Customer Reviews

OTC Over Door Cervical Traction Kit, Complete

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have not purchased this yet but intend to. I am a physician and recently saw my neurosurgeon who prescribed this device. He said to make sure you faced the door from which the device is suspended. He said DO NOT face away from the door, as is pictured on your web page. He also said to start with 10-12 pounds of water weight, and your head should be tilted about 20 degrees downward, good for reading a book during the 15-20 minutes you are doing this.
Again I haven't used this yet, but this is advice from an experienced spine surgeon. Good luck.

GOOD PRODUCT - BUT BE CAREFUL. YOU CAN HURT YOURSELF.

If you have problems with TMJ don't use this product!

If you use it too much you may have TMJ by the time you are done.

The more expensive products to do this do not put pressure on the jaw and teeth -- and are more effective - and cost $100s ($500 up) - so there is always a trade off.

Ask your doctor about how he/she feels about your using it. I recommend that if you have any major health problems you do not use this -- never use it alone -- Once in there it is hard to get out without sudden jerking -- and it is hard to get the jaw velcro correct. The velcro can come undone and cause a sudden jerk. Also - when they say 20 lbs max - think twice about using that 20 lbs. Again -NEVER USE THIS ALONE. HAVE SOMEONE HELP YOU. If you have serious health problems, do not use - go see a physician and have him/her prescribe a method of use (even for this product) or in office traction with a DO or other.

I have had this product for several months now. I bought it with the intent of reducing pain in my neck area (I had professional physical therapy years ago where head traction was performed via machine and found that traction eliminated my neck pain over the three months of physical therapy).

Overall, I found this product has helped, but to a lesser degree than expected, (I certainly did not expect the same degree of relief as provided by a professional physical therapist).

It is very important to start at a lower weight level and gradually work up to a higher weight level. One of the reasons is that you need to identify your comfort and uncomfort zones.

I did find that the headpiece became uncomfortable depending upon the weight and the duration in which you are using the product. At the higher weight level, I felt quite a bit of pressure on my lower chin.

The over-the-door mount is sturdy. However, I would have preferred that the bracket holding the two pulleys be longer because I kept coming into contact with the plastic weight bag.

Works O.K. but takes time to learn how to use it successfully as the directions and pictures are more than a little confusing. I found it best to leave it attached to a door in a room that is not used a lot. Also, the pound marks on the water/sand bag are best used only as a guide - put it on a bathroom scale to get a more accurate measure. For effectiveness, you will need over 12 lbs to do any good as most heads weigh close to that! Probably 15 minutes per session is best - you don't need more than that for benefit. Biggest suggestion: instead of sitting with your back to the door, try facing the door and moving your chair out a little. Also, try positioning your chin down a little toward your chest to give more stretch to the back of your neck to separate the cervical disks. This is what my physical therapist told me to do. I think it makes a big difference!

Works, but don't use it like the pictures illustrate - face the door and tilt your head down about five degrees. You'll feel the traction all the way to your upper spine.

I bought one of these at a pharmacy in 1995 at the suggestion of a neurologist and it worked for me.

Here are some tips:

The picture is WRONG. You need to face the door, from about 18 inches away, not face away from it. The instructions explain that. Your neck should be in a slight curved position.

Do be careful getting in and out of this device. But you can easily read a book while doing this.

Use lower weights at first. However, I ended up with about 16-19 lbs, because I have a large head, and that worked for me. The weight has to be enough to cause traction to occur, but not enough to cause pain. If you use this and it causes you pain, you are probably doing something wrong or are aggravating your condition somehow (such as with a bulging disc).

But regular twice-daily use of this product does provide significant decompression, which can help if your condition can be improved by decompression. It is inexpensive and not hard to use, plus you can read a book while sitting in this device. Make sure to post a sign on the door, and/or lock it, so you don't get someone opening the door while you are using this device.

I have purchased this device to help treat a number of patients with neck pain that has persisted for 3 to 8 months, and with good result. The major benefit in using this home traction device is what happens while the person is sitting for at least 15 minutes, and preferably 30 minutes or more. After this period of time the neck muscles can totally relax, allowing normal circulation of blood and fluids to occur in the region where there has been tension. This amounts to an increase in self-healing activity in the local area, resolving inflamed tissues and encouraging cervical discs and vertebrae to return to their normal positions. The important point to remember is that the tractive force, created by adding an amount of water to the graduated water bag, in most cases need not exceed 6-7 pounds (~3.5 kg). Thus one needs to take the time to sit and relax while the gentle traction does the work. You can't substitute 30 minutes at 5 pounds traction, for 10 minutes at 10 pounds! To be sure, with this device, more is definitely NOT better! Also, very gentle massage along the para-cervical muscles, both during and immediately following the traction period, helps improve the result.

Like many people who have written reviews here, I have a pinched nerve in my neck that's causing me all kinds of pain and discomfort. I'm seeing a chiropractor and a massage therapist about correcting the underlying problem (my neck curves the wrong direction - you should see the X-Ray), however neither of these people have been able to help relieve the somewhat debilitating amount of pain I am. This Cervical Traction kit is THE BEST THING I've found that gives me relief, helps me feel better, and helps me sleep at night. I use it 2 or 3x per day, for 10-20 minutes at a time. I face toward the door, like many other reviewers suggested - not away as the picture indicates. I started with 10lbs of water, have moved up to 18 over the last two weeks. Ice packs and menthol rub help, but this traction kit is the only reason I can get through my day. What kills me most - beyond the neck and arm pain - is that my chiropractor charges $50 for less than 10 minutes of her time, and this traction kit gives me more immediate relief for the one time fee of $20. Best purchase I've made.

My neurosurgeon suggested this type of device for temporary relief due to cervical nerve pinching. Very low cost and reasonably effective. Overall, not a cure but worthwhile. Follow doctor's oreders on correct amount of weight to use.

I bought both this and the inflatable pillow traction unit after my orthopedist told me the numbness I had in my arm and fingers was due to an impinged nerve in my neck. After two weeks of twice-daily use the symptoms pretty much cleared up. The over-the-door unit works much better than the inflatable pillow (but the pillow is a lot more portable if you travel at all.) One drawback: dealing with the water bag became tiresome very quickly, so I ended up tying a few loose free weights to the string and using it that way - much better. Like others who have reviewed this product, I prefer to face the door rather than the way the pics show. Product is well-made and plenty sturdy. Good luck! I gotta go 'hang.'