Inversion tables are designed to allow you to safely suspend yourself upside down, a starting position for a variety of therapeutic and conditioning exercises. Many brands of affordable home inversion table are available, while larger, more high-tech versions are used by many doctors and physical therapists. Although inversion tables offer some benefits, they do include risks and should be used with caution.
Home Use
The specific techniques and fasteners used to safely hold yourself in an inversion table vary depending on the brand and model. The general principle, however, is to lean against the table in an upright position. Secure your ankles in the fasteners, then gradually raise your arms over your head. This will gradually shift your center of balance, tipping you backward until you are hanging upside down. When you are finished, raise your arms toward your waist and you will tip right side up again, allowing you to unlock the ankle fasteners.
Back Pain
Many people purchase home inversion tables to help relieve their chronic back pain. The strain of exercise or ordinary daily activities can compress the vertebrae in the back -- inversion tables are designed to help stretch and separate these vertebrae back to their proper position. According to MayoClinic.com, inversion tables alone are not a long-term cure to chronic back pain, but that they can cause short-term relief. If you struggle with serious, recurring back pain, you should use inversion tables as advised by your doctor in conjunction with other treatments.
Core Strengthening
In addition to the flexibility and spinal benefits, you can also do different abdominal exercises while suspended upside down in an inversion table. Simply performing ordinary straight crunches or cross crunches while suspended can provide a very challenging workout. The effect of these exercises is difficult to exactly simulate without an inversion table due to the instability the suspended position creates in your torso. Mixing in these types of workouts with your normal core routine can help improve your results significantly.
Risks
The upside down position in which you are suspended by an inversion table does include some risks, particularly in regards to proper blood circulation. To minimize the risk of complications, keep the length of time you hang upside down to under two minutes at a stretch. Consult a doctor before using an inversion table if you have been diagnosed with heart disease, high blood pressure and similar diseases. Pregnant women and individuals with artificial joints should not use inversion tables.
