This is an ancient and still useful physical therapy treatment that applies a pulling force to the bones of the neck in an effort relieve and resolve certain painful neck syndromes.  Traction is best done in a steady static pulling mode, rather than a commonly used interrupted, intermittent mode. Traction should never hurt and can be done for  30 minutes or more at a time as long as it is comfortable. Cervical disc injuries can often be effectively treated with traction. In some cases, traction treatments must be carried on for long periods of time. In these cases a home traction unit is sometimes preferable.