Roughly 70 to 85 percent of people have experienced back pain at some point in their lives, according to Spine-Health. Back pain can result from a mild muscle strain that can heal over several days or weeks, or could be a more serious condition such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease. Inversion table therapy has become a common treatment option to relieve back pain caused by decompression. However, it is not recommended for everyone or for all types of back pain.
Inversion Tables
Inversion therapy has been around for thousands of years and involves hanging upside down to decompress the spine. When standing upright, gravity along with intense high-impact exercise can cause the disks to compress together. This compression of the spine can result in back pain. The inversion table essentially takes the gravitational pressure off the nerve roots and disks in your spine and increases the space between vertebrae, thus decreasing back pain that may be associated with compression of spinal disks.
Methods
Inversion therapy helps to relax and increase blood flow through the muscles, which in turn maintains the muscles in better condition and makes them less likely to cause painful spasms, according to Sports Injury Clinic. One method of using the inversion table is simply to hang upside down for several minutes to allow decompression to occur. Another method involves rotating up and down on an inversion table. This causes the fluids around the spinal discs to move, forcing waste out and drawing in fluid around the discs.
Frequency
The use of an inversion table to relieve back pain should be done as needed. However, if you currently have back pain, using the inversion table initially two to three times a day is advisable, according to Sports Injury Clinic. Once the pain begins to go away, the frequency can be reduced. You might consider including inversion therapy into your weekly training routine to help prevent future back pain caused by compression.
Considerations
Studies have shown that although inversion therapy can temporarily be helpful as part of a more comprehensive treatment program for lower back pain caused by spinal disk compression, it does not provide lasting relief from back pain, according to the Mayo Clinic. Additionally, being inverted can be risky for anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma. Although inversion therapy is generally safe, some other conditions may be contraindicative for inversion therapy, such as pregnancy and obesity. Always consult your doctor prior to beginning any new therapy.
