Abstract: A traction aid for lowering the shoulders during lateral cervical spine radiographic procedures. The device employs a pair of wrist cuffs joined by an adjustable loop which extends around the underside of the feet of a supine patient. Straightening the knees and extending the feet tensions the patient's arms and depresses his shoulders allowing improved exposure of the sixth and seventh vertebrae to lateral X-ray procedures. In an alternate embodiment a pair of shoulder straps encircle the patient's shoulders and are joined by the leg straps to depress the shoulders by direct pressure on the shoulders. The mechanical interaction between the straps and the straightening of the legs and feet produces the required depression. The method of this invention involves the use of such a traction device and the patient's voluntary or the doctor's manual straightening of the legs with minimum exposure to the radiation field.