Inversion tables allow you to tilt or lean back to relieve pressure on your spine and discs. High-impact activities and certain medical conditions, such as spinal stenosis, can put excess pressure on the pliable discs between your vertebrae, leading to pain and swelling. While inversion therapy can help relieve some of these symptoms and contribute to better back health in some individuals, it can also be problematic, or even dangerous, for others.
Function
Inversion tables tilt back to put the spine into traction. Using the downward force of gravity, the spine lengthens and opens the spaces between the discs. Most inversion tables have handles or mechanical devices that allow the user to control the angle. In this way, beginners can start by leaning back only a few degrees and gradually progress to a deeper angle as they get more comfortable with inversion. Some health care professionals advise patients to slowly tilt back and forth while on the table to draw fluids around the discs.
Benefits
Inverting removes the gravitational pressure from nerves and discs by increasing the space between the vertebrae. This can help temporarily relieve back pain from certain spinal conditions, such as a bulged disc. Circulation increases while a person is inverted, helping the heart to pump more blood to the brain. Inverting can also increase the flow of fluid through the lymphatic system, which helps remove waste products from the body.
Considerations
Inversion tables may be a safe alternative to pain-relieving medications for some people. While inverting does help relieve back pain for many people, the effects are usually temporary and there is no medical evidence that inversion is effective for long-term or permanent back pain relief. People with spinal conditions or chronic back pain should not rely on any one method to solve their problems. Good back health relies on regular exercise, core strengthening and proper posture more than any treatment method aimed solely at temporary pain relief.
Warning
Patients should always check with their doctors before inverting. Some spinal problems can actually get worse from inversion. Since the heartbeat slows during inversion, people with cardiovascular disease or other heart problems should not use inversion tables. Inverting also raises blood pressure and pressure in the eye, so people with elevated eye pressure from a medical condition and those who suffer from high blood pressure or take medications to control their blood pressure should refrain from using inversion tables as well.
