To the uninitiated, an inversion table may seem more like a torture device than a piece of health equipment. Users fasten their ankles into a clamp, lean back and find themselves suspended upside down. Although the head-over-heels position may not seem like it lends itself to anything more than a carnival ride-like experience, inversion grants several tangible benefits to its practitioners as they literally put gravity's effects on its head with an inversion table.
Back Pain Relief
The use of inversion therapy's usually associated as a means for sufferers of back pain to find relief. The reversal of gravity briefly stretches the spine and provides relief from spinal disk compression. Although inversion's been used to temporarily relieve back pain by reducing the load placed on spinal disks as you turn upside down, it's been shown to have no long-term benefits for treatment of back injuries, according to MayoClinic.com. Its temporary pain relief can be a beneficial part of any spinal injury recovery program, however.
Stress Relief
Negating gravity's effects can have relaxing results. Using inversion takes pressure off your shoulder, neck and lower back muscles, areas that are typically difficult to relax when you're under tension. Inversion therapy's been linked to stress reduction techniques because of this, and additional stretches in an inverted position can magnify that effect, according to Weber State University's Stress Management Lab
Lymph Activity And Muscle Soreness
Your lymphatic system channels wastes away from your muscles and organs and back into the blood where they can be taken to the kidneys for filtration. Because there isn't a pump like your heart driving lymph fluid, it relies upon gravity and the movement of your muscles to drive fluid to the bloodstream. Inversion helps clear lymphatic fluid and the lactic acids that cause sore muscles it contains by releasing it from its largely gravity-driven circulation, allowing freer movement of wastes from your body, according to Natural Arthritis Relief.
Circulation
When you stand or sit upright, your heart has to fight against gravity as it pumps to return your blood from your extremities. Inversion allows your heart to work alongside gravity, according to Natural Arthritis Relief, and helps return blood from your extremities. Inversion also temporarily slows your heart rate and increases your blood pressure, according to MayoClinic.com, which may be dangerous if you suffer from cardiovascular disease.
