Traction Flashcards
when would you use traction (2)
- chronic neck pain WITH mobility deficits
- chronic neck pain WITH radiating pain
know these
what is the effect of traction on the neck? (4)
- increase foramen size
- decreased cervical pressure
- increased disc space
- reduce area of herniation
what is the effect of traction on trigger points/muscles?
no effect
what must you do before traction? (3)
- determine your goals
- manual traction first
- educate patient on expectations
how do you position a patient on cervical traction?
based on patient comfort, there is no evidence to support angle biases
how much force is used in standard cervical traction?
10-25 pounds
how does intermittant traction work
set the low threshold at 1/2 max threshold and then run for 10-20 minutes
how long for intermittant traction?
10-20 minutes, but there is no ideal timing
what is a major reason to DC traction
worsening symptoms including referred symtpoms
how do you conclude a traction session?
allow patient to release themselves and rest for a few minutes to determine any change in status
what are 5 goals of traction
- decrease pain, paresthesia, radicular symptoms
- increase function
- increase ROM
- improve UE MMT
- improve UE reflexes
how should you educate your patient following traction?
inform them of the rebound effect minutes to hours after traction
how do you determine prone v supine lumbar traction?
patient comfort/preference
what is standard pressure for lumbar traction?
1/2 patient body weight
what are the goals of lumbar traction
same as cervical traction
- decrease pain/paresthesia/radicular symptoms
- improve ROM
- improve reflexes
- improve function
- improve MMT
