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1. The act of drawing or pulling, as by an elastic or spring force. 2. A pulling or dragging force exerted on a limb in a distal direction. [L. tractio, fr. traho, pp. tractus, to draw]

- axis t. rarely used procedure to apply t. upon the fetal head in the line of the birth canal by means of axis t. forceps.

- Bryant t. t. upon the lower limb placed vertically, employed especially in fractures of the femur in children.

- Buck t. apparatus for applying longitudinal skin t. on the leg through contact between the skin and adhesive tape; friction between the tape and skin permits application of force, which is applied through a cord over a pulley, suspending a weight; elevation of the foot of the bed allows the body to act as a counterweight. SYN: Buck extension.

- external t. a pulling force created by using fixed anchorage ( e.g., a headcap or bed frame) outside the oral cavity; principally used in the management of midfacial fractures.

- halo t. application of skeletal t. to the head by means of a halo device.

- intermaxillary t. SYN: maxillomandibular t..

- internal t. a pulling force created by using one of the cranial bones, above the point of fracture, for anchorage.

- isometric t. t. in which the length of the limb does not change.

- isotonic t. t. in which the amount of force does not change.

- maxillomandibular t. a pulling force developed by using elastic or wire ligatures and interdental wiring or splints, or both. SYN: intermaxillary t..

- Russell t. an improvement of Buck extension that permits the resultant vector of the applied t. force to be changed; for fractures of the femur.

- skeletal t. t. pull on a bone structure mediated through a pin or wire inserted into the bone to reduce a fracture of long bones. SYN: skeletal extension.

- skin t. t. on an extremity by means of adhesive tape or other types of strapping applied to the limb.

trac·tion 'trak-shən n

1) the pulling of or tension established in one body part by another

2) a pulling force exerted on a skeletal structure (as in a fracture) by means of a special device or apparatus <a \traction splint> also a state of tension created by such a pulling force <a leg in \traction>

the application of a pulling force, especially as a means of counteracting the natural tension in the tissues surrounding a broken bone (see countertraction), to produce correct alignment of the fragments. Considerable force, exerted with weights, ropes, and pulleys, may be necessary to ensure that a broken femur is kept correctly positioned during the early stages of healing. Traction is also used for the treatment of back pain by physiotherapists.