If you’ve ever experienced acute or chronic neck pain, you know how debilitating it can be. We rely on our spine for just about every motion we make: walking, sitting, turning, lifting, cooking, driving, typing, etc. So, when something is wrong with our neck, we feel it with every single move, every turn of the head. Some people attempt to self-treat their problems with anti-inflammatory drugs, ice, heat, or massage. Others seek medical help and are often referred for chiropractic care or physical therapy. But what about at-home neck traction?
What IS Neck Traction?
The word “traction” may sound pretty scary (especially if you’ve seen enough movies with complicated traction devices hanging over the hospital bed of a character who’s been in a car accident or fallen down stairs). But traction is simply any pulling force applied to a part of the body that needs stretching of a compressed or pinched area.
There is both manual and mechanical traction. For neck pain, manual traction is employed on the neck by a therapist, using their hands to pull the head away from the neck to decompress the spine. But mechanical traction involves the use of a device to do the work of the pulling, without the need of a physical therapist or chiropractor. Luckily, there are now neck traction devices that can be used at home for daily treatments to help ease neck compression and pain.
Let’s look at how a portable cervical traction device works, who it could help, and why some devices are better than others.
Conditions That Can Be Improved by Traction
Neck pain can be caused by a myriad of factors. Some different causes of neck pain that may be helped by using a neck traction device are:
- Herniated (or bulging) discs
- Pinched nerves
- Cervical sprains or spasms
- Poor posture
- Muscle tightness
- Neck injuries
How Neck Traction Devices Work
There are various types of traction devices that neck-pain sufferers can purchase for at-home use. Some resemble a stack of cushioned doughnuts around the neck, some look like a cervical collar, and some use weights or pulleys, usually hung from a door, to gently pull the neck. No matter the type of device, though, all operate with a similar objective.
The goal of any neck traction device is to gently apply a lifting or pulling force to create a decompression of the spine. In other words, by pulling the head away from the body, it creates more space between the vertebrae, reducing the pressure on the discs and any pinched nerves. This reduction of pressure between the cervical vertebrae may provide immediate relief during use of the traction device and can even reduce pain after the treatment ends.
Are All Neck Traction Devices About the Same?
In a word, no. Each device has its benefits and downsides. Some devices are more portable than others; some are more expensive (for example, many of the cervical collars). Others need quite a bit of set-up and may even require assistance from another person (like the over-the-door traction device where the users’ weight is counterbalanced with a large, heavy bag of water). And, while all neck traction devices do pull the neck, they may not do it at the correct angle for the spine, or with the proper amount of pressure to really achieve spinal decompression.
This is where Fisher Traction’s Neck Device stands apart from the rest. It is affordable, amazingly portable and easy to set up by yourself. But more importantly, the technology behind it is designed solidly with safety and science as its guiding principles, giving the user a superior neck decompression experience.
How Fisher Traction’s Neck Device is Unique
Some neck traction devices pull the spine straight as they work; others — like those where your head rests in a sling or hammock that hangs directly down from a door handle — pull your head forward during traction, causing a reversal of the spine’s natural curvature. This angle of pull is potentially harmful to the neck.
Conversely, Fisher Traction’s neck device is designed to wrap around the base of the neck while you’re lying down and pulls at a healthy, optimal 30-degree angle, supporting the neck’s natural curve. The device attaches to a door handle, as well, but is engineered to have you lying at a distance from the door, such that the bungee cable that connects to the head harness is at an ideal angle for healthy neck traction.
Further setting Fisher Traction’s device apart from the field is its patented Negative G-Force Technology bungee. Rather than use weights, pulleys or bags of water to achieve the necessary pulling force for the traction to work, Fisher Traction’s neck device uses a unique bungee system that is lightweight, portable, and pulls with 40 pounds of pulling force.
Lastly, the Fisher Traction neck device features a release strap that is held in your hand while your head is in the harness. When the release strap is pulled, traction is released slightly, creating a short resting period for the discs to allow them to absorb the spinal fluid that entered during the stretching phase. Daily traction treatment for 15 minutes per day (ideally, twice per day), combined with intermittent pulling of the release strap (every 5 minutes for about 30 seconds) allows for long-term decompression of the neck and spine.
The Benefits of Effective Neck Traction
If you are someone who lives with chronic neck pain, you can imagine the benefits of having that pain reduced or eliminated: better sleep, improved mobility with daily activities like work or exercise, and reduced stress, anxiety or depression caused by being in constant pain. Additionally, at-home neck traction can help people avoid expensive, frequent visits to traction centers or chiropractors, and can even help reduce reliance on pain medications, including opioids.
Even if you don’t suffer from chronic pain, there are numerous benefits of neck traction. You can use the Fisher Traction device to keep your neck healthy and in the proper alignment. Especially if you do a great deal of sitting or working at a desk, neck traction can help relieve stiffness, sore muscles, and “tech neck” (from hunching forward over a computer or phone). Traction can help increase circulation, improve your posture, flexibility, and can even help with relaxation.
Fisher Traction’s Neck Traction Device: Get Relief Anytime, Anywhere
Attempting neck traction at home may sound daunting, but with a device as affordable, easy to set up, and simple to use as Fisher Traction’s Neck Device, it is easily accomplished in your own home, and with amazing benefits. You can actually use it anywhere, anytime to get the relief you need. It’s time you experienced real neck pain relief. Get your Fisher Traction neck traction device here.