Research Plus

No traction for low back pain cure

This updated Cochrane systematic review of 32 randomised controlled trials involving 2,762 participants finds that traction, either as a single treatment or in combination with physiotherapy, is ineffective in treating low back pain and does not improve return-to-work times, pain intensity, functional status or global improvement (a measure of improvement overall, recovery and subjective improvement in symptoms) when compared to placebo, sham or no treatment. Evidence quality was low to moderate.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013; 8: CD003010

Tags evidence based practice Return to work

Occupational Health at Work October/November 2013 (vol. 10/3) pp41