| |
 |
| Why Choose Inversion Therapy for your Bad Back? |
 Back |
March 26th, 2007
Very simply, inversion therapy puts gravity to work for you by placing your
body in line with the downward force of gravity. Inversion elongates the
spine, increasing the space between the vertebrae, which relieves the pressure
on discs, ligaments and nerve roots. Less pressure means less back pain.
Your Power Center
Your spine, your back and your abdominal muscles combine to create the Power
Center that carries you through life. Your flexibility and stamina depend
on the strength of these muscles. Back pain signals that our muscles aren’t
up to the task.
A Strong Torso
With a simple program of ‘inversion’ or natural traction you’ll
rebuild a strong, flexible and supple torso – supporting your body’s
structure and internal organs. And it prevents back pain!
The Harsh Forces of Gravity
Your spine and surrounding muscles must withstand stress, shock and the
unrelenting pressures of gravity. Over our lifetime most of us lose 3-5cms
in height due to this constant compression on our spinal column.
When vertebrae are pushed together it causes the disc between them to herniate
or ‘bulge’. That’s when you experience the first signs
of pain. Added pressure on the compressed spine result in nerves between
the discs being squashed by that gravitational force and that’s when
nagging back pain sets in, restricting your movement and compromising lifestyle.
Inversion can also help to encourage good posture. When inverted, your body
is in line with gravity. Your spine wants to naturally go to its proper
form (a gentle "s" curve). A regular program of inversion can
help you to maintain proper posture and keep your body in balance.
Inversion therapy has been used to relieve back pain as early as 400 BC
when Hippocrates strung up a patient with ropes and pulleys and allowed
gravity to do its work.
Among recent studies indicating that inversion has wide-ranging benefits
for those suffering back pain, Sheffield (1964) found that 175 back pain
sufferers were unable to work due to the severity of their back ailment.
After only eight inversion treatments, 155 sufferers were able to return
to their full time jobs. In particular, the study found that stretching
the paraspinal vertebral muscles and ligaments, through inversion, led to
significant improvements with the following conditions: spondylolisthesis,
herniated discs, lumbar osteoarthritis with sciatica, and coccygodynia.
Nosse (1987) similarly found that muscle pain declined by 35% within the
first 10 seconds of inversion, which correlated to inversion therapy by
increasing the length of the spine. Several studies have also indicated
that gravity assisted traction, unlike mechanical traction, is the only
means to achieve intervertebral separation. (Ballantyne et al. 1986: Gianakopoulas
et al. 1985: Kane et al 1985.)
Source: Editor - Felicity Wood
|
|
|
