Inversion Table ?

[dichotomy]

Anyone ever make use of an inversion table for decompressing the back?

[Methodical]

For some ppl, they work pretty well for relieving pain due to disc compression. Essentially, it creates a reverse gravitational pull. It doesn't work as well as traction, but it's something you can do in the comfort of your home and at your convenience. (It's not advisable to do it on a full stomach .) Mind if I ask where your pain is located?

[King Bowls]

Inversion can help even bilateral sciatica?

[Robert Z]

Well-designed studies evaluating spinal traction have found the technique ineffective for long-term relief. However, some people find traction temporarily helpful as part of a more comprehensive treatment program for lower back pain caused by spinal disk compression...

 

 

Your heartbeat slows and your blood pressure increases when you remain inverted for more than a couple of minutes — and the pressure within your eyeballs jumps dramatically. For these reasons, you should not try inversion therapy if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma.

Inversion therapy: Can it relieve back pain? - Mayo Clinic

[King Bowls]

Inversion therapy: Can it relieve back pain? - Mayo Clinic

 

Wait so you can't really help yourself in the long run with an inversion table?

 

I hate my body and the human body design is utterly pathetic.

[MidwestUSA]

Mine makes a world of difference in how I feel. I can't say how much 'decompressing' it's doing, but I'll take what help I can get. I've lost an inch and a half in the last five years.

 

I do have to put a lumbar support roll behind me to get the max benefit and comfort. I just roll a blanket to the appropriate size.

[dichotomy]

For some ppl, they work pretty well for relieving pain due to disc compression. Essentially, it creates a reverse gravitational pull. It doesn't work as well as traction, but it's something you can do in the comfort of your home and at your convenience. (It's not advisable to do it on a full stomach .) Mind if I ask where your pain is located?

 

 

Its the lower back. I have common mild bulging discs. I have had xrays and MRI's and there is noting really serious or usually bad - kind a common issue. I lift and workout and my main relief comes from a foam roller which helps and occasionally gently cracks my back and has provided nice relief. I also do many stretches and exercises to help my lower back over the years. So its not too bad right now - but I am always looking for extra ways to improve comfort and let me continue my workouts and training.

 

I have had my eye on this inversion table model for a while. Its highly reviewed and not too bad a price at all. Just wanted to see if anyone had used one. I know inversion tables have mixed opinions.

 

I had also seen some places (chiropractors) use pulling machines to decompress.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2016 by dichotomy

[dichotomy]

Ok now I see they also sell horizontal traction devices - I could see why this might be safer on the body and blood pressure.

[Methodical]

Exercising strengthens the muscles that support your skeletal system. I don't want this to sounds condescending or dumbed-down, but maybe it'll help you conceptually understand why foam rollers help, temporarily.

 

With disc compression you feel pain from nerve compression, not from muscle strain. Discs act as cushions to absorb shock from vertical impacts and keep the spinal vertebrae evenly spaced. As discs dehydrate or absorb trauma from accidents or the aging process, they deteriorate and shrink. In some cases, especially accident related, they herniate/rupture.

 

What you describe is minor though annoying constant nerve irritation. Essentially, pain receptors send a message to the brain. The brain sends a message to muscles surrounding those nerve (kind of a, "hey, do your job. Support and protect.") That results in the muscles tightening up and becoming rigid. Sometimes the cycle becomes a perpetual downward spiral bc the muscle begin to "pinch" the nerves.

 

The pressure from the foam roller elongates those muscles and helps them relax, which does offer some relief. But, the root issue remains the same...disc compression. Nerve and muscle pain are two totally different things. With muscle pain, heat, ice, stretching, muscle relaxing pain relievers, etc. can be beneficial. With nerve pain, the aforementioned modalities offer little to no relief. However, decompression therapy opens up the space where the nerve roots exit, which is why you get some relief bc the pressure is taken off the nerve.

 

Both forms of decompression are helpful when dealing with stenosis. Some ppl can't stand blood rushing to their head from the inversion table, others have no issue with that. I suggest you weigh the pros and cons and make a decision based on your personal preference and what you are most likely to use more consistently. Hope this made sense and helps.