Manual traction is effective in alleviating lumbosacral spine pain: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Manual traction, a therapeutic technique frequently employed in healthcare, involves applying controlled pulling force by hand, usually to the spine, to stretch muscles and decompress joints, thereby alleviating pain. This method can be particularly beneficial for addressing lumbosacral spine pain exacerbated by radicular symptoms, characterized by pain radiating from the lower back due to compression or irritation of spinal nerves. Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effects of manual traction against control group in alleviating the lumbosacral spine pain caused by radicular symptoms. Methods: A randomized controlled study design was utilized with a sample of 60 patients experiencing lumbosacral spine pain, evenly distributed between an experimental group (n = 30; receiving manual traction) and a control group (n = 30). Patients underwent assessments before and after six treatment sessions, which included the Straight Leg Raise test, modified Bragard's test, Kernig's test, and the visual analogue scale for pain perception. Results: Between-group significant differences were found at post-intervention, favoring the experimental group on SLR - Left (°) (p = 0.004; medium effect size), SLR - Right (°) (p = 0.004; medium effect size), Modified Bragard test - Left (°) (p = 0.024; small effect size), Modified Bragard test - Right (°) (p = 0.003; medium effect size), Kernig's Test - Left (°) (p = 0.013; medium effect size) and Kernig's Test - Right (°) (p = 0.010; medium effect size). Additionally, between-group significant differences were found at post-intervention, favoring the experimental group on VAS scores at SLR left (p < 0.001; medium effect size), and right (p < 0.001); medium effect size, Modified Bragard test left (p < 0.001; medium effect size) and right (p < 0.001; medium effect size) and at Kernig's Test left (p < 0.001; medium effect size) and right (p < 0.001; medium effect size). Conclusions: In conclusion, manual traction is recommended as an effective approach for alleviating lumbosacral spine pain in patients experiencing symptoms resulting from irritation or compression of a spinal nerve root.

Preliminary investigation on the effect of extracorporeal shock wave combined with traction on joint contracture based on PTEN-PI3K/AKT pathway.

To investigate the intervention effect of extracorporeal shock wave combined with manual traction on fixation-induced knee contracture and its influence on PTEN-PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Thirty-six SD male rats were randomly divided into six groups. The left knee joints were not fixed in the control group (C group). Rats in other groups underwent brace fixation in the extended position of the left knee. After 4 weeks of bracing, it is randomly divided into five groups: Model group (M group), natural recovery group (NR group), extracorporeal shock wave treatment group (ET group), manual traction group (MT group), and extracorporeal shock wave combined with manual traction group (CT group). Joint range of motion (ROM) of left knee was carried out to assess joint function. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were respectively used to assess the cell number and collagen deposition expression. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot were used to assess protein levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (AKT). The combined therapy was more effective than extracorporeal shock wave therapy or manual traction alone against the joint ROM, cell number and the collagen deposition, low-expression of PTEN, and overexpression of PI3K/AKT in the anterior joint capsule of rats with knee extension contracture. Extracorporeal shock wave combined with manual traction can promote the histopathological changes of anterior joint capsule fibrosis, upregulate the protein expression of PTEN and downregulate the protein expression of PI3K/AKT in the fibrotic joint capsule in a rat joint contracture model.

Experimental Pain Is Alleviated by Manual Traction Itself Rather than Subjective Bias in the Knee: A Signal Detection Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Manual traction is used for pain relief, but it is not clear whether the pain relief effect of manual traction is due to sensitivity or to subjective bias. The differences between manual traction and touch have also been unclear. OBJECTIVES: We used signal detection theory to investigate whether manual traction and touch were effective for pain relief, and we compared the pain relief effect between manual traction and touch. DESIGN: Repeated measures and single blinding. METHODS: Twenty healthy adult volunteers performed an intensity judgment task immediately before and after each intervention. The intervention was either manual traction or touch for 10 minutes. We measured the intensity judgment task's signal detection measures of hit rates, false alarm rates, sensitivity (d'), and response bias (C) in an Aδ fiber-mediated pain condition and C fiber-mediated pain condition. RESULTS: Manual traction did not provide a significant level of change, but its effect sizes differed. In our comparison of the effect sizes, manual traction tended to reduce the hit rate and altered the sensitivity value rather than the response bias in Aδ fiber-mediated pain. There was no significant difference in the amount of change in the hit rate between touch and manual traction regarding Aδ fiber-mediated pain and C fiber-mediated pain. CONCLUSIONS: In terms of effect sizes, manual traction was effective for the pain relief of the first pain by producing a change in pain sensitivity rather than by subjective bias. Manual traction reduced the first pain, whereas touch reduced the first pain and second pain.

Treatment of iatrogenic contracture nasal deformity / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective To explore the method and clinical effects of treatment for correcting severe contracture nasal deformity after rhinoplasty.Methods Totally 19 patients with severe contracture nasal deformity after rhinoplasty were treated with a new procedure in our hospital since March 2014.The soft tissue was treated with manual traction preoperatively to improve nasal skin and mucosa extensibility and flexibility.The costicartilage was taken as structure transplantation to build the nasal support structure.Results This group of patients were followed up for 5-27 months,contracture of nasal deformity was corrected and the shape of the nose was improved with no obvious contracture deformation.Conclusions Nasal shape is improved by nasal scaffold and coated tissue.It is a simple and feasible method to modify the condition of soft tissue by manual traction and autogenous costicartilage support reconstruction to ensure the long-term efficacy of backing;two combination therapy for correction of iatrogenic contracture nasal deformity can achieve better long-term nasal prolonged postoperative effect,which is suitable for clinical promotion.

Closed reduction of distal radius fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Distal radius fractures (DRF) are a common injury, especially in the elderly.Displaced fractures can be reduced by closed reduction through several techniques, two of which are compared in this systematic review and meta-analysis.Closed reduction by finger-trap traction (FTT) seems to offer better correction of radial shortening. Additionally, there may be less pain and fewer complications associated with this technique.Closed reduction by manual traction seems to offer better correction of the dorsal tilt.Further research is needed to fully determine the optimal method of closed reduction. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2018;3:114-120.DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.3.170063.

Comparison between effectiveness of Mechanical and Manual Traction combined with mobilization and exercise therapy in Patients with Cervical Radiculopathy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cervical radiculopathy is a common neuro-musculo-skeletal disorder causing pain and disability. Traction is part of the evidence based manual physical therapy management due to its mechanical nature, type of traction and parameters related to its applicability and are still to be explored more through research. Our objective was to determine the Effects of Mechanical versus Manual Traction in Manual Physical Therapy combined with segmental mobilization and exercise therapy in the physical therapy management of Patients with Cervical Radiculopathy. METHODS: This randomized control trial was conducted at department of physical therapy and rehabilitation, Rathore Hospital Faisalabad, from February to July 2015. Inclusion criteria were both male and female patients with evident symptoms of cervical spine radiculopathy and age ranged between 20-70 years. The exclusion criteria were Patients with history of trauma, neck pain without radiculopathy, aged less than 20 and more than 70. A total of 72 patients with cervical radiculopathy were screened out as per the inclusion criteria, 42 patients were randomly selected and placed into two groups by toss and trial method, and only 36 patients completed the study, while 6 dropped out. The mechanical traction was applied in group A and manual traction in group B along with common intervention of segmental mobilization and exercise therapy in both groups for 6 weeks. The patient's outcomes were assessed by self reported NPRS and NDI at the baseline and after completion of 06 weeks exercise program at 3 days per week. The data was analyzed through SPSS version-21, and paired T test was applied at 95% level significance to determine the statistical deference between two groups. RESULTS: Clinically the group of patients treated with mechanical traction managed pain (mean pre 6.26, mean post 1.43), and disability (mean pre 24.43 and mean post 7.26) more effectively as compared with the group of patients treated with manual traction (Pain mean pre 6.80, mean post 3.85 and disability mean pre 21.92 and post 12.19). Statistically the results of both mechanical and manual traction techniques are equally significant in group A and B for pain and disability (p-value less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: If patients of cervical radiculopathy treated with mechanical traction, segmental mobilization, and exercise therapy will manage pain and disability more effectively than treated with manual traction, segmental mobilization, and exercise therapy.

Closed Intramedullary Nailing of Femoral Fracture without a Fracture Table / 대한정형외과학회잡지

The standard treatment of adult femoral shaft fractures is the closed intramedullary nailing using a fracture table, but in polytraumatized patients, this method may be difficult due to concomitant adjacent injury. So, we report on the technique of closed intramedullary nailing without a fracture table for adult femoral shaft fracture using "joystick" technique on radiolucent table in supine position. Among 15 cases, two were open fractures, three were proximal 1/3, seven were middle 1/3, two were distal 1/3, and theree were segmental fractures. According to the Winquist Hansen classification, five type I, four type II, three type III, three were type IV. The eleven patients out of the fifteen were operated within 48 hours. The average operation time was 105 minutes, and the amount of bleeding was below 300cc. Forty-seven percent was anatomically reduced, forty percent had below five degree of angular deformity or below five milimeter of shortening, thirteen percent had above five degree of angular deformity of above five milimeter of shortening. The closed intramedullary nailing of femoral shaft fractures without fracture table using radiolucent table and "joy stick" technique is an effective and safe method in multiple injuries. And it reduced the operation time by reducing the preoperation time including preparing of a fracture table.