Gravity spends most of the day exerting downward pressure on your spine, causing your vertebrae to compress and put pressure on your muscles, discs, and nerves.  This can lead to chronic back pain and discomfort and can disrupt even the simplest daily activities.  What if there was a way to harness gravity in the opposite manner: to decompress your spine and undo all that pressure.  The good news is there is.  The following paragraphs explain the inversion therapy benefits and risks and if it is truly the back pain solution you have been waiting for.

The good news is that if you suffer from back pain, you aren't walking down this road alone.  Since this ailment affects millions of people, you can draw from their experiences and determine whether or not a relief method is viable before you even take action with it.  Many back pain sufferers, including myself, found no relief with chiropractic, acupuncture, or pain pills. That is what led us to try inversion therapy, sometimes as a last resort.

Here's how it works.  You use a piece of equipment called an inversion table to invert your body upside down, suspended by the ankles using secure locks, and you relax yourself in that position for anywhere from 2-3 minutes to 15 minutes daily.  This causes your spine to decompress from the force of gravity, and any vertebrae that are out of alignment will gently pop back into place.

When I talk about inversion therapy, people usually have a lot of questions, which is normal.  Here are the ones I get most frequently.

How does inversion therapy work? As mentioned above, when you invert your body, gravity works to decompress your spine instead of compress it.  All that pressure your spine is putting on your nerves, muscles, and discs is relieved.  In addition, any vertebrae that are out of alignment are gently forced back into place.  An inversion table is the simplest way to do this.  Using secure ankle locks, you just hang upside down at the angle of your choosing – either completely perpendicular to the ground or more angled if it is more comfortable to you.

How safe is this process? If you don't have high blood pressure and you aren't terribly overweight, it is completely safe.  Definitely check your blood pressure first and don't invert without consulting a doctor if your reading is over 140/90.  If you weigh 250 pounds or more, make sure you check before you purchase an inversion table to be sure that it is rated for your body weight.

Is it expensive? Compared to what you would spend in doctor visits, chiropractic, massage therapy, and such, inversion therapy is dirt cheap.  Not only that, but for me it was very effective where all those other methods failed.  You can get a sturdy, quality inversion table brand new for as little as $100 if you purchase from the right retailer.  Even higher-end models with more comfort features like memory foam, lumbar support, and traction handles still cost less than pretty much any other method of back pain relief out there.

I recommend inversion therapy for anyone suffering from back pain.  Not only is it easier, more cost-effective, and more convenient than other methods, but it flat out works – and that is saying something, because not much else does when it comes to back pain!  Inversion has changed my life and allowed me to actually start living it again!