Traction
Introduction
Traction is the use of weights, ropes and pulleys to apply force to tissues surrounding a broken bone.
It's sometimes used to keep a Broken Leg in the correct position during the early stages of healing, or to ease the pain of a fracture while a person is waiting for surgery.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 16 Jan 2017
Introduction
Traction is where weights, ropes and pulleys are used to apply force to tissues surrounding a broken bone.
When traction is used
There areseveral situations when traction may be used. For example, it may be used to: realign and fix bone fractures, such as a broken leg helpreduce painbefore surgery treat bone deformities cau
Types of traction
The two main types of traction are skin traction and skeletal traction. Skin traction Skin traction is usually carried outwhile a person is lying in a hospital bed. It uses equipment such as splints
Does traction work?
Traction is effective in providing temporary pain relief in the early stages of treatment after trauma. For long-term (chronic) conditions,there's little scientific evidence to support the use of trac
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