1. How long should I invert?
This is probably the most commonly asked question about inversion. The answer really varies with different people. For the most part, we recommend beginners to start slowly: It is very easy to pull a muscle or nerve in the back by overdoing it. At slight angles there is little risk. Once you get to a point where your head is more than a foot or so below your feet you are achieving a strong degree of traction. Once you reach 45 degrees you are at a point that is stronger traction than you would achieve in a hospital. The angle of inversion also affects the length of inversion time that is comfortable. The shallower the angle, the longer the time. Most people will invert for 10 - 20 minutes once or twice a day. There is no real time limit. The important thing is to listen to your body and under do it rather than over do it. If you are at all uncomfortable, simply return upright slowly, resting in the horizontal position before coming all the way up.
Virtually all issues of discomfort that occur with new invertees are due to going too far, too fast. You are wonderfully designed to be upside down, but if you are like most people, the last time you hung upside down you were a little kid. Just ease into inversion gradually. Increasing the angle of incline only as you feel comfortable.
2. Does inversion cause strokes / popped blood vessels?
A medical study published in 1983 by Dr. Goldman and colleagues showed that inverted patients experienced an increase in blood pressure and internal eye pressure. The media widely reported the study, warning that stroke was a potential result of inversion.
Two years following the inversion study, Dr. Goldman reversed his original position, stating, "New research shows that you are at no more of a stroke risk hanging upside down than if you are exercising right side up." More in-depth research found that the body actually has mechanisms that prevent damage from hanging upside down. In fact, while oscillating (inverting with movement), some of the patients' blood pressure actually dropped a few points. (*Note: these studies were based on patients in generally good health. Make sure you review contraindications prior to inverting.)
Dr. Goldman stated that the warnings to the public about the dangers of inversion were "grossly inflated" and that "in the 15 years these devices have been in use, there has not been one single stroke case reported, nor any serious injuries." (This statement, to the best of our knowledge, is as true today as when Dr. Goldman made it 17 years ago).
Other universities, including Marquette, Iowa, and Portland studied inversion during this time, with results that also helped to vindicate Inversion as a healthy physical activity.
3. Why do I feel so much pressure in my head - is it normal to turn red?
This is very normal and is actually good for you, indicating increased blood flow to the brain, eyes, skin and hair. One preliminary study showed that the brain runs 7% faster and 14% more accurate while inverted! The feeling of pressure usually lessens over time as you become accustomed to inverting.
If you are a beginner and are uncomfortable with this feeling, it is OK to come up and rest a while. This is referred to as "intermittent" traction (alternating inversion with being upright) and is a good way to help get used to the inverted world. You can also try "oscillation" which is a rhythmic rocking back and forth.
4. How do I focus on the lower back / upper back / neck region?
Inversion is a natural form of gravity-assisted traction. This means that the amount of traction applied to various locations of the body is exactly the right amount! Every vertebra and related disc is just the right size to support the weight above it. The large discs in the lower back are the right size to support the 60% body weight that is above them. The small discs in the neck are just the right size to support the weight of the head. When inverted, the weight normally supported is just the right weight to apply traction.
Gentle stretching and exercise is beneficial to help decompress and mobilize the spine:
Lower back
You may perform gentle stretching exercises to help move the muscles and connective tissues in the lower back area. In partial inversion, try rotating gently from side-to-side, or slowly rocking your pelvis forward and backward.
If you have worked up to full inversion, abdominal exercises (sit-ups, crunches) can be beneficial to the lower back, since strong abdominal muscles are key for proper posture. On the inversion tables, you can try a gentle back extension by placing your hands behind your head on the bed frame and pushing your body in an arch away from the table. On the DEX, you can perform partial to full back extensions (like reverse sit-ups), strengthening the muscles in your lower back.
Upper back
Many people experience upper back pain as a result of stress and muscle tension. The key to relieving this pain is to totally relax while inverting. Try deep breathing exercises. Also, partner work can be beneficial-nothing is more relaxing than an inverted back and shoulder massage!
Movement is also very beneficial. Try rounding your shoulders forward and pushing them back. Also, stretch one arm at a time across your torso to extend those upper back muscles.
Neck
Again, movement can be beneficial. Try rotating your head from one side to the other. Partner massages to the base of the head and back of the neck are very relaxing (do not apply pressure to the front of the neck). You can also add gentle inverted traction to your neck by resting your arms behind your head at the base of your skull (don't pull, just add the weight of your arms).
5. What exercises do you recommend while inverted?
Gentle stretching can be performed while partially inverted by crossing one arm over your body, gripping the opposite side of the bottom of the mainframe You can also arch the torso from side to side to loosen muscles and to help the mid- and lower spine to stretch.
Similarly, stress in the neck can be relieved by gently rotating the head to either side, plus lifting the head. Do not sit up, only lift the head.
Only perform these exercises when you are comfortable with being fully inverted. Do not overdue it-as with any exercise to which your body is unaccustomed, you may experience sore muscles if you do too much too fast.
Inverted crunches: Place your hands on your chest or behind your head and lift your torso half way to your knees.
Vertical Situps: This is the only way to perform a full sit-up that is safe for your back. Your spine is in line with gravity, so the full sit-up does not place harmful loads on the back. Place your hands behind your head or on your chest. Sit up all the way to your knees. You may need to place your hands behind your knees to help pull yourself up to a full sit up. Some people claim that 1 full inverted sit-up is as difficult as 10 regular sit-ups (without the strain on your back!)
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS NOT TO OVERDUE IT. INVERSION IS NOT A "NO PAIN, NO GAIN" SITUATION. AS SOON AS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH, STOP!
THE STRETCHING OF MUSCLES, LIGAMENTS, TENDONS, NERVES ETC. IS MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU REALIZE WHEN YOU ARE DOING IT ON THE GRAVITY TABLE.
YOU MAY NOT REALIZE YOU OVER STRETCHED UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WHEN YOU CANNOT GET OUT OF BED DUE TO A PULLED MUSCLE IN YOUR NECK OR BACK.
6. I feel some aching in my back when I return upright from inverting. Is this normal?
There could be several causes for this. One cause could be that you did too much too soon. If you are new to inversion, your body is not used to being inverted. By inverting too much too soon, you are probably going to be a little sore. You can liken inversion to beginning any new exercise program. If you over-do it on the first day, you will probably pay for it later!
You returned upright too fast: When inverted, your vertebrae have a chance to separate and the discs can decompress. This action reduces pressure on the nerves that run through your spinal column. When you ascend (return upright) on the inversion table, your spine "re-compresses"-the vertebrae return to their normal position and the pressure on the discs increases again. If you come up from inversion too fast, you might place sudden pressure on the nerves that run through the spine, which can cause some pain. Come up slowly, allowing your lower back to gradually adjust to the changes.
Always keep in mind that if you experience extreme pain, or if you always experience pain while inverting, you should discontinue inversion until you have had a chance to talk with your doctor.
7. Is the inverting detrimental if you should have heart disease or high blood pressure?
It is true that 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. If you have concerns, you should check with your doctor before inverting.
8. Will inversion therapy help with a bulged disc?
When inverted, the natural pull of gravity allows a separation of your vertebrae, which lessens the pressure on the discs in between each vertebrae. The action of increasing the space margins between the vertebrae can actually create a mild suction in the disc, which may help encourage the bulged disc return to its proper place.
The main benefits are realized by increased circulation and waste elimination to injured discs. In the opinion of many medical professionals, several sessions of intermittent traction are the best way to help the body dissolve a bulged disc.
The length of healing time will vary with different people.
9. Will inversion help with headaches or migraines?
Some people have found that inverting on a regular basis can actually help reduce the frequency of migraine occurrences. However, we do not have any medical studies to specifically back this claim. I would advise not to invert if you are in the middle of experiencing a migraine, as it could potentially worsen your headache.
10. Will inversion therapy help with draining blood from the lower limbs?
When inverted, you are helping your heart move venous blood from your legs and torso to the heart and lungs to be purified. Inversion also helps to move fresh, oxygen rich blood from your heart and lungs to your upper body and brain.
When a muscle contracts, this squeezes capillaries and slows removal of wastes from the muscle. Sustained muscle contraction due to stress or cramping causes wastes to accumulate in the tissue and this produces pain. What inversion does for muscles is two-fold: first, it stretches and relaxes them; second, gravity helps the lymph system to clear out the pain-producing toxins trapped in the tensed muscles.
By stimulating circulation, inversion has been known to relieve varicose veins. Varicose veins are caused when blood pools in the veins due to weakened one-way valves. The downward pull of gravity causes blood to slip back, and over time the vein will distend and become painful. When inverting, the pressure is relieved and the heart is able to clear the blood from the lower body.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Americans are battling chronic back pain at alarming rates. Long commutes coupled with long hours sitting at a desk are leading more and more people to look for chronic back pain solutions. Inversion therapy has gained interest in alternative medicine as an at home remedy for chronic back pain. Inversion therapy utilizes therapy tables or inversion chairs depending on personal mobility. The belief of inversion therapy is that manipulating the body to a forty five degree angle and remaining static for anywhere between five to fifteen minutes can decrease chronic back pain and even improve depression.
According to the basics of inversion therapy, manipulating the body through the use of inversion therapy by a twenty five degree angle has shown to reduce muscle tension by up to thirty five percent in ten seconds. Within minutes, believers in inversion therapy state that blood flow is increased, circulation is improved, and the jelly like substance needed for spinal, disc and nerve health begins to seep back around the spinal column, thus reducing chronic back pain. Other proposed benefits of using Inversion therapy for just minutes a day include, increased alertness, less stiffness, strengthening of ligaments, increased flexibility and posture and of course, a re-aligned spinal column.
History of Inversion Therapy
Inversion therapy has been in practice for almost 2000 years. The earliest mention of inversion therapy as a method for treating chronic back pain came from Hippocrates in 400 BC (sportsinjuryclinic.net). A patient experiencing chronic back pain was given hanging therapy through a system of ropes wrapped around the legs and ankles and hoisted into an upside down position by a system of pulleys.
In the 1960’s, according to teeterhangups.com, Dr. Martin of California began bringing Inversion therapy to the forefront with his book Gravity Guidance System, and subsequently developed the inversion therapy table in the 1970’s. According to Wikipedia, during the 1970’s the US Army saw the benefits of using weighted gravity boots and hanging upside down to strengthen back muscles injured from combat and basic training. They continue this practice to this day. The 1980’s saw the biggest boom in inversion tables and inversion chairs in medical history. In the modern era, inversion therapy through gravity boots has been researched by NASA as a way to relieve chronic back pain of astronauts after space travel (nasa.gov), but results have not been published as conclusive evidence.
People other than those with chronic back pain have turned to hanging therapy and Inversion tables in the privacy of their own home. Many gyms and fitness centers are now incorporating some form of inversion equipment into their workouts. Primarily used as a ‘cool down’ tool after bouts of intense exercise, it can ensure clients do not leave with any workout related injuries. Media stars such as Rosie O’donnell have used inversion therapy for depression. The author of The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown, has used hanging therapy to revitalize and refresh the mind.
The inversion chair is similar to the inversion table, except it allows a patient to sit down. This is the preferred alternative for an older person or someone with a spinal injury who finds standing difficult or painful. A person sits in a chair with a straight back board. Placing the feet in stirrups on a small metal stabilizer bar, and holding on to sturdy side handles, gently pushes the body backwards until the desired angle is achieved.
Gravity boots are used in inversion therapy. This is where the person places the feet in boots attached to a hanging therapy bar or other high place. The body simply hangs suspended upside down in the air for several minutes, until blood flow to the upper body (because the person is upside down) is increased. This type of hanging therapy supposedly reduces chronic back pain by increasing blood flow. It is purported to also increase mental stamina and reduce depression.
Inversion Therapy Evidence
The beliefs that inversion therapy as alternative medicine can help with chronic back pain is not unfounded. David Draper of Athletic Therapy Today (ATT at humankinetics.com), a sports medicine journal, reported that inversion therapy appears to reduce chronic back pain.
In Draper’s article, he reported on a study using 30 people with chronic lower chronic back pain, inversion therapy traction unit (inversion therapy table) as hanging therapy helped patients by “Increasing the space between vertebrae, separating the apophyseal joints, widening the intervertebral foramen, removing pressure or contact forces on injured tissue, increasing peripheral circulation, stretching muscles and ligaments, reducing muscle spasm(s), relaxing muscles, changing intervertebral disc pressures, tensing the posterior longitudinal ligament to exert force at the back of the vertebrae, creating suction to draw protruded disks toward their center, flattening lumbar lordosis.”
Inversion therapy may help well beyond chronic back pain. In the medical journal Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, researchers Alison Woolery, Hectory Myers, Beth Stemlieb, and Lonnie Zelter wrote a an article titled: A Yoga Intervention For Young Adults With Elevated Symptoms Of Depression. These researchers examined if yoga combined with other therapies including inversion therapy would have a positive impact on mildly depressed young adults. The researchers used yoga postures thought to alleviate depression, particularly hack heads, standing poses, and inversion therapy. The final result was that participants experienced significant decreases in symptoms of depression.
Inversion Therapy Safety
Is hanging therapy safe? Can the body really be healed by hanging upside down in gravity boots or tilting at angles on a fancy table? Researchers at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine stated in the Western Journal of Medicine that: Inversion (therapy) could prove to be dangerous in some patient populations, such as those with glaucoma, hypertension, uncompensated congestive heart failure, carotid artery stenosis, hiatal hernia or spinal instability, persons receiving anticoagulants or aspirin therapy, those above age 55 or those with a family history of cerebrovascular accidents. These precautions have been republished at sportsinjuryclinic.net.
Inversion therapy, hanging therapy, and gravity boots may have some scientific evidence and support, but there are also cautions that should be considered carefully. Furthermore, there is very little research on the subject from osteopathic medicine and western medicinal journals that support inversion therapy for chronic back pain.
In conclusion, inversion therapy and hanging therapy as a remedy for chronic back pain or other maladies is an alternative medicine. Inversion therapy should not be used to replace medical advice. Please consult an osteopathic physician, chiropractor, and a general practitioner doctor before beginning inversion therapy. Also, take any information found on the Internet regarding inversion therapy with a grain of salt - there is little significant scientific evidence to prove that this type of therapy works. Overall, there are some medical reports that show hanging therapy and inversion therapy can have a positive impact on chronic back pain and other problems. These benefits have been documented by researchers as an alternative medicine, especially in contrast to traditional osteopathic medicine. With this information and the advice of your physician, you can decide if inversion therapy is right for you.
Always Consult Your Physician First
Although it is helpful to get health information by reading and talking with friends, make sure you consult your doctor first before trying any new treatment or changing your diet. Remember that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not strictly regulate the strength, purity or safety of herbs and supplements. Be sure to always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, speak with your doctor before taking medical action or changing your health routine. This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. LifeScript disclaims any liability for the decisions made by its readers based on the information provided.
According to the basics of inversion therapy, manipulating the body through the use of inversion therapy by a twenty five degree angle has shown to reduce muscle tension by up to thirty five percent in ten seconds. Within minutes, believers in inversion therapy state that blood flow is increased, circulation is improved, and the jelly like substance needed for spinal, disc and nerve health begins to seep back around the spinal column, thus reducing chronic back pain. Other proposed benefits of using Inversion therapy for just minutes a day include, increased alertness, less stiffness, strengthening of ligaments, increased flexibility and posture and of course, a re-aligned spinal column.
History of Inversion Therapy
Inversion therapy has been in practice for almost 2000 years. The earliest mention of inversion therapy as a method for treating chronic back pain came from Hippocrates in 400 BC (sportsinjuryclinic.net). A patient experiencing chronic back pain was given hanging therapy through a system of ropes wrapped around the legs and ankles and hoisted into an upside down position by a system of pulleys.
In the 1960’s, according to teeterhangups.com, Dr. Martin of California began bringing Inversion therapy to the forefront with his book Gravity Guidance System, and subsequently developed the inversion therapy table in the 1970’s. According to Wikipedia, during the 1970’s the US Army saw the benefits of using weighted gravity boots and hanging upside down to strengthen back muscles injured from combat and basic training. They continue this practice to this day. The 1980’s saw the biggest boom in inversion tables and inversion chairs in medical history. In the modern era, inversion therapy through gravity boots has been researched by NASA as a way to relieve chronic back pain of astronauts after space travel (nasa.gov), but results have not been published as conclusive evidence.
People other than those with chronic back pain have turned to hanging therapy and Inversion tables in the privacy of their own home. Many gyms and fitness centers are now incorporating some form of inversion equipment into their workouts. Primarily used as a ‘cool down’ tool after bouts of intense exercise, it can ensure clients do not leave with any workout related injuries. Media stars such as Rosie O’donnell have used inversion therapy for depression. The author of The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown, has used hanging therapy to revitalize and refresh the mind.
The inversion chair is similar to the inversion table, except it allows a patient to sit down. This is the preferred alternative for an older person or someone with a spinal injury who finds standing difficult or painful. A person sits in a chair with a straight back board. Placing the feet in stirrups on a small metal stabilizer bar, and holding on to sturdy side handles, gently pushes the body backwards until the desired angle is achieved.
Gravity boots are used in inversion therapy. This is where the person places the feet in boots attached to a hanging therapy bar or other high place. The body simply hangs suspended upside down in the air for several minutes, until blood flow to the upper body (because the person is upside down) is increased. This type of hanging therapy supposedly reduces chronic back pain by increasing blood flow. It is purported to also increase mental stamina and reduce depression.
Inversion Therapy Evidence
The beliefs that inversion therapy as alternative medicine can help with chronic back pain is not unfounded. David Draper of Athletic Therapy Today (ATT at humankinetics.com), a sports medicine journal, reported that inversion therapy appears to reduce chronic back pain.
In Draper’s article, he reported on a study using 30 people with chronic lower chronic back pain, inversion therapy traction unit (inversion therapy table) as hanging therapy helped patients by “Increasing the space between vertebrae, separating the apophyseal joints, widening the intervertebral foramen, removing pressure or contact forces on injured tissue, increasing peripheral circulation, stretching muscles and ligaments, reducing muscle spasm(s), relaxing muscles, changing intervertebral disc pressures, tensing the posterior longitudinal ligament to exert force at the back of the vertebrae, creating suction to draw protruded disks toward their center, flattening lumbar lordosis.”
Inversion therapy may help well beyond chronic back pain. In the medical journal Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, researchers Alison Woolery, Hectory Myers, Beth Stemlieb, and Lonnie Zelter wrote a an article titled: A Yoga Intervention For Young Adults With Elevated Symptoms Of Depression. These researchers examined if yoga combined with other therapies including inversion therapy would have a positive impact on mildly depressed young adults. The researchers used yoga postures thought to alleviate depression, particularly hack heads, standing poses, and inversion therapy. The final result was that participants experienced significant decreases in symptoms of depression.
Inversion Therapy Safety
Is hanging therapy safe? Can the body really be healed by hanging upside down in gravity boots or tilting at angles on a fancy table? Researchers at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine stated in the Western Journal of Medicine that: Inversion (therapy) could prove to be dangerous in some patient populations, such as those with glaucoma, hypertension, uncompensated congestive heart failure, carotid artery stenosis, hiatal hernia or spinal instability, persons receiving anticoagulants or aspirin therapy, those above age 55 or those with a family history of cerebrovascular accidents. These precautions have been republished at sportsinjuryclinic.net.
Inversion therapy, hanging therapy, and gravity boots may have some scientific evidence and support, but there are also cautions that should be considered carefully. Furthermore, there is very little research on the subject from osteopathic medicine and western medicinal journals that support inversion therapy for chronic back pain.
In conclusion, inversion therapy and hanging therapy as a remedy for chronic back pain or other maladies is an alternative medicine. Inversion therapy should not be used to replace medical advice. Please consult an osteopathic physician, chiropractor, and a general practitioner doctor before beginning inversion therapy. Also, take any information found on the Internet regarding inversion therapy with a grain of salt - there is little significant scientific evidence to prove that this type of therapy works. Overall, there are some medical reports that show hanging therapy and inversion therapy can have a positive impact on chronic back pain and other problems. These benefits have been documented by researchers as an alternative medicine, especially in contrast to traditional osteopathic medicine. With this information and the advice of your physician, you can decide if inversion therapy is right for you.
Always Consult Your Physician First
Although it is helpful to get health information by reading and talking with friends, make sure you consult your doctor first before trying any new treatment or changing your diet. Remember that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not strictly regulate the strength, purity or safety of herbs and supplements. Be sure to always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, speak with your doctor before taking medical action or changing your health routine. This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. LifeScript disclaims any liability for the decisions made by its readers based on the information provided.
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