97012Description for CPT code 97012 Traction is generally used for joints, especially of the lumbar or cervical spine, with the expectation of relieving pain in or originating from those areas, or increasing the range of motion of the joint.
The good news is both terms can be used almost interchangeably. Traction is defined as the act of pulling or a state of being pulled. Decompression, on the other hand, is defined as the act of relieving pressure.
Traction is a therapeutic method to relieve pain by stretching and realigning the spine. Placing a stretch on the spine separates the vertebrae and helps to relieve direct nerve pressure and stress on the vertebral discs.
Cervical/lumbar traction is a therapy that stretches the spine to relieve pressure on compressed nerves and stretch tight muscles, in order to treat back and neck pain. It may also be used for realigning the spine in cases of dislocation.
Nonsurgical spinal decompression is a type of motorized traction that may help relieve back pain. Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine. That changes the force and position of the spine.
Traction is a form of decompression therapy that we are happy to offer at Physical Therapy Services. It relieves pressure on the spine and alleviates pain from joints, sprains, and spasms. It can also treat herniated discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerves, and many other back conditions.
Lumbar traction is the process of applying a stretching force to the lumbar vertebrae through body weight, weights, and/or pulleys to distract individual joints of the lumbar spine.
What Is Lumbar Traction? Lumbar (low back) traction helps to separate the spaces between your vertebrae, the bones that make up your spine. In theory, slightly separating these bones can help take the pressure off pinched nerves (such as the sciatic nerve) to decrease your pain and improve your mobility.
Traction means pulling on part of the body. Most often, traction uses devices such as weights and pulleys to put tension on a displaced bone or joint, such as a dislocated shoulder. The tension helps put the joint back in position and keep it still.
There are two common types of traction. These include skin traction and skeletal traction. The difference lies in where the pin, or base, is placed. Skeletal traction uses a pin inserted into your bone.
Traction is an extremely effective means of realigning a cervical spinal dislocation and providing stabilization for these types of cervical spine injury.
Positional Traction This form of traction is applied by placing the patient in various positions using pillows, blocks, or sandbags to effect a longitudinal pull on the spinal structures. It usually incorporates lateral bending and is only affected to one side of the spinal segment.
Lumbar traction uses a harness (with Velcro strapping) that is put around the lower rib cage and around the iliac crest. Duration and level of force exerted through this harness can be varied in a continuous or intermittent mode. The exact mechanism through which traction might be effective is still unclear.
Traction is a widely used treatment for low back pain (LBP) and it is often provided in combination with other treatment modalities. Types of traction include mechanical traction, manual traction (unspecific or segmental traction), autotraction, gravity-dependent (" (anti-)gravity") traction, pneumatic traction, continuous traction, and intermittent traction.
Spinal unloading devices provide a traction-like effect in an effort to shift weight-bearing off the lower back and onto the hips. The method used to shift weight-bearing varies from device to device. Some devices (e.g., LTX 3000) utilize gravitational force provided by the body mass of the individual. Other devices (e.g., Orthotrac Pneumatic Vest, STx -- Saunders Lumbar Traction Device, Saunders Lumbar Hometrac Deluxe) utilize applied pneumatic pressure in an effort to shift weight-bearing.
Autotraction is defined as the use of one’s own weight to create the traction force (i. e., the patient determine s the traction force). By utilizing positional and gravity assisted traction principles, autotraction can provide multi-plane traction.
These investigators searched 10 computer databases for trials published in English between 1971 and 2008. Trials focusing on people with referred leg symptoms and radiological confirmation of a lumbar disc herniation were included if at least 1 group received a conservative and non-injection treatment.
Aetna considers home pneumatic lumbar traction devices (e.g., Orthotrac Pneumatic Vest, Saunders Lumbar HomeTrac, Saunders STx, DDS 500 Lumbar Traction) experimental and investigational because they have not been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for LBP or other indications.
A Cochrane review on traction for LBP with or without sciatica (Clarke et al, 2007) found that while there was moderate evidence that autotraction was more effective than mechanical traction for global improvement in patients with sciatica, these studies had methodological limitations and inconsistent results.