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In September, look out for a great health offer (Osteopathic treatments) - join Groupon to receive daily deals.




Check out their website for details: www.groupon.co.uk/

Inversion therapy for back pain

If you are suffering from back pain, one recommendation may be to try using an inversion table:

Anecdotal evidence suggests this may help relieve symptoms of back pain caused by compression of the lower segments of the lumbar spine (causing reduced space around the spinal nerves).

Little recent scientific research has been performed to back up the claims made, but if you're advised to try this method, you may benefit from short-term relief of your back pain.  It may be worthwhile using this traction method whilst having other treatment (e.g. Osteopathy), to assist your body's repair.  On its own, inversion therapy may not give significant long-term improvements.

One study showed some positive effects (but the study was funded by the inversion chair manufacturer, so this element of bias should be taken into account).  The title of this study is "Inversion therapy: a study of physiological effects", by Vernon, Meschino, and Naiman (published in J. Can. Chiropr. Assoc. 1985. September; 29(3): 135–140)

In this study, a set of physiological parameters including cardiovascular, biomechanical and radiographic were studied in a normal population using the Inverchair. Their results demonstrated a significant increase of forward trunk flexion, a general reduction of paraspinal EMG activity, a significant level of distraction of the L4-5 and L5-S1 disc spaces, as well as a lack of change in heart rate and blood pressure. These findings establish the physiological basis for the clinical effects of Inverchair Therapy and for its appropriate clinical utilization.

A Dr. Shelerud, quoted on the Mayo Clinic website, offers this warning:

Inversion therapy, which involves hanging upside down, doesn't provide lasting relief from back pain, and the head-down position could be risky for anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma.

In theory, inversion therapy takes gravitational pressure off the nerve roots and disks in your spine and increases the space between vertebrae. One form of inversion therapy involves full-body, head-first suspension from a horizontal bar in a stabilizing frame. Another form uses a similar inversion frame with supports that keep your knees bent and hips flexed. In a third form, you lie on an inversion table that gradually tips you into a head-down position.

Inversion therapy is one example of the many ways in which spinal traction (stretching the spine) has been used in an attempt to relieve back pain. 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. For this reason, you should not try inversion therapy if you have cardiovascular disease or elevated pressure in your eye.

If you don't have access to an inversion table/chair and have enough room to house one yourself, you may decide to buy one.  

There are many websites offering inversion tables.  One example is:

http://www.inversiontableuk.com/5-inversion-tables

These range in price from £130 to £180.

Have you tried using an inversion table?  Did it help?  Post your comments below...