Do you currently or have you ever experienced pain in your neck?

Most of us have at one time or another!

Sometimes neck pain may be an issue with tight muscles, worn down joints, or a pinched nerve. If a pinched nerve is involved, it usually will send some pretty intense pain down one or both arms. This may be in the form of numbness, tingling, burning, etc.

If you have had your neck pain treated in a rehab setting, a tool you may have encountered is traction. In the region of the neck, this is more formally known as cervical traction.

Cervical traction can have some amazing benefits, IF you’re the right candidate for it. Some have found the benefits of using cervical traction in the rehab setting to be helpful for use at home as well.

RangeMaster has a home cervical traction unit, called the C-Trax Seated Cervical Traction. Depending on your background and circumstances, a device like this may be beneficial to keep in your tool belt at home for managing ongoing, chronic neck pain.

Let’s take a look at the specifics of the C-Trax, benefits of cervical traction, and contraindications for use to see if this device might be a good option for you.

C-Trax Seated Cervical Traction

In the rehab setting, cervical traction is traditionally performed with the patient lying on their back. This is usually the case if the traction force is being applied by the therapist themselves, or if a mechanical cervical traction machine is being utilized.

Home cervical traction devices can be utilized with you lying down or being upright in a seated position, depending on the exact device you’re using. Some will find one position more beneficial and relaxing compared to the other. It’s important to determine what position is most productive and comfortable for your own neck.

A seated cervical traction device, such as the C-Trax, is very easy to set up at home. All you need is a door, chair, and the traction device itself.

The C-Trax comes with an attached bag that you will fill with water. You’ll notice lines on the bag that indicate the weighted force you are achieving when you fill the bag to a certain level. This is the traction force then applied to your neck. On the C-Trax, this will range from 2# to 20#. The amount of weight you use depends on a few things, such as the following:

• Your particular neck condition being treated

• Your medical history

• Your own personal tolerance for the weight being used

For these reasons, it’s always helpful to utilize the guidance of your medical provider or a rehab specialist to assist in recommending the right amount of weight to use in your particular case.

Pros of Cervical Traction

There are many pros to consider for the use of cervical traction, and a variety of neck conditions that can benefit from its use.

The following includes a list of common cervical conditions that will typically benefit from traction:

• Cervical spinal stenosis

• Cervical radiculopathy

• Cervical spondylosis or arthritis

• Cervical degenerative disc disease

The above conditions usually involve an issue where there is less space between the joints in the neck, worn down joints overall, or a pinched nerve may be involved. In these cases, cervical traction can help to decrease any associated pain, stiffness, and take unnecessary pressure off the involved joints and/or nerves.

Sometimes, if the primary issue is tension from the surrounding soft tissues in the neck (e.g., muscles, tendons), traction can be beneficial for a relaxing effect to release this tension. As a result, pain relief and greater neck mobility can be achieved.

It’s important to note that not everyone requires long-term use of a cervical traction device. Some will only need it for a short period if their problem is more temporary; however, if you are dealing with a chronic neck condition, that would benefit from long-term traction use, a home unit can be considered.

Contraindications for Using Cervical Traction

While cervical traction can have many benefits, like any medical device or form of treatment, not everyone may be an appropriate candidate. Some individuals, based on their medical history and specific neck issue, will not benefit from cervical traction. In cases like this, traction could do more harm than good.

The following is a list of common medical conditions and concerns that would be considered contraindications for use of cervical traction:

• Conditions that compromise bone and spinal health

→ Osteoporosis

→ Osteomyelitis

→ Active tumors on the spinal cord

• Pregnancy

• Anxiety or claustrophobia in a restraining environment

• Aortic aneurysm

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure

• Myelopathy

• Acute torticollis

• Any active infection in the cervical spine

• Acute inflammation in the cervical spine

• Cervical dislocations

• Spinal cord compression

• Spinal fractures

• Joint instability

That’s a lot!

It’s important to take note of these conditions, and if you have any concerns regarding the appropriateness of using cervical traction, always make sure to discuss things with your medical provider.

Even if someone is a good candidate for use of cervical traction, you’ll still want to make sure you don’t have any abnormal response during use of traction. This is why monitoring traction use via a trained professional when first using is recommended. Abnormal symptoms might include any or all of the following:

• New onset of pain directly in the neck or down the arm

• New onset of numbness and/or tingling in the neck or arm

• Changes in vision

• New and/or sudden headache onset

• Nausea

• Dizziness

If you are ever using cervical traction and experience one or more of these symptoms, stop use of the traction device immediately and do not use again until you consult with your medical provider. If, at the time, these abnormal symptoms do not resolve with pausing traction, then seek medical attention immediately.

Key Takeaways

The use of cervical traction can be very beneficial, as long as you’re the right candidate. Even as the perfect candidate though, you’ll still always want to proceed with caution when using a device such as this.

It’s always a good idea to consult with your medical provider and/or a rehab specialist before use of cervical traction. This is to ensure there are no contraindications with use of this type of device, and so that a professional can safely monitor your response.

If everything has checked out with your medical providers, and a home traction unit has been recommended, then the C-Trax may be the right device for you!