Home cervical traction: evaluation of alternate equipment

Overhead intermittent cervical traction is often utilized to control the symptoms of cervical radiculopathy associated with osteoarthritis. The long-term home use of presently available counterweight systems has often presented problems including: (1) lack of patient compliance, (2) difficulty with application by elderly or debilitated patients, (3) tensing of both the cervical paraspinalis and upper extremity muscles while maneuvering the counterweights, and (4) discomfort while using the device. A prototype home pneumatic traction device was developed, which has many of the advantages of the expensive hydraulic units in common use in physical therapy departments. The initial favorable responses of 17 patients led to the development of a prototype commercial unit in cooperation with the Jobst Company. Of 36 patients who used the pneumatic traction device at home, 29 (81%) preferred it to the conventional counterweight system. Typical reasons were that it was easier to use, more "workable" and provided a steadier pull with more gradual onset of traction. Disadvantages most commonly mentioned were minor air pressure loss in the hand pump model and the complexity of the unit. The most rational approach to the use of these new pneumatic devices would be to initiate a home traction program using conventional counterweight units and then to switch to the pneumatic unit for long-term patients or those who are unable to apply conventional traction systems unassisted.