Improved posture, increased circulation and blood flow, and not to mention the significant reduction in pain associated with spinal disc compression and nerve pathway constriction - these are just a few of the physical benefits related to inversion therapy. Inversion therapy is a technique made popular in the 1960's by a treatment for pain associated with spinal compression and other bodily wear-and-tear, but the concept of inversion therapy is actually a quite ancient one. Hippocrates himself, the Greek physician, was the first to realize the beneficial properties gravity can have in treating pain and injuries.
Throughout the day, gravity is a continual downward force on the muscles, connective tissues, and especially the joints. Rarely does this downward pressure ever become reversed, and more than likely it is often intensified through various movement and activity. Especially on the spine and other more vulnerable areas of the body, the force of gravity can double and even triple during such mundane tasks such as sitting or lifting heavy objects.
Adult humans in general lose ¾ of an inch in height over the length of a given day due to spinal compression. So for instance, your actual height may be 68 inches, but if you measure your height before going to bed you might find your height to be nearly 67 inches. When you wake up the next morning you may be back to your normal 68 inches in height, but this demonstrates how much gravitation compression is placed on the spine, knees, and hips. Over a lifetime, adults can often lose as much as 2 inches in total height by the time they reach old age.
For most people, a slight variance in average height is not much cause for concern, but this change represents more than just a simple difference in perceived stature. In effect, this is a total physical demonstration of gravitational forces placed on the body over a given day's activity. Much of the chronic pain most people feel in their lower back, spine, neck, and joints is due to the compressive results of daily gravitational pressure. This is where inversion therapy can play an important part in a total treatment program.
Inversion therapy is a way to use gravity in the reverse of the direction as we normally stand and sit upright throughout the day. Inversion therapy is more than simply turning the body upside down, however. By simply doing handstands or downward yoga poses, the body would be in a reverse position, but compression would still be present on the vulnerable areas of the body such as the spine and vertebrae. With inversion therapy, especially those using inversion tables or boots, the body is suspended upside down by the feet or ankles, thereby allowing the joints and connective tissues to expand.
Inversion therapy is not a quick fix, however. It takes a lifetime to inflict the wear and tear that eventually leads to chronic back pain, neck pain, and general discomfort throughout the body, so equally for inversion therapy to have a lasting effect will also take some time. But given this fact, if you decide to try inversion therapy, it is fairly likely you will experience an immediate positive result. Compression creates pressure on the tiny nerve roots that travel through the spinal discs and other areas of the back, and inversion therapy can reverse this compression, relieving the pain it may cause.
Throughout the day, gravity is a continual downward force on the muscles, connective tissues, and especially the joints. Rarely does this downward pressure ever become reversed, and more than likely it is often intensified through various movement and activity. Especially on the spine and other more vulnerable areas of the body, the force of gravity can double and even triple during such mundane tasks such as sitting or lifting heavy objects.
Adult humans in general lose ¾ of an inch in height over the length of a given day due to spinal compression. So for instance, your actual height may be 68 inches, but if you measure your height before going to bed you might find your height to be nearly 67 inches. When you wake up the next morning you may be back to your normal 68 inches in height, but this demonstrates how much gravitation compression is placed on the spine, knees, and hips. Over a lifetime, adults can often lose as much as 2 inches in total height by the time they reach old age.
For most people, a slight variance in average height is not much cause for concern, but this change represents more than just a simple difference in perceived stature. In effect, this is a total physical demonstration of gravitational forces placed on the body over a given day's activity. Much of the chronic pain most people feel in their lower back, spine, neck, and joints is due to the compressive results of daily gravitational pressure. This is where inversion therapy can play an important part in a total treatment program.
Inversion therapy is a way to use gravity in the reverse of the direction as we normally stand and sit upright throughout the day. Inversion therapy is more than simply turning the body upside down, however. By simply doing handstands or downward yoga poses, the body would be in a reverse position, but compression would still be present on the vulnerable areas of the body such as the spine and vertebrae. With inversion therapy, especially those using inversion tables or boots, the body is suspended upside down by the feet or ankles, thereby allowing the joints and connective tissues to expand.
Inversion therapy is not a quick fix, however. It takes a lifetime to inflict the wear and tear that eventually leads to chronic back pain, neck pain, and general discomfort throughout the body, so equally for inversion therapy to have a lasting effect will also take some time. But given this fact, if you decide to try inversion therapy, it is fairly likely you will experience an immediate positive result. Compression creates pressure on the tiny nerve roots that travel through the spinal discs and other areas of the back, and inversion therapy can reverse this compression, relieving the pain it may cause.
