Cervical Radiculopathy

In the day time, the weight of the body slowly compresses the vertebral discs, causing them to dehydrate. At night or when the body is at rest for long periods, the load is taken off the discs and they expand and reabsorb fluids. This causes humans to be slightly taller in the morning than at night. Long term problems can include cervical radiculopathy, which is a common diagnosis, radicular pain, facet joint pathology, muscle spasm, degenerative disc disease. Radicular pain is pain that radiates along the dermatome of a nerve due to inflammation or other irritation of the nerve root at its connection to the spinal column. Facet joints are found at every spinal level except at the top level and provide about twenty percent of the torsional,

Traction does not work for everyone though, but can relieve most symptoms. Cervical radiculopathy is a common diagnosis, based clinically on the purpose of neck pain extending into the arm accompanied by signs of nerve root compression during the physical examination. Cervical traction also helps decreasing foraminal compression and intradiscal pressures. In order to help with degenerative disc disease, traction should be part of a treatment and rehabilitation exercises such as stretching as many angles of the neck. Traction could be used for stabilization of the neck and improve neck alignment. If a patient has herniated disc or protruding intervertebral disc, traction can reduce pressure over the nerve root. Studies show that this strategy is not effective for everyone. Heat, ice, or ultrasound is a good combination to use along with traction for herniated disc. Nerve root compression generally happens along with herniated disc. Cervical traction could help to widen the openings to give more space to the nerves to relieve symptoms, but if chronic, a patient should get plenty of rest, wear a neck brace, and over the counter medications. Treatment for osteoarthritis can include cervical traction to help control chronic symptoms or provide relief from severe pain which comes from osteoarthritis. Also, it helps to treat facet joint inflammation, but it is important to maintain good posture along with heat and cold therapy. Patients with spondylitis, which is the most common causes of neck pain, and comes from inflammation of the vertebral joints. Patients with spondylitis usually have capsulitis inflammation also. Gentle traction may help decrease a muscle spasm for pain relief. Researchers still need more evidence to find out if cervical traction is really effective and a relief for this list of problems. As of now, research is finding the same answers, stating that cervical traction does help if