The Effectiveness of Aquatic Vertical Traction on Lower Back Pain and Associated Sciatica.

Objective. To examine the effect of aquatic vertical traction on lower back pain (LBP) and associated sciatica. Data extraction. A database electronic search of systematic reviews, clinical trials and clinical opinions published in English was conducted using PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PEDro, and Science Direct databases from January 1990 to December 2014. Search terms included: ‘aquatic physiotherapy' , ‘aquatic therapy', ‘aquatic vertical traction', ‘deep water hanging', ‘back pain', ‘hydrotherapy', ‘sciatica’, ‘traction', ‘vertical traction', ‘water therapy', and ‘weightbath hydrotraction'. Data synthesis. Twenty-six articles were found. Four of them included studies relevant to this review. Three of the studies concluded that aquatic vertical traction is effective in significantly reducing pain in patients with LBP and associated sciatica. The fourth study assessed the effect of deep water hanging, but found no statistically significant reduction in pain. All articles used in this manuscript included both acute and chronic cases. Conclusions. Although the research related to aquatic vertical traction is limited, based on current evidence, it is potentially beneficial to reduce pain in patients with LBP and associated sciatica. There is a need for further highquality trials to validate the use of aquatic vertical traction in a clinical setting.