• Ulrike H Mitchell, Paul F Beattie, Jennifer Bowden, Robert Larson, and Haonan Wang.
• Department of Exercise Sciences, Brigham Young University, 106 Smith Fieldhouse, Provo, UT, 84602, USA. Electronic address: rike_mitchell@byu.edu.
• Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2017 Oct 1; 31: 1-8.

BackgroundLumbar traction is a common treatment for low back pain; however its mechanisms of action are poorly understood. It has been hypothesized that a key effect of lumbar traction is its capacity to influence fluid movement within the intervertebral disc (IVD).ObjectivesTo determine differences in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) obtained with lumbar diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the L5-S1 IVD before, and during, the application of lumbar traction.DesignCase series, repeated measures.MethodsA static traction load of ∼50% of body-weight was applied to the low back using a novel "MRI-safe" apparatus. DWI of the lumbar spine was performed prior to, and during the application of the traction load.ResultsParticipants were currently asymptomatic and included a young adult group (n = 18) and a middle-aged group (n = 15). The young adult group had a non-significant 2.2% increase in ADC (mean change = 0.03 × 10-3 mm2/s, SD = 0.24, 95% CI = -0.09, 0.15). The ADC for the middle-aged group significantly increased by 20% (mean change of 0.18 × 10-3 mm2/s, SD = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.07, 0.28; p = 0.003; effect size = 0.95). There was an inverse relationship between the ADC obtained before traction and the percent increase in ADC that was measured during traction.ConclusionStatic traction was associated with an increase in diffusion of water within the L5-S1 IVDs of middle-age individuals, but not in young adults, suggesting age-related differences in the diffusion response. Further study is needed to assess the relationship between these findings and the symptoms of back pain.Level Of Evidence4.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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