| Inversion Therapy Theory and Precautions Visit our inversion table department. |
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Inversion therapy can provide any number of benefits for your health. Inversion therapy can relieve back pain, decompress your spine, stretch muscles and ligaments, relieve stress, improve circulation and help maintain overall good health. However, inversion is not for everyone. Here is why: Anti-Coagulants, Blood-thinning drugs or Aspirin Click for Information about Inversion Therapy Medical Studies Inversion Therapy Commonly Asked Questions How can Inversion Therapy help you? Click for a Summary of the benefits of Inversion Therapy Below are Common Health Conditions that require a Physicians approval before Inversion: The use of Anti-Coagulants such as Blood-thinning drugs or aspirin, to reduce clotting of the arteries and blood vessels: The use of anti-coagulants is for people at risk for circulatory problems. We advise speaking with a physician before inverting. Bone weakness, recent fractures, skeletal implants: Having weight pulling down when inverted may make these conditions worse. Osteoporosis is a calcium deficiency disease in which the bones become porous, brittle, and very weak. Speak with a physician before inverting. Conjunctivitis - (Pink eye): An inflammation of the transparent membrane that covers the front surface of the eyeball and the inner surface of the eyelids caused by bacterial or viral infection. Speak with a physician before inverting. Glaucoma: A condition of elevated pressure within the eye because of an obstruction of the outflow of the clear, watery fluid circulating in the chambers of the eye. The resulting pressure (which is imperceptible without an eye exam) kills cells in the optic nerve, which can lead to a gradual loss of vision. Anyone with an eye condition should speak with a physician before inverting. Osteoporosis: Do not use an inversion table or machine if you have been diagnosed with Osteoporosis or related fragility of bone mass conditions. Heart or circulatory disorders: Any condition involving the circulatory system. Speak with a physician before inverting. Hiatal hernia or ventral hernia: A hiatal hernia occurs when intra-abdominal pressure increases cause a portion of the stomach to move into the chest cavity through a weakness in the diaphragm. A ventral hernia develops at the site of previous surgery, usually along vertical incisions. It may also result from weakness in the abdominal wall. Advise speaking with a physician before inverting. High blood pressure and hypertension: A common disorder in which the heart is pumping blood through the circulatory system with a force greater than that required for normal blood flow. An elevated blood pressure which exceeds 140/90. It is true that certain people should not invert if they have uncontrolled high blood pressure. However, inversion can cause a state of relaxation that results in a drop in heart rate and BP (sometimes even lower than at a resting state). Some doctors have used inversion as a treatment for high BP. Advise speaking with a physician before inverting. Middle ear infection: The middle ear helps equalize air pressure in the ear. A person may feel discomfort or disorientation during inversion. Advise speaking with a physician before inverting. Extreme Obesity: In some people obesity can be associated with the undetected onset of many of the circulatory and eye problems mentioned above. The weight capacity of each of the inversion products should not be exceeded. Pregnancy: Pregnant women should exercise caution when inverting. Advisable to talk with physician first. Retinal detachment: A separation of the retina, the thin, delicate membrane covering the rear portion of the eye, from the optic nerve. Usually results from a hole in the retina that allows the vitreous humor fluid to leak. Treatment is almost always surgical. A retinal hemorrhage, in most cases, can heal by itself. Anyone with an eye condition should speak with a physician before inverting. Spinal injury: Any severe spinal cord trauma requires a person to consult their physician before inverting. Stroke: Occurs when a blood vessel in the neck or brain becomes blocked or when a vessel in the brain bursts open. Symptoms include paralysis, difficulty speaking, memory loss, and impaired thought processes. Ministroke (TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack): A Ministroke or TIA, occurs when the blood supply is temporarily interrupted to a part of the brain due to a blockage. Often precedes the onset of a full stroke, and requires immediate action. So you think hanging upside down to relieve back pain is some wacky, new-age idea? Think again. It is documented that Inversion was used as early as 400 B.C., when Hippocrates, the father of medicine, first watched a patient have his knees bound and ankles tied to a ladder to be hoisted upside down for a dose of what has come to be known as spinal traction. Not only can inversion therapy be used to treat back pain, but it also can be used as a method to reverse other negative effects that gravity has on your body. Inversion represents the Quiet Side of Fitness, helping your body to recover from the compressive effects of gravity and daily activities. Doctors, physical therapists and sports trainers recognize inversion as a safe and effective form of therapy for the spine and weight-bearing joints. In fact, the US Army is writing Inversion into its worldwide physical training manual that will be adopted for the new millennium. Inversion Can Help to Relieve Many Forms of Back Pain. So How can Inversion help you to relieve your back pain? Quite simply, inversion therapy puts gravity to work for you by placing your body in line with the downward force of gravity. Inversion elongates the spine, increasing the space between the vertebrae, which relieves the pressure on discs, ligaments and nerve roots. Less pressure means less back pain. Every nerve root leaves the spine through an opening between the vertebrae-the size of this opening is largely controlled by the height of the intravertebral disc. Discs that are plump and contained in their ligament "wrappers" are necessary to keep the nerve roots free of pressure and your body free from pain. Stress and tension can cause muscle spasms in the back, neck and shoulders, as well as headaches and other problems. Tense muscles produce spasms and pain by reducing the supply of oxygen and by reducing blood and lymph flow, allowing the accumulation of waste chemicals in the muscles. Inverting yourself to as little as 25 degrees for even a few minutes can help relax tense muscles and speed the flow of lymphatic fluids which flush out the bodys wastes and carry them to the blood stream. The faster this waste is cleared, and fresh supplies of oxygen are introduced, the faster stiffness and pain in the muscles can disappear. A study conducted by physiotherapist L.J. Nosse found that, EMG (electromyographic) activity, an indicator of muscle pain, declined over 35% within ten seconds of assuming the inverted position. Inversion can also help to encourage good posture. Inversion Helps Provide Care and Feeding for the Discs Your discs have three jobs:
Disc separation is especially important since all communication between the brain and the body is via nerves that pass between each vertebra. Insufficient distance between the vertebrae can result in nerve root pressure and pain. The inner core of your discs is made of jelly-like material that provides the flexibility and "cushioning" in your back. When you are sitting, standing, or exercising, which I will term "weight-bearing activities", fluid is squeezed out of your discs and into adjacent soft tissue (just as you would squeeze moisture out of a sponge). As a result, your discs lose some of their moisture and height. To prove this fact, measure yourself in the morning and then again at night. You will lose 1/2" to 3/4" in height by the end of the day. This lost fluid translates into your discs loosing some of their cushioning effect. When you are sleeping, "a non-weight bearing activity", your discs (or "intravertebral sponges") expand as they soak up fluid and nutrients and increase the length of your spine by as much as 3/4". But you do not gain the full height back, accumulating to a total of 1/2" to 2" in height throughout your lifetime. When your discs are compressed and thinned, your vertebrae potentially place more pressure on these nerve roots. More pressure equals more pain. As you relax, your spine begins to stretch. The space between each vertebra will increase, thus decreasing the pressure on the discs between each vertebra. This encourages fluid movement back into the disc, helping to keep your discs plump and happy and decreasing the pain in your back. In fact, the only time in your life when you are giving your discs a break is when you are inverting. When a medical study measured the pressure inside the 3rd lumbar disc-it was assigned a baseline pressure while standing of 100%. The study reported that even when you are lying down, the disc pressure remained at 25%. The hundreds of ligaments and muscles that encase and mobilize the spine act like a bunch of rubber bands holding the spine in compression equal to 25% of standing body weight. Inverting to 60 degrees is necessary to reduce the disc pressure to zero . Inverting is the most effective posture that allows your discs to recover from the constant pressure placed on them during your daily activities. Inversion Helps to Relieve Stress If nothing else, Inversion is a great way to take a break and relax. The full body stretch can be rejuvenating and can also help to reduce muscle tension. A study conducted by physiotherapist LJ Nose found that EMG activity (a measure of muscle tension) declined over 35% within ten seconds of inverting. Inversion, therefore, is helpful in relieving tension and pain in your muscles that may have been caused by stress. In fact, for centuries yoga practitioners have recognized the concept of turning the body upside down to find relaxation. The head stand position is a form of "postural exchange" (reversing the direction of gravity). Not everyone wants to do headstands, so inversion on Hang Ups equipment creates an easier alternative with the added benefit of joint decompression. Inversion Helps Improve Circulation and Accelerates the Cleansing of Blood and Lymph Fluids Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system has no pump. Only the alternate contraction and relaxation of muscles moves lymphatic fluid "uphill" through capillaries and one-way valves to the upper chest for cleansing. Inverting the body so that gravity works with, not against, these one-way valves helps to push the lactic fluid up to the chest. The faster the lymphatic system is cleared the faster the ache and pain of stiff muscles disappears. Inversion Helps Increase Oxygen Flow to the Brain Some people claim that increasing the circulation of blood to the head through inversion may also improve the color and tone of your skin, stimulate mental alertness, and improve hearing and vision. In addition, some claim that hair will be healthier, and may even grow again, if the scalp is well supplied with blood. Inversion Helps Reduce the Effects of Aging Caused by the Force of Gravity "Decongests" Internal Organs: Increases Oxygen to the Brain: Relieves Varicose Veins: Inversion Enables the Body to Stretch and Re-Align If we perform our daily activities in the wrong way we can create skeletal misalignments. Most often these misalignments are nominal and will readily correct themselves given the opportunity. Inversion with movement (such as side-to-side bends, back arches, and a partial sit-up or two) provides that opportunity. One-sided activities can be particularly troublesome for the athlete for two reasons: The body will tend to over compensate for the strong-side muscle groups, pulling the spine out of alignment, and one-sided activities usually involve rotation of the spine, often under incredible loads. Examples of these activities are golf, water skiing, tennis, bowling, racquetball, and baseball. Inversion after physical activity may help to realign the spine and keep athletes performing at higher levels for longer periods of time. Still other physical activities tend to create tension in the muscles due to a contraction of the major muscle groups for long periods of time. In-line skating, swimming, bicycling, windsurfing and rowing are examples of activities which tend to create a great deal of lower back strain. Athletes in these sports can receive a tremendous boost from daily inversion therapy. Inversion Reduces Pain in Overworked Muscles Inversion Provides Balance and Orientation Training Inversion Strengthens Ligaments Gravity The experience of thousands of people who invert regularly is that it gives them the relief from back pain they have been looking for. Just as important, they gain the rejuvenating effects of inversion on the entire body, providing health benefits far beyond the relief of back pain. Today back pain is one of the most common of all physical complaints in the world. About 70 to 90% of men and women in the U.S. have had or will have a least one bout of incapacitating low back pain. Back pain contributes to lost work time and may cost as much as $100 billion annually (if lost productivity is included1). Doctors generally agree that most back problems are caused by stress or by weak muscles. We need strong back , stomach, and hip muscles to resist gravity and to hold us up. As societies around the world become more mechanized and computerized, they have also become less exercised. We lock ourselves behind desks and in front of computers. When we sit, our back muscles hold us erect, but our stomach and hip muscles are inactive. When they are not exercised, stomach and hip muscles become weaker, putting a painful strain on the back muscles. Sitting places higher loads inside the lumbar disc than standing (between 150% to 250% depending on posture). The condition of your back is very important to your health. A better back can lead to a better body. Anatomy of the Back
Each vertebrae is held in its proper place by three different kinds of soft tissue-discs, ligaments, and muscles. Almost all back problems are related to the dysfunction of one of these three. To understand the sources of your particular back problem and/or how to prevent back pain, it helps to understand the anatomy of your spine. The natural curves of the spine are vitally important for giving your back strength and resilience. There are 24 vertebrae in your spinal column. The lumbar vertebrae are approximately two inches in diameter reflecting their weight-bearing role. The cervical vertebrae are smaller, since they must support only the head. Facet joints are located in pairs on the back of the spine, where one vertebra slightly overlaps the next. The facet joints guide and restrict movement of the spine. To the rear of each vertebra is a hole and when the vertebrae are stacked up, these holes form a continuous channel which holds the spinal cord. The spinal cord provides a vital link between the brain and all body functions below the neck. Spinal nerves emerge from the spinal cord through gaps between the main body of the vertebrae and the facet joints. One frequent cause of back pain is a worn facet joint, which can result in a pinched nerve. Therefore, it is very important to keep your vertebrae in good shape. The main function of your discs is to act as shock absorbers and provide separation between each vertebrae. The outer layers of your discs are formed from tough cartilage. The inner core of your disc is a jelly-like nucleus. In total, your discs account for one-quarter the length of your vertebral column- 4.50" to 6" (12 to 15 cm) for most people. The disc acquires its nourishment through fluid-attracting and fluid-absorbing qualities of its jelly-like nucleus. With no blood supply of its own, the disc is dependent on sponge action for attracting and absorbing nutrients from adjacent tissues. During non-weight bearing activities (sleeping) the discs expand as they soak up fluid, increasing the length of the spine by as much as one inch overnight. During weight bearing activities (sitting, standing, exercising), this fluid is squeezed back into the adjacent soft tissue. Your vertebra are supported and moved by many different muscles. Muscles are used for three basic functions; support, movement, and posture control. If muscles are tight or weak, they create or worsen back pain. Joints are controlled by at least two sets of muscles, flexors which bend the joint, and extensors which straighten it. In addition, most joints have rotator muscles that twist and rotate your bones. Good posture is only possible if the flexors, extensors, and rotators are in proper balance. Your paraspinal muscles (which run parallel to your spine) rotate your spine, bend it backwards, and sideways, and influence posture by creating and maintaining the curves of your spine. Your erector spine muscles are involved in movement and run the length of your spine. These muscles help you to bend over by resisting the force of gravity, and to straighten up by contracting and exerting great compressive force on your spine. Your abdominal muscles play an important role in helping to support the spine by maintaining pressure inside the abdomen. This pressure is an essential measure of counter support to the spine. Your psoas muscles (hip flexors) are a large group of muscles in the abdomen. These muscles help to flex your hips when walking or climbing stairs. They play an important role in maintaining posture for sitting and standing. Intravertebral joints are supported by ligaments, tough and inelastic fibers which support the spine and hold it together by allowing only a limited range of movement in any one direction. Ligaments require regular movement and loading, otherwise they will eventually become stiff and weak. Back Pain Stress and tension can cause muscle spasms in the back, neck and shoulders, as well as headaches and other problems. Tense muscles produce spasms and pain by reducing the supply of oxygen and by reducing blood and lymph flow, allowing the accumulation of waste chemicals in the muscles. A back injury is usually not caused by one single incident. The extent of your injury is determined by how much wear and tear your back has been through prior to the injury. Over a lifetime, many minor stresses or irritations add up to cause damage that can gradually weaken and stiffen your spine, setting you up for a significant injury. Many doctors agree that main causes of back pain are:
Gravity During non-weight bearing activities (sleeping), the discs expand as they soak up fluid increasing the length of the spine. However, you will not gain the full 100% of the height lost back. This is evident in the fact that as a baby, your discs are 90% water. By the time you reach 70 years of age, your discs are only 70% water! Over a lifetime, this loss of moisture causes thinning discs and you will lose 1" to 2" in height! Loss of height due to gravity would be easy to live with if it was the only result of thinning discs. However, another result of thinning discs is worn facet joints due to increased pressure. The joints can become irritated and inflamed, and the capsule of lubricating fluid that surrounds each joint might swell and press on a nerve root. How do activities affect the amount of pressure on your discs? Our daily activities (running, sitting, weightlifting) and the force of gravity places pressure on your discs. For example, sitting places 50% more pressure on your discs than standing. Sitting and leaning forward (i.e., typing at a computer) places 150% more pressure on discs than standing. The average person will spend 16 hours (2/3 of your life) day sitting or standing. What evidence shows that gravity is a major cause of thinning discs? Astronauts grow in space! After 84 days in space (a gravity-free environment) astronauts grew 2" in height. During twelve weeks in orbit, their discs had continued to take moisture from the blood stream, but with no gravitational pull to squeeze moisture out, the discs remained plump, making their spines longer, and themselves taller. In fact, space suits are designed to accommodate the extra 2" spinal stretch. After a few days on earth (a gravity environment), they returned to their normal height. How can Inversion reduce the effects of gravity? When you invert and relax, your body can stretch up to 2 inches. "Muscles relax quite quickly in the fully inverted position, and the length of the spine measurably increases after only a few minutes. Some of the lengthening effect is gained from re-absorption of fluid into the center of the disc. Used over a longer period, this may delay the degeneration process that occurs due to "drying out" (Beating Back Pain, Tanner). Supine Position - Lumbar curve maintained, posterior erector muscles contracted (shortened), intravertebral disc pressure, and psoas exerts pressure on spine. Pre-Inversion Position - Lumbar curve reduced, muscular relaxation, and pressure of psoas muscle decreases. Seated Inversion Position - Joint spaces widened, pain relief, intravertebral disc pressure reduced, and musculature stretching.
Poor Flexibility Muscles and ligaments require regular movement, otherwise they will become stiff and inflexible. As you age, your discs become thinner, bringing the intravertebral joints closer together. The ligaments that support the spine become more slack and joints become looser. It is like a worn machine with a loose drive belt or pulley. Any undue strain may throw something out of gear. Throughout your life you obtain strains by bending the spine too far, placing too much load on the spine while in the bent position, or bending repeatedly. Ligaments have a limited blood supply and thus do not heal easily. Sometimes they fail to heal completely, thus leaving scar tissue. Scar tissue is not as strong or flexible as regular ligaments or muscles and leaves the area stiffer and weaker. This is how your back ages and becomes less flexible. Without regular loading and movement, ligaments can become stiff, which may increase the risk of injury. Unless appropriate exercises are performed to restore normal flexibility, the unhealed tissue may produce a continuous source of back pain and/or stiffness. Simple, gentle loading and movement can help scar tissue become more flexible and more strong, or absorbed and replaced by more normal ligament and muscle tissue. This strengthening can help to prevent a re-injury. Although there are exercises to stretch parts of your back separately, inversion helps to gently load and move all the ligaments encasing your spinal column at once. INVERSION THERAPY MEDICAL STUDIES:
Information courtesy of Teeter Hang Ups |