Spinal traction can be helpful if your body needs it.
Why this matters:
In most cases of people dealing with sciatica pain, there is a directional preference. Which is why it’s so important to listen to your body and identify, which positions does your body prefer?
Spinal traction helps, because is provides a distraction (elongation) force to: relax muscles, open up joint spaces, and sometimes allows the disc to get back into the middle (due to negative pressure). The great news is that spinal traction can be applied in many angles and ways. You can go to a chiropractor or physical therapist and they’ll either do it manually or attach you to a machine. The other option is being able to do it on your own.
Action steps:
If you prefer slight spinal flexion and want to try out some spinal traction, this technique may be useful. I usually try three to five repetitions at about five to second holds. With an emphasis on getting up from the table slowly and with purpose.
If your body doesn’t like traction, it isn’t the end of the world.
