Comparison of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in Saunders Cervical Traction at Three Different Forces

[Purpose] This study investigated the alteration of blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) of healthy subjects before, during and after Saunders cervical traction at different traction forces. [Subjects and Methods] One hundred eighty healthy volunteers were divided randomly into A (5% body weight, n = 60), B (15% body weight, n = 60) and C (25% body weight, n = 60) groups. Changes of the blood pressure, oxygen concentration and HRV in the three groups after completing the three evaluation sessions were examined by comparing results from a session with the previous one. [Results] During Saunders cervical traction, significant differences were found within groups B and C, in the change of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and HRV. In group C, significant differences in these changes were also observed after cervical traction. [Conclusions] HRV, which is induced by changes in blood pressure, reduced with increasing cervical traction force. Our results suggest that traction forces of 15% and 25% body weight should be carefully used for patients with cardiovascular diseases.