Disclaimer here:  Use of a cervical traction unit for certain conditions can/ could be dangerous.  With any regimen, use should be reasonable and conservative.  Most studies we’ve seen indicate using no more than 10% of your body weight for traction, and to gradually apply traction over time to reach that value.

These different methods of traction are as varied as the engineers that designed them.  It’s also my experience that there is a proportionality between price, and ease of use.  Since ease of use usually correlates with actually USING it, typically paying for the machine is a good idea.  (With one exception).  I should mention that each of these has Amazon affiliate links to each, so the clinic stands to make some pennies should you order them through this review page.

So without further ado, let’s begin:

Working your neck without using a cervical pillow is like getting an expensive car and putting terrible gas in it.  I have only recommended a single pillow since I started in practice 20+ years ago, the Thereaputica Pillow.  It’s made of foam, not memory foam, so it will literally help shape your neck into the curve it so desperately needs to absorb shock and give fluid, comfortable range of motion.

You can order it here:

The world of cervical traction is dominated by BED BASED, huge, expensive machines, and then there’s home traction units… we’re going to talk about the home traction units that anyone can buy and use at home.

So let’s start with the most expensive of them, the Comfortrac Cervical Home Trac :

The HomeTrac is a beautifully elegant machine, with great tooling, a satisfying weight, and a precise control of the amount of traction.

It comes at a price, though, about 400US.  So, if you don’t care about money, get this one.  It’s compact enough to fit under the bed, and it’s easy to set up.

The next up is the ProNex.  It’s essentially a bellows, that stretches the neck, but also does extension at the same time.  It’s pretty perfect, for what we’re looking for in a traction unit.  The problem?  It’s a piece of crap quality-wise.  It’s a plastic nothing, and with one puncture or crack, it’s rendered into a more worthless piece of plastic.  At 300US, it’s more expensive than it deserves.

Next?

The cheapest option:

Overdoor traction unit.  There are a lot of manufacturers of these, and essentially they are what they look like in this picture:  a bracket on the door, and two pulleys, a rope, a harness for the head, and then a very sexy bag of water.

It’s not that sexy.  And, it has the chance to be very wet.  It means you’re sitting next to a door.  Plain ans simple, it’s a pain in the butt, but… These typically cost about 20 bucks.

There’s also the inflatable ring traction:  It’s probably genius, as you can wear it anywhere, and it’s easy to control the amount of traction, easy to remove… would work great for travelers, and for desk workers.

We’ve sold the Pettibon overdoor traction unit, as seen in the picture, and on our Youtube video.  It’s about as lowtech as you can get, essentially a

rope with two pieces of  foam colored PVC pipe, that allow the extension and force traction, as well.  At 60US, it’s definitely got a huge markup in price.   It’s effective, though, even if there is no precise control of the amount of traction you are putting into your spine.

Well, you’ve made it this far, so you deserve to hear what the best value is for cervical traction units.

The NECKPRO traction unit is easily the best value in the group.  It’s small, it’s precise, it’s easy to use, and it’s cheap.  At 60US, it’s not terrifically expensive, and its well made. It’s not ugly, it’s packable, and it’s the traction unit of choice for the value-conscious patient.