Cervical Traction

Cervical Radiculopathy Causes, Symptoms and Diagnosis

2009-08-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Cervical radiculopathy causes

Cervical radiculopathy can be caused by anything that puts pressure on the nerves roots in the spine. In young people, cervical radiculopathy may be caused due to a pressure from the material from ruptured disc. It may also be caused due to a pressure from herniated disk. In older people, cervical radiculopathy may be caused due to degenerative changes in bones or discs, which can put pressure on the nerves. Degenerative disk diseases like arthritis may also cause the nerves to compress.

Cervical Radiculopathy symptoms

Even if cervical radiculopathy is caused due to damage in the spine, the symptoms can be felt away from the spine. The symptoms of cervical radiculopathy can be experienced in the areas where the damaged nerve travels. Some of the symptoms of cervical radiculopathy include pain, numbness, and weakness in the arm, hand or shoulder. You may also experience neck pain or headaches in the back part of your head and tingling of fingers and hands.

Cervical Radiculopathy diagnosis

The diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy is done by understanding a patient’s complete history and by performing certain physical examinations. To know the cause of pain, your doctor will firstly ask your complete medical history. He will then ask you to perform certain neck and arm movements to reproduce symptoms.

He may remove X-ray to see whether any degenerative disk problem has occurred. X-ray may give him an idea regarding the amount of degeneration occurred. He may also ask you to have MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography) scan to evaluate the spine.

Cervical Radiculopathy Treatment

2009-08-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

The main aim of the cervical radiculopathy treatment is to reduce pain and prevent the risk of re-injury. The treatment of cervical radiculopathy depends upon the medical history and the symptoms of a person. Treatment of cervical radiculopathy is divided into two main categories namely conservative treatment and surgical treatment.

Conservative Treatment

Your doctor will first begin with the conservative treatment, which helps in relieving the pain by easing the pressure on the nerves. This treatment option is further divided into two sub-parts that include:

Medications: Doctor may prescribe a combination of anti-inflammatory drugs (cortisteroids) and non-steroidal painkillers. Medications can be taken either orally or injected through epidural injections. Epidural injections are more effective as they are injected directly into the affected areas.

Physical Therapy: your doctor may prescribe you certain physical exercises like stretching, electrical stimulation and gentle cervical traction and mobilization. These exercises will help in reducing the pain caused by cervical radiculopathy.

Surgical Treatment

When all other treatments fail to show their effect, surgery is the only option left. One of the most common surgical procedures to treat cervical radiculopathy, which is caused by herniated disc, is the anterior cervical discectomy.

In this procedure, the disc that is causing the pressure that is herniated disc is removed. In procedure is often used in combination with another procedure called anterior cervical fusion in which two vertebrae present on either side of the removed disc are fused together.

What is Cervical Radiculopathy?

2009-08-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Cervical Radiculopathy

Cervical radiculopathy is a condition that results from compression of the nerves near the cervical vertebrae. Cervical vertebrae comprises of seven vertebral columns, which all together form upper part of spine. The nerves affected by this condition are sensory nerves and therefore damage to any one of the nerve roots near the vertebral columns can result in pain, weakness and loss of sensation in your arm, wrist, hand or shoulder.

The nerves of the legs, hands and many other parts of your body arise near the cervical spine and pass through the spinal canal. When the herniated disc or the slipped disk in the region exert pressure on these nerves, the response is felt with the above said symptoms- pain in hands, leg joints, arms, shoulders etc. This effect of stress on the nerves and the resultant stimuli to be felt in the respective region of the nerves is called radiculopathy. However, its nothing complicated and it can be treated. There are millions suffering from this problem and they have been treated.

Cervical Radiculopathy

Efficacy of home cervical traction therapy

2009-08-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Cervical traction

Cervical traction is administered by various techniques ranging from supine mechanical motorized cervical traction to seated cervical traction using an over-the-door pulley support with attached weights. Duration of cervical traction can range from a few minutes to 20 to 30 min, once or twice weekly to several times per day. Anecdotal evidence suggests efficacy and safety, but there is no documentation of efficacy of cervical traction beyond short-term pain reduction.

Because of a clinical impression that a simplified, inexpensive, over-the-door home cervical traction method of treatment requiring 5 min of cervical traction twice daily was efficacious for both cervical pain and radiculopathic syndromes, we undertook a retrospective study of 58 outpatients treated between 1994 and 1996. Age range was 29 to 84 (mean, 56) yr. Twenty-three males and 35 females were classified as Grade 1 to Grade 3 according to the Quebec Task Force of Whiplash-Associated Disorders Cohort Study. Outcomes were as follows: Grade 1 (mild)--4 of 4 (100%) patients improved; Grade 2 (moderate)--34 of 44 (77%) patients improved (P <>

Article source: http://www.find-health-articles.com/

Cervical traction

Overdoor Cervical Traction Device (Cervical Traction)

2009-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

Neck traction is commonly performed to help relieve muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders, and to help relieve the pain of pinched nerves in the neck that cause headaches. The Overdoor cervical traction device provides up to twenty pounds of sustained traction to the Cervical spine, which is often recommended for relief from chronic neck pain due to cervical spondylosis, disk prolapse, whiplash, or torticollis.

Capacity - Although 5 to 10 pound (2.5- to 5-kg) weight is most commonly recommended, the Overdoor Cervical Traction device can hold up to 20 lbs. in water.

Some Guidelines For Use• Always consult a qualified physician prior to using neck traction at home.
• Follow your physicians recommendations regarding amount of traction, duration and regularity of treatment.
• Start with a low amount of weight in the beginning gradually increasing as instructed by your doctor.
• Keep your head still without motion during the traction session to avoid injury.
• Stop traction immediately and consult your physician if you have any symptoms which are unusual, including but not limited to; dizziness, increased pain, difficulty breathing or lightheadedness.
• Never use traction longer than 30 minutes.

Cervical Traction

Cervical Traction At Home (Cervical Traction)

2009-07-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

Being able to treat you neck pain at home can make the healing process faster. Home Cervical Traction is a non invasive way that can give you long term pain relief. Home traction stretch sthe soft tissues of the neck and to separate the spinal joint structures in order to relieve neck pain. Constant traction results in tiring of the muscles, allowing the strain to rest on the joints. Traction results in a widening of the joint spaces, promoting pain relief because pressure is taken of the cervical nerves.

There are few different types of traction that are available including a free weight and pulley system or a mechanical motorized device, often involving a head or chin sling to allow pull in a cephalad upward direction. Mechanical motorized devices are easily applied but require patient attendance and, therefore, are most often used in an outpatient clinic setting. These include the cervical posture pump 1000 and the Pronex pneumatic traction unit. You can acheive 20-50 pounds of pressure (PSI). Cervical traction may be used in a home setting as an alternative to or in addition to outpatient rehabilitation.

Cervical Traction

Cervical Traction Neck Pillow (Cervical Traction)

2009-06-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

The Cervical Traction Neck Pillow is a great pillow for aligning your head and neck in the proper position for sleeping at night. This pillow has two sides to sleep on: a traction side and a support side. The traction side of the pillow will give you a genlte stretch in the spine when you sleep. If you have been diagnosed with no curve in your neck or a "military neck", the Cervical Traction Neck Pillow is the right pillow for you. Great for patients who suffer from degenerative disc, arthritis, herniated disc, or a bulging disc in their neck.

10 important reasons why the Cervical Traction neck pillow can help you:

Provides you with proper support while you sleep
Superior comfort helps you sleep
Promotes correct posture
Allows for less restricted posture
Filled with only top quality polyester fiber
No rubber or latex
Non-allergenic
Helps chiropractic adjustments last longer
Each neck pillow is hand-stuffed to assure perfection 10. Each pillow is weighed and inspected 5 times (no lumps and Clumps)

Cervical Traction

Cervical Traction Device (Cervical Traction)

2009-06-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

The Cervical Traction Device may be used for the relief of neck pain associated with cervical disc herniation, spondylosis, osteoarthritis, cervical radiculopathy, neck strain, pinched nerve in upper spine with associated pain radiating down upper extremities, tension and/or tightness (muscle spasm) in muscles of the upper back, shoulders and neck, fibromyalgia, whiplash, insomnia and tension headaches associated with tension in the aforementioned musculature.

There are many cervical traction devices you can find on the Internet. Some cost as low as $60, while others can have world class (aka expensive) prices. Most traction devices today are portable. Manufacturers are creating these products to complement mobile and busy lifestyles. Portability means you can bring your traction device wherever you go, and you can always keep it under the bed after your traction session.

Cervical Traction

Effectiveness of Cervical Traction (Cervical Traction)

2009-06-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

The effectiveness of cervical traction primarily depends on three major factors: the strength of pressure applied on affected areas, the direction of traction force, and the duration and frequency of therapy sessions. It is important to let licensed medical practitioners provide the appropriate instructions and details of treatment using cervical traction procedure.

A. Strength of Pressure

As a basic principle, the application of force to the cervical discs should not be too forceful. That’s because the inter-vertebral cervical discs are small and relatively unstable. So, at first application, the patient should properly determine the strength of force needed to alleviate pain.

If the minimum application of force does not mitigate the pain in the affected areas, it must be adjusted until the proper strength is achieved. Needless to say, application of pressure and determination of appropriate force should be carried out gradually. This is to minimize adverse effects and to maximize the benefits of cervical traction procedure.

B. The Direction of Traction

Constant cervical joint spasms can be felt especially if the patient is suffering from neck pains. The spasm is mainly due to cervical spine extension, thus increasing root irritation. The normal reaction to this is to flex the spine vertically to relieve the extension of the cervical spine. The result is distraction of the spaces of the cervical spine and correction of posture, thus relieving the pain.

This maneuver is the one being replicated by cervical traction procedure. By helping patients achieve proper spine posture and alignment, the pain is generally alleviated. That is why the direction of traction is critical to obtaining relief from cervical spine misalignment. Normally, patients are directed to sit straight while traction is applied vertically through a pulling motion.

C. Duration and Frequency of Therapy

Again, the duration and frequency of cervical traction procedure will primarily depend on its result. If the patient cannot be relieved through short traction time, application may be extended until relief is achieved.

Cervical traction therapy should be frequent especially during the first stages of treatment. Sessions can be reduced if episodes of cervical spine pains become more infrequent. Later, traction may be used as needed only, or it can be discontinued if spinal pain does not reoccur.

Cervical Traction

Cervical Traction is a Solution For Neck Pain (Cervical Traction)

2009-06-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

Neck pains can be very annoying. However, in severe cases, it can be immobilizing and certainly affect your everyday activities. To understand and appreciate treatment, you need to know the causes of neck pain. This way, you will know if the healing benefits of cervical traction can help you.

Neck pains and cervical tractions are inseparable. For many years, doctors have used traction therapy to treat neck pains. It is a non-invasive and conservative technique that can solve neck muscle and bone structure disorders.

The most common cause of neck pain is everyday stress and tension. If you are under constant stress, your muscles may tighten, making it stiff and painful. You may have slept in the wrong position, which can cause a stiff neck. When you sit in front of your computer for extended periods, you may also experience stiffness and numbness of the neck muscles.

Your lifestyle can also cause neck pains. You may have developed an improper posture, or you may have gained too much weight. These could stress your spine, thus leading to neck and back pains.

Too much exercise, sports, and other physical activities can also put your spine under severe stress, thus giving you a nasty neck pain and muscle fatigue.

Other causes of neck pains are related to age. As you grow old, certain disorders may develop, which can have a direct impact on your neck muscles and cervical spine. These disorders include osteoarthritis, chronic disc diseases, and spinal stenosis.

Neck pains can also be caused by accidents or injuries. When your head experiences sudden traumatic movement, the resulting rebound may cause neck injuries. This is commonly known as whiplash. The whipping motion of your head can jar every strand of muscle that supports your neck. It can also dislocate or misalign the bone structure in your neck. The result naturally is constant neck pain.

To alleviate pain and correct bone structure misalignment, cervical traction can be applied. Cervical traction involves the use of a device that will attempt to pull your spine upwards to create spaces between your cervical discs. This is also known as disc distraction. Therapy using this method can correct the alignment of the spine, thus restoring proper posture and releasing tension in the spinal column.

Traction can also stretch the muscles. The flexion of muscles releases built up tension around the nerves, thus mitigating another source of pain.

Although more studies and research are needed, there is clinical evidence that clearly shows the efficacy of cervical traction in eliminating painful episodes of the neck. This is especially true for mild cases of neck pain and injuries. For more serious cases, prolonged cervical traction therapy and additional orthopedic intervention may be needed to achieve compete treatment.

Indeed, the healing benefits of cervical traction can solve many cases of neck pains. It can be used as an active therapeutic method or as a regular muscle and bone structure exercise to maintain the optimum condition of the spinal column.

Cervical Traction

What is Cervical Traction? (Cervical Traction)

2009-06-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Cervical Traction

Cervical traction is a simple chiropractic procedure used to correct the alignment of the entire spinal column. It is considered a conservative therapeutic method of chiropractic medicine. The advantage of this kind of procedure is that it can be done at home, without direct supervision of a health practitioner.

Indications and Contraindications of Cervical Traction

Cervical traction is indicated for the diseases of cervical disc, osteoarthritis, and for accelerated extension damages as long as there are no post-traumatic lesions.

For cervical disc disorders, traction can be used with or without root inflammations. For back bone disorders without extensive neurological effects, this procedure should be applied conservatively. It is also indicated for most neck injuries that resulted from traumatic motions.

The procedure of cervical traction is generally safe, and there are no reported major hazards concerning the use of traction devices. However, it is contraindicated for cases wherein patients have not undergone thorough orthopedic, neurological, and radiological examinations.

Cervical traction is not recommended for neo-plastic disorders, cervical spine injuries having serious post-traumatic lesions, or for patients experiencing serious cervicobrachial discomforts mostly associated with gross neurological deficit.

Cervical Traction

Cervical Traction Review (Cervical Traction)

2009-06-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

Cervical traction

Cervical traction can be an invaluable aid in treating neck disorders caused by conditions such as muscle spasm, nerve root compression, degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis, myofascial syndrome and facet joint dysfunction. Cervical traction is used to apply a stretch to muscles, ligaments, and tissue components of the cervical spine. By promoting separation of the intervertabral joint space, cervical traction provides much needed relief.

Cervical traction is administered by various techniques ranging from supine mechanical motorized cervical traction to seated cervical traction using an over-the-door pulley support with attached weights. Duration of cervical traction can range from a few minutes to 20 to 30 min, once or twice weekly to several times per day. Anecdotal evidence suggests efficacy and safety, but there is no documentation of efficacy of cervical traction beyond short-term pain reduction. Because of a clinical impression that a simplified, inexpensive, over-the-door home cervical traction method of treatment requiring 5 min of cervical traction twice daily was efficacious for both cervical pain and radiculopathic syndromes, we undertook a retrospective study of 58 outpatients treated between 1994 and 1996. Age range was 29 to 84 (mean, 56) yr.

The cervical traction group was divided into a non-extraction group and an extraction of maxillary second molars group. Cervical traction was associated with a small distal positioning and anterior downward tipping of the maxilla during treatment.

Cervical traction