Many people suffer from neck pain and they see chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists to find some relief. I recently came across this vertical neck traction kit, and I have to say I am not buying it. I love a neck stretch as much as the next yoga instructor, but this piece of equipment looks very scary. If used incorrectly, which seems easy to do, it could cause some serious damage to your already tender neck. You fill the plastic bag with water, which adds weight to the cord that's attached to the door strap, which is attached to the head sling. What if you're trying this out alone and you add too much water? You could end up in more pain than when you started. Not to mention, it just looks so wrong, like a medieval torture device. I think I'll stick to having a real person apply some hands-on cervical traction when I need neck pain relief.
If you have chronic neck pain, would you consider using this? Tell me in the comments section below.
Finesse
Early 20
Rag and Bone
That thing looks positively frightening. It looks like it'd strangle you if you moved wrong. Scary!
1my mom used one of these after a car accident when I was a kid, there wasnt a water bag, but it hooked on a door and she would sit in a chair with the thing on and use her "head weight" to pull down, it worked really well for her.
2I would only use this on advice of a chiropractor I really trust. After my car accident I used something similar to this at my chiropractor's office. When there was weight involved there was always someone there to supervise my alignment and how I came into and out of the position.
3hahahaha that picture is cracking me up
4i've used them before... but i wouldn't use it without being shown how by a medical professional and i sure wouldn't buy one off of the internet and try it all on my own. they're for use with very specific issues...
5No way! I was just cleaning out the bathroom closet the other night and found this. My mom had no clue that it was in there or where it came from. It looks absolutely terrifying to me.
6My sister who had several broken vertebrae (now spinal fusion) as well as our lovely familial extra vertebra was having this done by her physiologist.
It was done with her neuro's encouragement to reduce the compression on her spinal cord. While waiting for her at the physiologists I asked if they could do it to me. And they did and oh man did it feel good. My spine popped and tension was released and once out of traction I my back (which never bothers me except when I cannot crack it) was excellent for months.
7My luck.... someone would swing the door open.. knock me backwards on the floor and the cord would yank and break my neck! Yes.. that would happen to me!
8I have one of these from after a skiing accident to relieve pain from two herniated discs. It worked ok, but only offered temporary relief - I much preferred the professional traction board/machine at my physical therapist's office.
And yes, be very careful not to over-fill! I accidentally did that once, and ended up in more pain than I started with.
9What the...
10You need a prescription for this and you would get specific instructions on how to use it. I've not used one but I'm a nurse and have seen plenty of traction devices that work. I use my body weight hanging weird ways from my pull up bar (with assist bands) and with my inversion table, so I can see the principal. Best thing I found for my neck/back pain was trigger point therapy. I can do it myself but it takes time and can be painful until you get used to it. No doubt this can be painful as well!
11This reminds me of Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Savages."
12First, if you don't have neck pain, you don't need it. Second if you do have neck pain, get yourself checked out by a physical therapist who can find the cause of the symptoms help you get long term relief. Just imagine if you set up the thing at the wrong angle and misaligned your spine, no fun.
13A physical therapist is trained to get you set up with a home traction unit. There are lots of different types- I've actually never heard of one with water weight- usually it's a hydraulic system with a little pump. It would be difficult for a piece of equipment like this to actually injure you because the human head weighs between 15-20 lbs and you don't even get a therapeutic effect until you've reached close to that weight. It's important that patients relax completely because they could get a muscle strain if they are tense before they have traction applied. Traction actually works very well for a lot of patients with neck pain, especially those that have pain that radiates into the arm. I am a physical therapist and I would absolutely recommend a home traction unit to someone who would benefit from it- as long as they were properly trained regarding how and how often to use it.
14It so interesting you put this up, my chiropractor actually has something similar in his office that he says is great for my neck. Its looks odd and uncomfortable so I don't plan on getting it.
15this looks like a torture machine
16dunnonuttin - that was my thought exactly! not safe unless you use a door with a window
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