Inversion Board Therapy
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"Besides providing relief from back pain, a daily dose of inversion can help to promote good health by correcting common spinal alignment problems, eliminating tension headaches, reducing hemorrhoids, alleviating the discomfort of varicose veins, and stimulating mental alertness. Many people suffer, especially in their later years from prolapsed internal organs that sag as a result of years of the downward pull of gravity.
Quite simply, inversion allows gravity to help the body to naturally correct and align itself. You stretch out and elongate your spine, get blood to the brain, invert and reposition internal organs, and take stress off of the heart, which usually has to pump blood uphill to the brain." http://www.energycenter.com/grav_f/inver_rx.html
DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
4 YEA
1 BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
[YEA] 07/29/2009: Cindy from Kansas, USA writes: "I used an inversion table for carpal tunnel syndrome and it worked the very first time. It was amazing. I've only experienced symptoms once, since, and did a little experimenting and the inversion definitely does the trick. I've had my inversion table for many years and bought it specifically for the carpal tunnel after hearing a woman remark that hers had been cured. Even if I had only used it that one time, it would have been worth the cost (about 200 dollars US). Plus, I haven't had to go to the chiropractor at all since I've had the inversion table. I had heard of a chiropractor that had one in his private office but didn't offer the therapy to his patients. He just used it for himself! Since then, I use it for everything "chiropractic" in nature and sometimes just for fun!"
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[BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS] 03/19/2009: Gerald from London, Ontario/Canada writes: "For 6 weeks, I have been using an inversion board twice a day for about 5 minutes each time. I do not go into 180 degree position, but I am closer to 135 degrees. I have found this greatly reduces back pain and I have more flexibility. Recently, I was told I should not use this therapy if I have glaucoma. I don't have glaucoma but I did have a detached retina that has been repaired. There is no doubt that when hanging I feel increased eye pressure. As I have had my retina detached about 9 months ago, is there any contraindication for usage of inversion therapy."
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[YEA] 01/08/2009: Andrea from Ontario, Canada writes: "A year ago my husband suddenly came home from work bent over in horrible back pain. Had the symptoms of Sciatica, however the Xrays and MRI showed nothing in the area. He was put onto anti inflammatories and pain killers which he hated. 2 weeks of laying in pain and no answers, His knee started swelling as well. I hauled our inversion table out of the basement and got him onto it, that is the one thing that started getting him upright again and moving. After a few days, he was pain free and it hasn't returned. He stands in one spot in his job,on cement so I believe compression is happening with the discs of his spine. The inversion board is terrific and I highly recommend it for anyone in back pain. Just start out easy and work you way eventually into full inversions."
[YEA] 01/14/2009: Ruth Ann F. from Woodville, GA replies: "Oh you are so right I think same problem my 6'4" husband stands on concrete at work and so we got the inversion board to try to resolve the aches. Truly does help and we keep it out so we use it. I was getting aching from working at an ergonomically incorrect desk at a new job and this has reduced trips to the chiropractor. We looked at a variety on line and chose the Max Performance brand. I am still not completely inverted as we have only had it a short time."
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[YEA] 01/07/2009: Deirdre from Atlanta, GA writes: "Neck and Shoulder Pain Remedy:
I have had neck pain for years! It's gotten worse lately from all the time spent at the computer each day. My posture starts off great at the beginning of the day and becomes progressively worse as the hours pass. My eyes start to burn and I strain my neck forward trying to read the text on the monitor. As a result of holding this bad posture unconsciously for hours, my neck and shoulders ache non-stop. I am also starting to walk around in this position, with my neck thrust forward and my shoulders up. It's not good! After thinking about it for the last year or so, I decided last week to get an inversion board to help with my neck and shoulder issues. Turns out to be a great investment. I paid $165 for one on Amazon after reading all the reviews (I went with the Ironman). I now hang upside down at varying degrees (45- 90 degrees) 2-3 times a day for about 10 minutes each time. Upside down I feel the blood bathing the lymphatic areas in the groin and armpits. After a few minutes I come back up to the starting position and can feel the blood rushing back down to my feet before I invert again. It feels great!
Whereas a week ago I could not tilt my head forward without experiencing pain, now I can do so no problem. Tension in the scapula area is mostly gone. It's a mini-chiropractic adjustment each time I get on the board. I can feel (and sometimes hear) my spine pop into place. I was a gymnast as a child and loved being upside down. I find that I still love to be upside down -- it brings back a lot of great memories!
One note: consider wearing Timberland boots if you want to invert to 90 degrees, otherwise the clamps pinching your ankles get painful after a few minutes.
Also, be careful if you consider the cheaper version of inversion and buy the boots that you clamp into a bar at the top of a door. My husband has a friend that did this when he was alone in the house and couldn't get back up to unstrap himself! It was about an hour before someone came home and found him (alive, but scared). With a board, you control the angle of inversion and can easily pull yourself up by the side bars."
02/08/2009: Deirdre from Atlanta, GA replies: "Inversion Board Therapy Update: It's been about a month since we got the inversion board set up at our home and I have to say, it's been a wise investment. After 1 week of use, my increasingly bad posture corrected itself. Additionally, I no longer have chronic neck and shoulder pain from sitting at the computer for hours! No headaches either. Another amazing thing that has happened is that I did not have any PMS symptoms last month nor did I have any menstrual cramping whatsoever. It was the most peaceful cycle ever! I think this is because inversion board flushes the lymphatics each time you use it. It's possible that inversion board therapy will help (perhaps even cure) fibrocystic breast disease and some other breast issues (breast cancer prevention?), so I hope others who have the space in their home (it's about the size of a treadmill) will consider the therapy. I now use it once a day for 5-10 minutes. More than that is not necessary. A friend of mine recently told me that she learned a technique in kundalini yoga to flush the lymphs in the armpits, so I will have to get instructions from her to post on the site!
2/10/2009: Deirdre from Atlanta, GA writes, "Heard back from my friend about the lymphatic flush exercise in kundalina yoga. Very simple!
Standing pose: raise arms straight out at 60 degree angle and then windmill motion lower arms to 60 degrees. Continue for 3 to 11 minutes daily. 60 degree angle is critical -- don't go straight up or down."
03/25/2009: Puni from Portland, OR replies: "To Deirdre from Atlanta: I use the gravity boots on a pull up bar, I also tie a rope on the bar that I can pull on, in case I can't get back up to unstrap myself."
09/25/2009: Clare replies: "Deirdre: You said, "Standing pose: raise arms straight out at 60 degree angle and then windmill motion lower arms to 60 degrees. Continue for 3 to 11 minutes daily. 60 degree angle is critical -- don't go straight up or down."
I don't understand. Is 60 degrees having your left arm at about 8 o'clock and right arm at 4 o'clock and then you do a windmill? If the 60 degree angle is critical, I need to know what 60 degrees looks like.
Thanks,
Clare"
09/26/2009: Deirdre from Atlanta, GA replies: "Hi Clare.I had to email my friend to clarify these instructions. Hope you can make sense of this... I am sure it's very easy if we could just see it! Here is her response:
"Arms start at 10 and 2. Both are up at the same time and move between the up and down position together, either fast or slow. I think kundalini prefers you build up to fast movements. So, up is 10 and 2 and then move both arms simutaneously to down 8 and 4. The other good flush is both arms straight up and shaking the wrists vigorously for minutes and minutes and minutes at a time. I think that technique might even be good for pituitary, but you'd have to ask a kundalini yoga instructor."
09/26/2009: Clare replies: "Hi Deirdre,Okay, I think I get it! I'm just not sure if the movement down from up is circular, as in a windmill, or straight down and back up. I know "windmill" was mentioned first time around. If you could clarify that, I think we've got it!"
09/27/2009: Deirdre from earth Clinic replies, "Sorry, I should have clarified that! She says straight up and down."
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