Dr. Vince LeoneOwner, Consultant, Specialized Practice · Owner, Consultant at Specialized Practice

Low Force Traction: The Surprising Secret To Better Spine Results!

6 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:03

In this segment Dr. Vince Leone reviews a clinical study comparing high‑force (≈50% of body weight) and low‑force (≈10%) spinal traction. Both groups showed similar short‑term improvements in pain and function, with no statistically significant differences. After the two‑week treatment period ended, patients were monitored for an additional two weeks. The high‑force group’s gains plateaued, whereas the low‑force group continued to improve. Leone emphasizes that while this does not definitively prove low‑force traction is superior or identify an optimal dosage, it suggests that substantial pulling force is not required to achieve beneficial outcomes. He notes that a forthcoming cervical spine decompression study will be referenced later.

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Statistically, they were pretty close as far as pain relief, function, pretty close, no statistical difference, significant difference. But then what they did is they stopped the treatment at 2 weeks, and then they went another 2 weeks, and then they monitored them again. And they actually found that the high force group, the 50%, their progress kind of just stalled out. The 10% force group though actually continued to improve. Okay. And so that doesn't prove conclusively that low force is necessarily better or that 10% is the optimal dosage or weight or pull, but it does suggest this, that you don't necessarily need to pull hard in order to produce results that are changes in the right direction for these patients. So in another study I'm gonna reference, it was a cervical spine study decompression.