Treatment of Cervical Spondylosis in Southeast Nigeria: Benefits of Intermittent Alternating Upright Distraction and Flexion High Weight Cervical Traction

Cervical spondylosis is a very common and painful condition affecting many people. The mainstay of treatment of this painful condition has been analgesics which have not proved effective in addition to their untoward complications. Biomechanical studies have shown the potential of neck distraction by traction to be very promising in pain relief and an assessment of high weight cervical traction was done to evaluate its efficacy. Fifty patients including thirty (30) males and twenty (20) females (mean age: 50.46±8.31 years, mean weight: 87.17±14.30 kg, mean height: 1.66±0.12 meters) were available for study on the usefulness of infrared radiation only and a combination of infrared radiation and cervical traction in a cross-over research design at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu. Infrared radiation were applied three times a week for six weeks before a washout period of seven days and then application of cervical traction combined with infrared radiation were done three times a week for six weeks. Pain rating scores were used to evaluate pain relief before, during and after treatment sessions and finally after six weeks. The results of the study showed that cervical traction in combination with infrared radiation was superior (p < 0.05) to infrared radiation alone in the management of cervical spondylosis as there was prolonged relief of pain in those that had cervical traction. It is recommended that high weight cervical traction should always be used in the management of cervical spondylosis.