BACKGROUND

Low back pain (LBP) currently ranks among the most frequent musculoskeletal pathologies, and the average age of those affected is constantly decreasing. One of the causes of LBP is lumbar disc herniation (LDH). If untreated, it causes disability and leads to socio-economic problems. Traction techniques are a popular method of treating this condition. The stage of LDH (protrusion, extrusion) in young people appears to determine patients' clinical status, necessitating diversification of treatment methods with regard to the type of damage.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study enrolled 37 people aged 22-35. The subjects underwent radiological evalu-ation (MRI), which constituted the basis for assigning them to one of two groups: a protrusion group (PRO) or an extrusion group (EXT). During the experiment, the patient was in the supine position while the therapist administered three-dimensional traction using a manual therapy belt. The Oswestry questionnaire, MRC scale, NRS, SLR test, PLE test and measurements of lumbar segment mobility were used for clinical evaluation. Statistica 12.5 was used to perform statistical calculations.

RESULTS

An analgesic effect was noted with regard to the following two parameters in both groups: ODI (PRO 28 → 14 and EXT 30 → 28, p <0.01) and NRS (PRO 6 → 2 and EXT 6 → 3, p <0.01). The subjects improved clinically, with regard to PLE (EXT 22% → 0%, p <0.04) and SLR (PRO 100% → 29%, p <0.01, and EXT 100% → 57%, p <0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

1. The type of intervertebral disc damage determines the functional status of young people with degenerative disc disease. 2. The study demonstrated and confirmed a positive effect of traction on the functional status of subjects with lumbar disc herniation. 3. Traction techniques are safe and can be successfully used in the treatment of LDH.