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General product and regulatory information for lab, clinic and supply staff. It is not medical advice and does not describe how to apply traction to a patient.
Short answer
Mechanical traction is spinal traction delivered by a device instead of by a therapist’s hands. In the United States, FDA classifies the powered machine as “power traction equipment” (21 CFR 890.5900, Class II, product code ITH), while the belts, straps, head halters and pulleys used with it are “traction accessories” (21 CFR 890.5925, Class I). The two sit in different regulatory categories, which matters when you read an equipment list or a supplier catalogue.
Definition and scope
Michigan Medicine’s PainGuide describes spinal traction as a way to stretch the spine to help remove pressure from compressed discs, and says it can be given manually or mechanically. In manual traction a physical therapist applies force with their hands to muscles and joints. In mechanical traction the person lies on a table fitted with tools such as slings and pulleys.
This page is about the equipment category. It does not cover traction technique, settings or who should receive it, and it does not cover skull-tong or halo traction, which FDA regulates separately (see the misunderstandings section and the guide to the halo vest).
How mechanical traction is used in practice
The regulation describes the arrangement rather than a protocol: powered devices “for use in conjunction with traction accessories, such as belts and harnesses, to exert therapeutic pulling forces on the patient’s body” (21 CFR 890.5900(a)). The machine supplies the pulling force; the accessories connect it to the body. Treatment decisions belong to the treating clinician.
Powered equipment, accessories and tables: how FDA separates them
The table below is the part most listings blur together. Every row is taken from the cited section of Title 21 or from FDA’s product classification database, checked 2026-10-31.
| Item | FDA description | Class | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power traction equipment | Powered devices used with traction accessories to exert therapeutic pulling forces on the patient’s body. FDA product code ITH, “Equipment, Traction, Powered”, Physical Medicine panel. | Class II (performance standards); 510(k) submission type | 21 CFR 890.5900; FDA product classification, code ITH |
| Traction accessory | A nonpowered accessory used with powered traction equipment. The generic type includes the pulley, strap, head halter and pelvic belt. | Class I (general controls); exempt from premarket notification, subject to the limits in 21 CFR 890.9 | 21 CFR 890.5925 |
| Multi-function physical therapy table | A motorized table equipped to provide patients with heat, traction and muscle relaxation therapy. | Class II (performance standards) | 21 CFR 890.5880 |
The same regulatory logic appears in the broader physical therapy equipment list, which maps Part 890 devices by section. A plain treatment table without powered traction is a different device again; see what a plinth is.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
- Read the product category, not only the product name. A listing for a belt or harness describes a Class I accessory; a listing for a powered unit describes Class II equipment with product code ITH. The regulation itself states that accessories are made to be used with powered traction equipment.
- Accessories and machines are regulated differently. Under 21 CFR 890.5925 the accessory is exempt from premarket notification (subject to 21 CFR 890.9) and from most quality-system requirements other than records and complaint files; the powered equipment is a Class II device with a 510(k) submission type in FDA’s database.
- Multi-function tables are a separate regulation. A table that includes traction among heat and muscle-relaxation functions falls under 21 CFR 890.5880, not 890.5900.
- Use the manufacturer’s instructions for use for operating limits and compatible accessories; neither the regulation nor this page sets them.
Common misunderstandings
“Traction” always means the same device
It does not. Powered spinal traction equipment (890.5900) is a physical medicine device. Skull tongs used for cranial traction are listed under a different regulation (21 CFR 882.5960) in neurology and are a separate category; the halo vest guide explains that boundary.
Mechanical traction is the same as manual traction with a machine
Michigan Medicine distinguishes the two by who or what applies the force: a therapist’s hands in manual traction, a table with slings and pulleys in mechanical traction. FDA regulates the equipment, not the technique.
Class II means proven for every use
Classification describes regulatory controls for a device type. It is not a statement about who benefits or about clinical use, which this page does not address.
FAQ
What is mechanical traction?
Spinal traction applied with a device, typically a table with slings and pulleys, rather than by a therapist’s hands (Michigan Medicine PainGuide, checked 2026-10-31).
How does FDA classify powered traction equipment?
As Class II under 21 CFR 890.5900, product code ITH, reviewed through the 510(k) pathway in the Physical Medicine panel.
Are traction belts and harnesses regulated as well?
Yes, as traction accessories under 21 CFR 890.5925, Class I with general controls and an exemption from premarket notification subject to 21 CFR 890.9.
Is traction the same as electrical stimulation equipment?
No. Stimulation devices sit in other parts of the same physical medicine regulation; see the guide to interferential current therapy for one example.
Sources
- 21 CFR 890.5900, Power traction equipment, checked 2026-10-31 (21 CFR 890.5900 on Cornell LII).
- 21 CFR 890.5925, Traction accessory, checked 2026-10-31 (21 CFR 890.5925 on Cornell LII).
- 21 CFR 890.5880, Multi-function physical therapy table, checked 2026-10-31 (21 CFR 890.5880 on Cornell LII).
- FDA product classification, code ITH, checked 2026-10-31 (FDA product classification database).
- Michigan Medicine PainGuide, Traction, checked 2026-10-31 (PainGuide traction page).
