[Evaluation of the effects of pulling angle and force on intermittent cervical traction with the Saunder's Halter]

Intermittent cervical traction with proper angle and force is an effective treatment for cervical syndrome. The goals of therapy are effective traction for the affected segments without further damage to the soft tissue. The purposes of this study were to find the traction angle and force which results in the best therapeutic effect. The effect of cervical traction was evaluated by cervical roentgenography, by examining the distance of the posterior margin of the intervertebral space. For a study of the proper angle of traction, intermittent cervical traction was applied to 20 healthy normal volunteers in a supine position with a constant traction force of 15 kgf. The traction lasted for 8 seconds followed by unloading for 4 seconds and the application was alternated after 10 minutes. The elongated gaps of the posterior vertebral margins obtained from the different neck flexion angles of 35, 30, 25, 20 and 15 degrees were compared. Traction of under 30 degrees was longest for the levels of C4- 5 and C5-6. For the C6-7 and C7-T1 levels, traction was longest under 35 degrees. For study of the minimal effective traction force, the same procedures of intermittent cervical traction were applied to another 15 healthy normal volunteers, except the neck was fixed in a flexion of 35 degrees, and the traction force was 9, 12, 15 and 18 kgf. The best results were noted with a traction force of 15 or 18 kgf. However, there were more complaints of neck discomfort after traction with a force of 18 kgf.