Traction therapy in lumbar disc hernias: A finite element analysis study

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OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the results of lumbar traction treatment at different traction angles and different traction forces using the finite element analysis (FEA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Computed tomography (CT) images of a healthy 35-year-old male patient who had no history of trauma or fracture were modeled in three-dimensional (3D) with Mimics® software for the lumbosacral spine model. Ligaments and discs were created on the 3D spine model in the SolidWorks® program. The obtained model was sent to the ANSYS version 18 software, and analyses were done non-linearly. All analyses were performed at different angles and forces from the center of the sacral surface to simulate traction therapy. RESULTS: Traction forces applied in the 0° axial direction decreased the intradiscal pressures by creating a similar tensile stress in the annulus fibrosus regions (anterior, posterior, and lateral) without any significant change in lordotic angle. CONCLUSION: The method used in this study is promising to investigate the benefits of traction therapy. Moreover, individual traction force and direction can be determined to increase the effectiveness of the treatment by using magnetic resonance imaging or CT images in traction therapy.