The effect of lumbar traction in patients with a lumbar radicular syndrome has been evaluated by many different studies. The results of these studies are often in contradictory. As yet no research has been carried out into the effect of lumbar traction in a vertical position. The advantage of this type of traction is that there is no friction produced, and it can be carried out at home. Therefore, a pilot and feasibility study was performed to study the additional effect of traction therapy on bed rest patients with a radicular syndrome who were being principally managed with bed rest. Patients were all incident cases selected between January and May 1996 aged between 18 and 61 years old from six general practices and one hospital department of neurology. After screening for in- and exclusion criteria, patients were randomly assigned to either (1) the bed rest group or (2) the bed rest plus traction group. Traction consisted of vertical traction applied at home for at least 3 hours a day with a maximum of six applications a day. Outcome measures included (1) improvement on the Roland Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), (2) improvement on a 10-point rating scale, registered in a pain diary for leg and back pain separately, (3) global perceived recovery measured on a seven-point rating scale (all three were measured after 3 weeks) and (4) physical examination that was measured after 2 weeks (Schoberscore, Lasegues test, crossed Lasegues test). Sixteen patients were included in the study and randomized into two treatment groups. The two treatment groups were, despite small differences, similar regarding most baseline characteristics. The traction group showed slightly more improvement on the RDQ (difference 2.2), the mean pain reduction in the leg (difference 2.0) and Lasegues test (67% versus 38%). In addition more patients in the traction group reported complete recovery or much improved status regarding their back pain compared to the bed rest only group. The main problem found in this study was patient recruitment, which was lower than expected. Furthermore, seven patients experienced some problems with the traction belt. In five of these seven cases this problem was very easily solved. One patient, however, hyperventilated and had to refrain from traction. This study indicated a potential small beneficial and short-term effect of traction therapy in addition to bed rest in patients with a radicular syndrome. Since the study was a pilot and feasibility study no conclusion can be drawn concerning the efficacy of vertical traction. The authors recommend that a larger study should be conducted with some changes in the protocol to evaluate the effect of this therapy in patients suffering from a lumbar radicular syndrome.

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