A 38-year-old member asked:
What is lumbar traction?
3 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Byron Law-Yoneanswered
Psychiatry 56 years experience
A type of treatment: Treatment for back problems where there is traction on your spine to "open up" the spaces between you vertebra and loosen the pressure on trapped nerves and restore disc integrity.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Justin Esterberganswered
Orthopedic Spine Surgery 25 years experience
Pull: Literally means pulling on your spine in a way to temporarily lengthen your spine. There are several tables/ machines that do this, inversion tables allow gravity to do the work of pulling. Many people with low back or nerve pain related to back conditions find traction helpful at least temporarily.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Robert Massonanswered
Neurosurgery 34 years experience
Expands foramen: When a disc collapses the roof and the floor of the the space the nerve travels through collapses. Traction is a treatment that pulls the roof and floor apart, expanding and unpinching the nerve, it is temporary, but sometimes helps the nerve inflammation and irritability improve.
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 44-year-old member asked:
What does a lumbar traction table do?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Byron Law-Yoneanswered
Psychiatry 56 years experience
Apply traction: It is meant to apply traction on the spine in order to treat disorders of the back.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Mar 27, 2014
People also asked
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
24/7 visits - just $39!
50% off with $15/month membership
Disclaimer:
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.