- muscle spasms
- herniated disc
- bulging disc
I want to show my Neck Pain Support Readers that you can start off with very basic neck traction. This allows you to slowly get into neck stretching. Here are 3 easy things you can use.
- First use the arc4life traction neck pillow, especially the traction V Side. If you just lay on your back, on the traction V Side of the pillow for 20-25 minutes you will get some pain relief. You are not sleeping on the pillow, just laying on the pillow. Set a timer if you have too. This is a great form of passive traction that you can do at home. Basically you are stretching the spine very gently and allowing the nerves to be freed up in between the vertebrae. One important side note, order the right size of pillow. Ordering the wrong size can cause you unneeded pain.
- A little more advanced form of this would be to use a traction unit - such as the cervi pedic, or an omni cervical relief device. Basically these units cradles the head and neck in proper alignment, to encourage gentle traction and correct cervical curvature. They are both ergonomically contoured and allow total relaxation of the neck, shoulder, and back muscles. Note you can use both the Omni and the Cervi pedic lying down or seated.
- The most advanced form you can do at home is using a posture pump 1100 or a Pronex Traction Unit With this unit for example you can get up to 20 lbs of pressure. I often recommend to use this in a chiropractor or Physical therapists office first to understand how to use it and use it correctly. You will then know what neck traction feels like. Also, a unit like this helps to correct the natural C Curve in your neck. So if you have forward head posture, or a hunchback posture, then can help immensely.
Neck Traction can have quite an impact on patients health. It can help with pain relief, better posture, relief of radiculopathy symptoms ( such as numbness and tingling, shooting pains), headache relief and stiffness and help patients sleep better.
Just remember to ease into it slowly. That is the key. Nothing scary about Neck Traction.
Updated: 4/24/2020
