Long-term results of autotraction in the treatment of lumbago and sciatica. An attempt to correlate clinical results with objective parameters.

In a prospective study, 49 patients with sciatica radiating below the knee and with a duration of symptoms with no improvement for 6 weeks or more were treated with autotraction and followed up for 1 year. The patients were examined before and after treatment with thermography, and in addition to a clinical examination, they had to complete a form giving the history of their illness and an assessment of ADL. Seventy-nine percent of the patients conditions were good or improved after autotraction. These results were in accordance with the thermography and ADL score used as objective parameters. We therefore believe that the autotraction method of Gerturd Lind has a place in the treatment of chronic lumbago and sciatica.