Gain temporary height with spinal traction?

Because sometimes you need a little bit of height now...

Immediate changes in spinal height and pain after aquatic vertical traction in patients with persistent low back symptoms: a crossover clinical trial.

"Ninety-eight subjects were recruited using consecutive sampling, with 28 men and 32 women of a mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 59.6 ± 11.6 years completing testing.
Each subject participated in 2 sessions that consisted of loaded walking for 15 minutes, followed by either 15 minutes of land-based supine position or 15 minutes of aquatic vertical traction.
Spinal height change, measured using a commercial stadiometer, was determined after completing loaded walking and after each intervention.
The mean ± SD height change of 4.99 ± 2.88 mm after aquatic vertical traction was similar to that of 4.21 ± 2.53 mm after the land-based supine flexion (P = .0969)[Not very significant increase in height but traction was only applied for 15 minutes what really matters is if the maximal spinal height is higher after aquatic vertical traction versus supine flexion]. Paired t-test indicated that both interventions resulted in significant increased height (P < .0001). Decreases in pain after aquatic intervention (2.7 ± 2.1 cm) were significantly greater than decreases after land intervention (1.7 ± 1.7 cm; P = .0034), and centralization of symptoms was more pronounced after aquatic vertical suspension compared with the supine land-based flexion condition (P < .0001). A significant correlation between height change and both pain reduction (r = 0.39; P = .001) and centralization (r = 0.29; P = .013) was observed for the aquatic intervention only.
Although both the aquatic and land interventions produced significant increases in overall spinal height, the aquatic intervention produced greater pain relief and centralization response in subjects with low back pain and signs of nerve root compression."

"Hyperextension sustained at a 20° angle for 20 minutes resulted in the largest height increase when compared with other extension angles and duration"

"Despite the fact that the deep-water runners had no contact with the ground, limited spinal shrinkage still occurred (−2.9 mm). The shrinkage in the deep water was thought to occur because of the muscular forces applied to the lumbar disks from action of the back, hip, and abdominal muscles. Such shrinkage did not occur after the aquatic intervention for any subject in our experiment, which suggests that small motions of the subjects and the addition of ankle weights may have assisted in decreasing muscular activity and allowed the subjects to quietly hang, which resulted in some spinal distraction"

"The results indicated that, without ankle weights, the average change per individual lumbar segment was 0.73-0.87 mm and that the addition of 5 kg to each ankle resulted in an average change in each segment that ranged from 0.84 to 1.41 mm."<-Would more ankle weights produce more results?  Remember you want no muscular activity.

[Acute effects of mechanical lumbar traction with different intensities on stature].<-This study is in portugese.

"Thirty apparently healthy subjects (age: 20.9 ± 1.7 years old), 14 male and 16 female, were submitted to two protocols of 15 minutes of continuous traction (with intensity of 10% and 50% of body weight), in two sessions one week apart. The protocol order was determined randomly. Stature was assessed before and immediately after the traction and every five minutes for 30 minutes after traction ceased.

Immediately after the traction both protocols induced a significant increase in stature, however the magnitude of the increase was significantly superior in the traction with 50% of body weight (0.567 ± 0.049 vs. 0.298 ± 0.041 cm, p>0.001)[maybe traction with higher percentage of body weight would be more significant, 0.5 cm is about 1/4 of an inch]. After the traction with 50% of body weight the increase in the stature was maintained until ten minutes after the end of the traction, while after the traction with 10% of body weight the effects on stature disappeared after five minutes.

The mechanical vertebral traction of the lumbar region performed continuously with 50% of body weight during 15 minutes induced an increase in stature superior and longer in time than that observed with a traction force of 10% of body weight."

50% body weight traction resulted in the greatest increase in height amongst all the studies.  Perhaps greater traction would be more beneficial.  The subjects were younger in the second study which could have made a difference. This device applies up to 200lbs of traction: Saunders Lumbar HomeTrac - Deluxe.  So up to 100% of body weight for most people.  And up to 50% of bodyweight up to extremes of weight.  So this device may give you a 1/4" when applied for 15 minutes for up to ten minutes afterwards.  Different amounts of traction may provide different results.

This is actually a study that can be performed by non-scientists.  Do 10% and 50% of bodyweight to compare your height gain to the study to establish a baseline.  Then do 75%, see how much height you gain after 15 minutes and see how long the height lasts.