Automated decompression table for the individual and targeted treatment of disc herniation

Traction therapy is a common and effective non-surgical treatment of low back pain caused by degenerated or herniated intervertebral disc or other disc deformities. While lying on specially designed treatment tables and fixated on the pelvis, axial traction is applied to the patient's spine to separate the vertebrae and release pressure on the disc. Targeted traction of specific segments instead of pulling the whole spine can increase the efficacy of the traction therapy and reduces side effects due to less application of traction force. This paper presents a design approach of a traction table, which allows the targeted and accurate repeatable treatment of any specific intervertebral disc. Furthermore the treatment of malformations like scoliosis is possible due to the special design of the traction table. The automated measuring of the patient's back on the traction table enables the accurate and effective resp. ergonomic treatment of the patient by the comparison of MRI images and the measured spine shape. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.