Traction combined with manual therapy on 70 cases of cervical spondylopathy

Background:Traction of cervical vertebrae is an effective method in treatment of cervical spondlopathy.Manual therapy can correct dysfunction,has the effects of function exercises and has an active significance to the rehabilitation of mixed cervical spondylopathy.Combination of these two methods could enhance therapeutic effects and do good to functional recovery.Objective:To observe effects of traction combined with nanual therapy on mixed cervical spondylopathy.Subjects:70 cases of mixed cervical spondylopathy from January 2000 to January 2001 were investigated including 49 males and 21 females,aged 21-48(mean:34.8)years old with disease course 1 week t 6 months.All cases were treated by non-operative therapy.Among these patients,numbness of upper limbs,22 cases,pain at neck,shoulder,back,40 cases.Pressure measurement by compression of neck was positive in 10 cases,brachial plexus pulling test was positive in 5 cases and lowering head test was positive in 11 cases.X-ray and CT examination showed abnormal curvature,hypertrophy of front and back edges of vertebrae,narrow intervertebral fossa in 51 cases,protrusion of intervertebral disc in 35 cases,prolapse in 25 cases,calcification of posterior langitudinal ligament in 48 cases.All cases were randomly divided into treatment group(n=36) and control group(n=34).there was comparability between two groups at age,sex,disease condition.brae:Traction began with 6 kg and 1 kg was increased every day.Maximal weight to male was 17 kg and female was 15 kg.Intermittent traction was wadopted,relaxing for 5 seconds after 5 seconds of traction.(2)Manual therapy:relaxing neck,pulling neck,lifting neck.Corresponding acupoints were compressed with thumb along brachial nerve.If the acupoint were selected correctly and “De qi” was felt,the patient,might feel comfortable after manual therapy.In the end.rolling and rotating manipulation,beating were adopted at neck,back and relaxing manipulation was adopted to upper libs 2 weeks was 1 therapeutic course.Simple manual therapy was adopted in control group.Main evaluation indexes:Marked:Clinical symptons disappeared,nedk could move freely and function recovered;Effective:Clinical symptoms disappeared basically and neck could take basic movement freely;Ineffective:no obvious alternation after treatment.Result:Marked:33 cases(92%)in treatment and 29 cases (85%)in control group;Effective:3 cases(8%)in treatment group and 4 cases(12%)in control group,Inefective:0 case in treatment group and 1 case(3%)in control group.Therapeutic effect in treatment group were superior to that in control group.Conclusion:Traction of cervical vertoebrae combined with manual therapy had an obvious effect on mixed cervical spondylopathy in relieving spasm of neck muscle and restoring of articular tunction.

Traction combined with manual therapy on 70 cases of cervical spondylopathy