Spinal pain syndromes are a leading cause of ill health globally, with cervical spine issues often resulting from long-term overloads. These conditions can critically reduce the distance between vertebrae and cause radiating pain. A recent study explores the effects of two therapeutic approaches—Saunders cervical traction and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)—on improving hand grip strength in patients suffering from neck pain.

In 2011, conducted by a team of researchers including Andrzej Myśliwiec and colleagues, the study involved 45 patients aged 21 to 66, all experiencing overload-induced cervical pain. The participants underwent therapies using the Saunders traction device and the TENS method over ten sessions, ensuring no more than three days between treatments. The traction force was carefully regulated to be noticeable yet painless, while TENS was applied using a conventional approach.

Patients were divided into three groups to compare the effects of different treatments:

1. The first group received only Saunders traction therapy.
2. The second group underwent combined Saunders traction and TENS therapy.
3. The third group was treated exclusively with TENS.

The primary focus was to measure changes in the strength of painless hand grip and the maximum strength of the arm flexors before and after the treatment sessions.

The findings revealed a significant improvement in the strength of painless hand grip, particularly notable in the group treated solely with Saunders traction. This group also experienced an increase in maximum strength, but only on the left side. Conversely, combining traction with TENS or using TENS alone had limited effects on enhancing maximum hand grip strength.

The study concluded that the Saunders cervical traction device effectively enhances painless hand grip strength in patients with cervical spine pain. However, both Saunders traction and TENS exhibited limited benefits in boosting maximum hand grip strength. This insight emphasizes the potential of targeted cervical traction therapy in managing and improving specific muscle functions in neck pain sufferers.

Reference: Myśliwiec, A., Saulicz, E., Kuszewski, M., Kokosz, M., & Wolny, T. (2011). Assessment of the influence of Saunders traction and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on hand grip force in patients with neck pain. Ortopedia, traumatologia, rehabilitacja, 13(1), 37-44.