Cervical Traction for Neck Pain: Should You Consider?

February 28, 2024

What is cervical traction?

Traction of the spine, known as cervical traction, is a popular treatment for neck pain and related injuries. Essentially, cervical traction pulls your head away from your neck to create expansion and eliminate compression. It’s considered to be an alternative treatment for neck pain, helping people avoid the need for medication or surgeries.

It involves gently stretching your neck and separating the disc and joint surfaces in your cervical spine (neck). A cervical traction device is used to gently pull your head away from your neck, expanding the space between vertebrae and helping to alleviate pinched or compressed nerves.

This article discusses cervical traction for neck pain, how cervical traction devices work, and what you can expect from treatment.

What Does Cervical Traction Do?

Cervical traction can be used for a variety of purposes.

It can be used to help decrease compressive forces in the neck, which can help take pressure off of the discs that reside between the vertebrae (spinal bones) in the neck.
It can also open up the spaces where nerves exit the spinal canal, which can help relieve pressure off of a compressed nerve.
Traction can also help stretch the muscles and joint structures around the neck.

Common diagnoses that may benefit from cervical traction include, but are not limited to:

Herniated or bulging discs in the neck
Neck strains
Neck arthritis
Cervical muscle spasms
Radiculopathy

If you have any of these conditions or symptoms, check in with your healthcare provider and visit your PT to see if cervical traction is right for you.

Contraindications

Generally, it’s safe to perform cervical traction, but it is not right for everyone.

It’s possible that you can experience side effects such as headache, dizziness, and nausea upon adjusting your body in this manner. It’s also possible for you to injure your tissue, neck, or spine. You should avoid cervical traction if you have:

rheumatoid arthritis
postsurgery hardware such as screws in your neck
a recent fracture or injury in the neck area
a known tumor in the neck area
a bone infection
issues or blockages with vertebral or carotid arteries
osteoporosis
cervical instability
spinal hypermobility

Does Neck Traction Really Work?

When considering any medical treatment, in the PT clinic or elsewhere, it helps to understand what research is available for the treatment and how it may help your condition.

A 2017 meta-analysis published in the journal Spine examined seven different cervical traction studies. The researchers concluded that neck traction can possibly offer short-term neck pain relief. The research is inconclusive when determining if traction offers long-term relief, and more studies need to be done on cervical traction to determine this.

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Medical Review: This article is written by Dr Nishtha Mittal (Senior Health Content Editor at Zanskar Health) and has been medically reviewed by the medical team at Zanskar Health. This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.