Here's good news for the some 6 million sufferers back pain from slipped discs: They may be “pulled” back into position to relieve pain and encourage healing by a traction treatment that uses electronic controls that drive electric actuators. The loading curve is key. The most effective method, according to founders of Vax-D, Oldsmar, Fla., (vax-d.com) applies loads at a rate described by a logarithmic curve. This duplicates natural events that usually occur only when the patient is sleeping. The theory is that when sleeping, blood pressure drops so discs are slightly pulled back into position. But this happens for only an estimated four to five minutes per night.

Previous traction tables used pneumatic and hydraulic controls that were imprecise, noisy, and costly, according to engineers at Quantum Controls Inc., Minneapolis, (www.quantum-controls.com). “Bandwidth from pneumatic controls is too small for precise loading,” says Quantum vice president Steve Knight. Each table had to be independently tuned after delivery. In addition, traditional traction and off-beat treatments such as hanging upside down, let patients reflexively tension back muscles so positive benefits are lost.

Applying force in a logarithmic curve, however, avoids inadvertent muscle tensioning. “And with a strain gage to close the loop in the latest controls, the actuators accurately follow the load and unload curves,” says Knight.

The bed that applies tension uses a sliding and a stationary surface, along with a movable post. A wide belt fastened around their hips attaches to the post at the foot of the bed. One electric actuator takes up the slack in the belt by moving the post. The moving surface then applies the therapeutic load. The patient is held in place by holding a set of grabs handle bars on the moving surface and can let go if discomforted.

In addition, the treatment produces effective results from drugs given orally. Drugs were previously more effective when delivered by a needle to the disc.