Traction for low-back pain with or without sciatica

Clarke, Judith A.; Tulder, Maurits W. van; Blomberg, Stefan; Vet, Henrica C.W. de; Heijden, Geert J. van der; Brønfort, Gert; Bouter, Lex M.

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd003010.pub4

Cited by 71 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the results of the current study seem to support the conclusions of recent reviews 17,30,31) in which no uniform evidence of the efficacy of traction therapy as a treatment for LBP was reported 23) . A limitation of our study is the lack of follow-up concerning the effects for at least after 3 months.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Stretching Versus Mechanical Traction of the Spine in Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

et al. 2012

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Abstract.[Purpose] Traction-based therapies are non-invasive and probably cost-effective and have received interest recently. This study was conducted to compare two training programs, traction and stretching exercises, in rehabilitation of moderate scoliotic patients.[Subjects] Forty patients who were 15 to 25 years of age and had moderate scoliosis (Cobb's angle of 20 to 40 degrees) were randomized to either a stretching exercises group (n=20) or mechanical traction group (n=20).[Methods] All the patients were informed about the testing and training procedure and were allocated randomly into two groups. Both the groups received a common physical therapy program of 3 sessions a week for 3 months. In addition, the stretching exercises group received stretching of muscles on the concave side with postural instructions for activities of daily living. The mechanical traction group received mechanical traction of the lumbar spine with postural instructions for activities of daily living. The outcome measures used were anteroposterior view of loading X-ray to detect any change in the Cobb's angle of the lower spine, tape measurement to detect forward flexion of the trunk by using fingertip-to-floor test (FFT), and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain measurement. [Results] There was more significant improvement of the Cobb's angle in the stretching exercises group than in the mechanical traction group. There was no significant difference in VAS and FFT values between the groups. [Conclusion] Stretching exercises led to significant improvement in the Cobb's angle and resulted in improvement of scoliotic curves in moderate scoliotic patients.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Stretching Versus Mechanical Traction of the Spine in Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

et al. 2012

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“…Reviews were excluded for a variety of reasons. For example, one review included participants with NSLBP, with a trial using mineral water as a co-intervention, but whose population had sub-acute NSLBP (4-12 weeks), and therefore it was excluded [14]. An additional review [15] examining acupuncture for low back pain included several trials using herbal medicines but only for acute low back pain, thus it was excluded.…”

Section: Results Of Literature Searchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence Based Review of Natural Health Products for Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Gagnier¹

2010

TOPAINJ

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Introduction -Natural health products (e.g., vitamins, minerals, herbal medicines) are frequently used for musculoskeletal pain and there is an increasing amount of high quality research being done to test the efficacy of these interventions. Low back pain is a very common condition and individuals suffering from these conditions are frequently seeking out these products.Objective -The objective of this paper is to review and summarize the evidence surrounding natural health products for chronic non-specific low back pain.Methods -We searched for systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials in PubMed and the Cochrane Library. We performed a best evidence synthesis of the resulting papers.Results -We included two systematic reviews and 2 additional randomized controlled trials published subsequently to these reviews. We found strong evidence for 50 mg harpagoside per dose of an aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens per day reduces pain more than placebo. We found moderate evidence for 100 mg harpagoside per dose of an aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens compared to placebo, for an extract of willow bark yielding 120 mg salicin per day compared with placebo, for 240 mg of salicin per day in reducing pain to a greater extent than placebo, for 240 mg of salicin per day as equivalent to 120 mg salicin, for no differences in pain and function between a 60 mg daily harpagoside dose of an aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens and 12.5 mg rofecoxib per day, for no difference in pain and overall improvement between Spiroflor SRL homeopathic gel (SRL) and Cremor Capsici Compositus FNA, the capsici oleoresin gel, for intramuscular B12 when compared with placebo. We found limited evidence for topical Capsicum frutescens in the form of Rado-Salil cream or a Capsicum plaster for reducing pain more than placebo, for lavender oil in the treatment of chronic NSLBP, or vitamin C, zinc, and manganese in addition to prolotherapy. Adverse events for all interventions appeared to be mild and transient though we did not attempt to identify all relevant literature concerning adverse events.Conclusions -There is some evidence for several natural health products in the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain. More research is needed for all of these interventions before they are incorporated into routine clinical practice and their reporting must be improved by referring to the recently published extensions of the CONSORT statement.

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“…However, despite this long history and the many innovative ways that have been developed to apply traction forces to the spine, there is little evidence to support its use in practice. A systematic review based upon an analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials involving traction concludes: "the results of the available studies involving mixed groups of acute, sub-acute and chronic patients with LBP with and without sciatica were quite consistent, indicating that continuous or intermittent traction as a single treatment for LBP is not likely effective for this group" (Clarke JA et al, 2010).…”

Section: Tractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservative Management of Low Back Pain

Spoto¹

2012

Low Back Pain

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Traction for low-back pain with or without sciatica

Cited by 71 publications

References 33 publications

Stretching Versus Mechanical Traction of the Spine in Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

Stretching Versus Mechanical Traction of the Spine in Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

Evidence Based Review of Natural Health Products for Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Conservative Management of Low Back Pain

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