Traction
just means steady pulling. It is used
in medicine to straighten and align
broken bones that are too difficult to align
with a plaster cast.
Fractures
of the shaft of the thighbone (femur), for
instance, are commonly treated by traction.
Traction is also often necessary in the
treatment of fractures of the spine.
Traction
was also used in the treatment of severe
cases of Slipped disc, but is little used
for this nowadays. It is sometimes helpful
in relieving pain in the neck or lower
back.
How it is performed
Traction for a fractured femur is usually applied
to a stirrup connected to a steel pin passed
though the upper end of the main lower leg
bone (the tibia). A strong cord is attached
to the stirrup and passed over a pulley.
Suitable weights are then attached to the
other end of the cord.
For
spinal fractures, the traction may be applied
to tongs fitted into holes drilled in the
skull. A similar arrangement of a cord,
pulley and weight can be used to pull on
the legs, while the cord for the skull tongs
is fixed to the top of the bed.
In
this case, traction to the legs may be applied
to long strips of adhesive strapping fixed
to the legs.
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Traction
