Inversion therapy, or the act of hanging upside down by your feet for medicinal purposes, is gaining increasing interest in recent years. Hanging upside down can be accomplished in several ways, but in order to achieve the medicinal value hanging upside down cannot be accomplished by standing on your hands, standing on your head or, hanging from your knees. Instead you must use an inversion table, inversion chair, or even gravity boots.
Over time, gravity and pounding from activities such as running cause our joints to compress which can cause pain. This is especially true of back pain. Our spine is made up of discs with a soft substance in between them to act as cushioning. When our spine compresses the interspersed substance is compressed as well. It can bulge out and hit surrounding nerves causing a great deal of pain. The goal of inversion therapy is to combat this. By hanging upside down your gravity pulls your joins in the exact opposite direction of normal - a standing position. This is said to allow the joints to return to a more natural position and help with chronic back pain.
Muscle tightness is another component of back pain. Inversion therapy can actually help in this area as well. Hanging upside down allows muscles to stretch in ways that would be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve otherwise. This loosening can relieve back pain as well.
Proponents of inversion therapy claim that it not only reduces back pain, but also increases flexibility, helps with good posture, and aids in circulation - both cardiovascular and lymphatic.
Some of these benefits have already been covered, namely back pain and flexibility (in some respect). Circulation is another exciting benefit however, that most people know very little about. Proponents of inversion therapy claim that hanging upside down encourages increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain resulting in clearer and sharper thinking. Lymphatic circulation has also been shown to increase. The lymphatic system is not equipped with a pump as the cardiovascular system is. The inverted position seems to allow the lymphatic system to work faster and expel waste more efficiently from the system - which makes for a faster recovery time from athletic pursuits.
The opponents to inversion therapy have very little information. Basically all they can say is that the inversion tables, chairs etc are a waste of money, not that they cause any harm. Now several years ago a study indication that those suffering from heart problems could suffer a stroke from the use of inversion tables was vastly blown out of proportion by the media and was later disproved. Inversion therapy products have been on the market for 15 years and no major injury has occurred as far as I can tell. Some participants have strained their neck muscles as a result of using the devices for too long a period of time - but that is pretty much the extent of the potential dangers. However, if you do suffer from a chronic condition, especially related to the eyes or heart, or are pregnant, consult with a professional before use.
About the Author:
Jared is a fitness expert who writes about how to find a discount inversion table and cheap inversion chairs online and use them in your back and fitness routines.
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