Our services
Traction Therapy
CBP traction uses carefully designed positioning and sustained forces to gently place spine into specific postures. Helpful for disc herniations, sciatica, and chronic neck or back pain.
What CBP traction involves
CBP traction uses carefully designed positioning and sustained, gentle force to guide your spine into specific corrective postures over time. It's a core part of the structural rehabilitation work done here, aimed at correcting alignment, not just stretching a tight muscle.
Unlike a generic inversion table or a one-setting traction unit, the angle, direction, and duration are based on your own digital X-rays and postural analysis, aimed at your specific correction rather than a setting used on every patient.
What a disc herniation actually is
The discs between your vertebrae act as cushions, with a tougher outer layer surrounding a softer center. A herniation happens when that center pushes against or through the outer layer, which can irritate nearby nerves and cause pain that travels, like sciatica running down the leg. Traction is one of the tools used to reduce pressure on the disc and create room for it to settle.
Spinal discs don't have their own blood supply. They get nutrients and clear waste through diffusion, driven by the spine loading and unloading throughout the day. Traction unloads the disc directly, which is part of the reasoning behind using it to support disc health rather than just relieving muscle tension.
What a session feels like
You're positioned using specialized equipment for a set period while the traction force is applied. Most patients find it comfortable, more like a sustained gentle stretch than anything forceful or jarring.
Conditions it helps with
- Disc herniations and bulging discs
- Sciatica
- Chronic neck or back pain
- Reduced or reversed spinal curve
- Numbness or tingling that radiates into the leg
Why North River
Traction is applied as part of your broader CBP-based structural rehab plan, built on your own digital X-rays and postural analysis, not a standard protocol applied to every patient the same way.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is traction therapy uncomfortable?+
It's designed to be gentle and sustained, not forceful. Most patients describe it as a controlled stretch.
How long is a traction session?+
Sessions are typically a set number of minutes as part of a visit that may also include an adjustment or physiotherapy.
Can traction help a herniated disc?+
It's one of the tools we use for disc herniations and bulging discs, usually alongside adjustments and rehab, not as a stand-alone treatment.
How is CBP traction different from a generic traction device?+
The positioning and force are based on your own imaging and postural analysis, aimed at your spine's specific correction, not a one-size-fits-all setting.
Can traction therapy make a herniated disc worse?+
Applied at the wrong angle or force, any traction can aggravate a disc. That's why the setup here is based on your own imaging rather than a generic setting, and Dr. Johns will adjust the approach if something doesn't feel right.
Next step
Ready to talk about traction therapy?
We'll walk through what's going on and whether this is the right fit for you.
Request an Appointment