Intersegmental traction — often called a roller table or IST table — uses motorised rollers beneath a padded table to gently mobilise each segment of your spine in sequence. At Holistic Integration, the roller height, position, direction and speed are set from your spinal X-ray findings rather than a default setting, and each session takes 12 to 15 minutes.
What is intersegmental traction?
Your spine is built to move. When segments stop moving properly, the joint loses the pumping action that circulates fluid through it — and intervertebral discs have almost no blood supply of their own, so they depend on that motion to draw in nutrients and clear waste. Stiff segments become poorly nourished segments, and poorly nourished segments degenerate faster.
Intersegmental traction restores that motion passively. You lie face-up on the table while rollers travel slowly along your spine, lifting and separating one segment at a time. It’s painless — most patients describe it as a deep, pleasant stretch — and it requires no effort from you.
You’ll see it called a roller table, an IST table, or an intersegmental traction table. They’re all the same therapy.
What makes our approach different
Most clinics that offer a roller table offer exactly that: a table. You lie down, the rollers run, the timer ends.
We treat it as a prescribed therapy. Before you use the table, we take and read a spinal X-ray, and the findings determine four settings:
| Setting | Why it’s adjusted |
|---|---|
| Roller height | Controls how much lift and separation each segment receives |
| Area | Targets the specific region your X-ray shows as restricted, rather than the whole spine |
| Direction | Works with the direction of your misalignment, not against it |
| Speed | Matched to tissue tolerance and the goal of the session |
This is part of how we practise structure-function medicine: identify the structural problem with imaging, then apply a therapy configured for that specific problem.
The three protocols we run
Thoraco-lumbar protocol. For patients with restriction through the mid-to-lower spine who don’t have a scoliotic curve. This is the most commonly used protocol and focuses on restoring motion where the thoracic and lumbar spine meet — a region that takes heavy mechanical load and stiffens readily.
Posterior sacrum protocol. The sacrum sits at the base of the spine and carries the load of everything above it. When it rotates out of position, the support it normally provides is reduced and the lower back absorbs that load all day under gravity — a common driver of persistent low back pain and accelerated disc wear. This protocol works to take that pressure off.
Scoliosis protocol. For patients with a lateral spinal curve, traction is applied to improve segmental motion and reduce the muscular guarding and stiffness that accompany the curve
Is it right for everyone?
Intersegmental traction is one of the gentlest therapies we offer, but it isn’t universal. We won’t use it — or will modify it significantly — if you have:
This is exactly why we image first. If your X-ray shows something that makes the table inappropriate, you won’t be put on it — and we’ll tell you what we’d do instead.
If you have persistent back or neck stiffness, low back pain, or a known misalignment and you want a non-invasive, drug-free place to start, this is one of the most comfortable entry points into care we have.
Frequently Asked Questions
A passive chiropractic therapy, also called a roller table or IST table, in which motorised rollers move beneath a padded table to gently mobilise each segment of the spine in sequence, restoring motion and circulating fluid through the discs.
No. Most patients find it relaxing and describe it as a deep stretch along the back. The roller height and speed can be adjusted at any point during the session for comfort.
Nothing — they’re two names for the same therapy. “Roller table” and “IST table” are the informal terms; intersegmental traction is the clinical one.
No. Spinal decompression applies sustained axial pull to reduce pressure on a specific disc. Intersegmental traction applies rhythmic segment-by-segment mobilisation across a region. They serve different purposes and are sometimes used together.
Yes. We set the roller height, area, direction and speed from your X-ray findings, and imaging also rules out conditions that would make the table unsuitable.