Written and clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H, at our Serangoon clinic. Last reviewed 15 October 2026.
Computerized spinal decompression traction is a measured, machine-controlled pull on the neck or the lower back while you lie on a treatment table. The research is mixed: some benefit for neck pain spreading into the arm when it is added to exercise, and weak evidence for lower back pain. At Phoenix it is $50 per use at Serangoon, added to a physiotherapy appointment.
Spinal decompression traction uses a computer-controlled machine to apply a measured, steady pull to the neck or the lower back while you lie on a treatment table. The pull is set by your physiotherapist and builds up gradually. At Phoenix it is available at our Serangoon clinic, as an add-on to physiotherapy, at $50 per use.
What “computerized” means
Your physiotherapist sets the force, how long each pull is held and released, and the total time, and the machine applies them the same way every time. That repeatability is the point: one setting can be changed at a time, and we can see what your symptoms do.
“Decompression” is as much a marketing word as a clinical one. There is no good evidence that traction pulls a disc back into place, or that any change in the spine lasts once you stand up. What it can do, for some people, is ease the pain enough for the hands-on treatment and exercise that follow.
What it is used for
Traction is used for some neck and lower back problems, including some where a nerve is involved, such as pain spreading into an arm from the neck. It is always used together with hands-on treatment and exercise, never as the whole plan.
What the research says
The research is mixed. For neck pain with arm symptoms, some studies show a benefit when traction is added to exercise. For lower back pain, the evidence that traction adds much is weak. That is why we use it selectively, for the people whose assessment suggests it may help, rather than for every back or neck.
| Problem | What the research shows |
|---|---|
| Neck pain spreading into the arm (cervical radiculopathy) | Mixed. In one trial, adding mechanical traction to exercise gave lower disability at 6 and 12 months than exercise alone.1 |
| Lower back pain, with or without sciatica | Weak. A Cochrane review found traction, alone or added to other treatment, made little or no difference to pain or function.2 |
You are assessed first
Traction is only set up after your physiotherapist has assessed you. That first appointment decides three things: whether traction suits your problem at all, how much force to use, and for how long. If it does not suit you, we say so and do not use it.
What it feels like
You lie on your back, fully clothed, with a harness around your pelvis or a support under your head, depending on the area. The machine builds the pull up slowly and releases it the same way. Most people find it a firm, steady stretch rather than painful. There is a stop button in your hand the whole time, and the machine stops the moment you press it.
Tell your physiotherapist straight away if your symptoms spread further down the arm or leg, or if you feel numbness or tingling during treatment.
Is this normal afterwards?
Usually expected: feeling looser or a little sore for the rest of the day, and symptoms that are briefly easier. Tell your physiotherapist before the next appointment if pain spreads further down the arm or leg afterwards, or if numbness or tingling lasts into the next day. For new weakness, or any change in bladder or bowel control, see the section below.
When traction is not suitable
Your physiotherapist checks for these before using it:
- A recent fracture or a known weakness in the bones of the spine, including osteoporosis
- Cancer or infection in the spine
- Instability of the spine, including after some neck injuries
- Pregnancy, for lower back traction
- Some spinal surgery, until your surgeon clears it
When to see a doctor first
Neck or back pain with weakness in an arm or leg, numbness around the groin or buttocks, or new problems controlling your bladder or bowel needs urgent medical attention. For loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness around the groin, go to the emergency department now. Pain after a fall or an accident needs a doctor before physiotherapy.
How many appointments
Traction is not a long course on its own. It is added for a few appointments while hands-on treatment and exercise do the main work, and your physiotherapist checks each time whether it is helping. If it is not, we stop.
Traction is $50 per use at Serangoon, added to a physiotherapy appointment. Your first appointment is an Assessment & Treatment: one 45-minute appointment, $230, nett, no GST. More about neck pain and every treatment we use. At Serangoon we also use radiofrequency therapy to warm deeper muscle and connective tissue before hands-on work.
Also on this site: the page on spinal pain covers how physiotherapy assesses pain along the spine, and the page on home remedies for back pain covers what is worth trying at home first.
Questions people ask
Is spinal decompression the same as traction?
Yes. Spinal decompression is another name for computerized traction: a machine applying a measured pull to the neck or lower back. The research on it is the research on traction.
Does traction put a slipped disc back in place?
There is no good evidence that it does. Any effect is thought to come from easing pressure and pain for a while, which makes the exercise that follows easier to do.
Can I book traction without an assessment?
No. Your physiotherapist assesses you first to decide whether traction suits your problem at all, how much force to use and for how long. If it does not suit you, it is not used.
How much is computerized traction at Phoenix?
Traction is $50 per use, added to a physiotherapy appointment at the Serangoon clinic. A physiotherapy appointment is $230 for 45 minutes, nett, no GST.
How many times will I need traction?
It is not a long course on its own. It is added for a few appointments while hands-on treatment and exercise do the main work, and your physiotherapist checks each time whether it is helping.
Where are you with this right now?
1. It is settling on its own
Most injuries and most flare-ups settle over weeks with sensible load management and a return to normal movement. Improvement is judged over a month, not over a day, and good days and bad days inside that are usual. If you are doing more this month than last, and sleeping better, it is behaving the way it should. You do not need us for this, and we would rather say so.
2. It has stopped improving
You have adapted without noticing. The other side takes the load, you plan movements you used to make without thinking, and you have quietly dropped things you used to do.
Pain is the first thing to leave. Movement and strength are the last things trained back, and most people stop before that part is done. That is the gap worth measuring, and it is not measured by how you feel on the day.
The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same therapist, because what a joint does under load cannot be read in one visit. The first finds what is limiting it. The next two measure how it responds. $690, nett, no GST, which is three appointments at $230.
3. You have had surgery, or you have a date
Recovery after an operation has a shape, and knowing which stage you are in tells you whether you are on it. See the recovery programs, hand and physiotherapy, or the four stages and what each one works on if you are not sure which applies to you.
All of it runs on the same four stages. The Phoenix Recovery Protocol explains what each stage works on and what you have to meet to move up. No referral needed to start.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
Next step
Find out which stage you are in
Pain is the first thing to leave. Movement and strength are the last things trained back, and most people stop before that part is done. One Assessment and Treatment is a single 45-minute appointment at $230, nett, no GST. Your therapist finds what is actually limiting you, treats it in the same appointment, and you leave with your current stage and a written plan.
Prefer to phone? Each of our five clinics has its own number on the clinics page. No referral needed to book.
Related reading
Sources
- Fritz JM, et al. Exercise only, exercise with mechanical traction, or exercise with over-door traction for patients with cervical radiculopathy, with or without consideration of status on a previously described subgrouping rule: a randomized clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014;44(2):45-57.
- Wegner I, et al. Traction for low-back pain with or without sciatica. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(8):CD003010.
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