[Treatment of lumbar sciatica with or without neurological deficit using mechanical traction. A double-blind study].

Traction therapy for low back pain with sciatica has been evaluated in a double blind study. 60 patients hospitalized for sciatica with or without signs of sensory or motor deficiency were randomized to 3 treatment groups: "placebo traction" (5 kg), "light traction" (15 kg) and "normal traction" (50 kg). Clinical evaluation after 4, 8 and 12 traction sessions showed no difference between the three groups.