• Brown JE
• Jaeger JO
• Polatis TA
• Peters AJ
• Oakley PA
• Harrison DE

• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Lordosis
• Low Back Pain
• Male
• Manipulation, Chiropractic
• Open Access Document

Objective: To describe the effectiveness of a new method of seated lumbar extension traction which increased the lumbar lordosis in six patients with lumbar hypolordosis, low back pain, disability, and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores.

Clinical Features: This is a retrospective, consecutive case series of 6 personal injury patients treated in a multidisciplinary spine clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Patients were selected who had had a follow-up x-ray, and who started treatment on or after March 15, 2016. All patients had lumbar spine hypolordosis with low back pain.

Intervention and Outcome: All patients were treated with seated 3-point bending lumbar extension traction, spinal manipulation, and exercises at a frequency of 3 to 4 times a week for a total average of 16 visits. An average improvement in lumbar absolute rotation angle was 8°, corresponding with improvements in pain rating, Oswestry score and HRQOL scores.

Conclusion: This method of seated lumbar extension traction adds to the accumulating evidence for lumbar extension traction to become recognized as the primary nonsurgical rehabilitative procedure to increase the lumbar lordosis in those patients who have LBP with hypolordosis. The seated lumbar extension traction warrants further study in randomized trials.

Author keywords: Lordosis; Low Back Pain; HRQOL; Posture; Rehabilitation; Chiropractic Biophysics; Lumbar Traction

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