Disc Herniation & Traction: What the Research Shows
Curated & reviewed by Dr. Nikolay Chernukhin, D.C.
A herniated disc in your low back or neck can cause pain, numbness, or tingling that travels down an arm or leg. The encouraging news is that most people get better with non-surgical, hands-on care and exercise rather than surgery. Below is a plain-language look at what the research actually says about chiropractic, traction, exercise, and massage for disc herniation — including where the evidence is strong and where it is still limited.
Chiropractic & manual therapy
This review found moderate-quality evidence that spinal manipulation eases the nerve pain from a low-back disc, but the evidence for neck-related nerve pain was weaker and less certain.
A pooled review suggested a hands-on neck manipulation technique safely reduced pain and improved neck movement for a pinched neck nerve, but the authors said the underlying trials were low quality and better studies are needed.
Traction & decompression
This 2025 review found exercise, spinal manipulation, and traction all helped low-back disc herniation, with traction showing the largest effect — but the studies varied so widely that the authors could not say for sure which one works best.
Mechanical traction eased low-back pain and improved function more than other care in the short term, but the benefit did not clearly last over the long term.
In this trial, adding neck traction to a program of hands-on therapy and exercise gave no extra improvement in pain, function, or disability for people with a pinched neck nerve.
Exercise & rehab
Combining 8 trials with 611 patients, exercise therapy clearly lowered pain and disability from low-back disc herniation compared with no exercise.
In this small 50-patient study, neck-strengthening exercises improved pain and function from a neck disc herniation, and adding core exercises gave no extra benefit.
Massage & soft tissue
In 57 people with a neck disc herniation, adding either soft-tissue tool massage or percussion (massage-gun) therapy to usual care reduced pain and improved body awareness more than usual care alone, though the study was small and short.
Pooling 12 trials, adding tuina massage to traction improved pain, back function, and movement more than traction alone — but the authors saw signs of publication bias, so the results should be read with some caution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chiropractic help a herniated disc in the low back or neck?
It can help many people. Reviews found moderate-quality evidence that spinal manipulation reduces the nerve pain from a low-back disc herniation, and a hands-on neck manipulation technique also showed benefit for neck-related nerve pain, though that neck evidence is lower quality. A chiropractor can also screen for the uncommon cases that need medical or surgical care.
What exercises help a herniated disc?
Guided exercise therapy — including core and spine-stabilizing movements — has been shown to lower pain and disability from a low-back disc herniation, and neck-strengthening exercises help with neck disc herniation. A physical therapist or chiropractor can tailor a safe, gradual program to your situation.
Can massage or traction help, and how long until it feels better?
Massage such as tuina or soft-tissue work, when added to other care, improved pain in several studies, and spinal traction eased low-back disc pain in the short term (its long-term benefit is less certain). Many people notice improvement within a few weeks of consistent care, but timelines vary from person to person.
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