EFFECTIVENESS OF MECHANICAL AND MANUAL CERVICAL TRACTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CERVICAL RADICULOPATHY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Background: Cervical radiculopathy (CR) is a prevalent disorder causing upper limb pains, neck pain, and disability accompanied by loss of function. Exercise therapy and cervical traction are some common types of conservative management.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the comparative effectiveness of cervical traction combined with exercise therapy in adults with CR.

Methods: A systematic search based on PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar found 30 records. Seven papers by Bukhari et al. (2016), Boyles et al. (2019), Romeo et al. (2018), Savva et al. (2016), Thoomes (2016), Borrella-Andres et al. (2021), and Afzal et al. (2019) were incorporated after the screening and evaluation of eligibility.

Results: Integrated traction and exercise interventions resulted in significantly more reductions in pain and disability compared to exercise, and mechanical traction had a small advantage.

Conclusion: Cervical traction as an addition to exercise improves short- and intermediate-term results in CR, but meta-analysis is hampered by heterogeneity.