Inversion Table Therapy - The Best Solution for Back Pain

One of the best solutions for reducing back and neck pain is inversion table therapy. This unique non-invasive method is quite convenient since it can be done at any time of the day in whatever clothing you have on. This technique was created around 400B.C. when the-father-of-medicine Hippocrates saw a patient being heaved upside-down on top of a ladder for his dose of spinal-traction. This treatment uses gravity to help relieve pressure from the lower back and the spine.

The cause of the pain

During the day your disc tends to lose height and weight as they lose fluid. Various forms of stress like muscle imbalances and gravity can squeeze fluid out of your discs resulting in compressed spinal vertebrae. This can result in disc herniation, which is characterized by various discs pressing against the roots of your sciatic nerve. This pressing can result in serious back-pain, and inversion therapy can help reduce this problem.

The principle behind this treatment

With your own weight suspended from your lower body, instead of from your hands like the other forms of therapy, the force-of-gravity helps by decompressing your joints from below their anchors. Hanging upside down exerts an equal & opposite force on each bone in your body and helps relieves pain. Inversion table therapy helps reduce the stress level, improve circulation, and loosen all the bound muscles in your body.

How to use inversion tables

Although it may look like a scary therapy, hanging upside down is completely safe unless you have high-blood-pressure or heart problems - so make sure you consult your doctor before trying this therapy. At the beginning make sure that you have a spotter. As much as inverting your body is quite simple; a spotter will guarantee your safety.

While tilting back make sure you do it slowly, but be ready for a blood-rush to your head which will definitely need some getting used to. So make sure your move slowly at around ten degrees per 10 seconds until your body is completely inverted and hang while upside-down for about five minutes before returning to your original position. To avoid being light-headed and dizzy, make sure that you come up slowly.

Health risks associated with inversion table therapy

Pregnant women and Individuals with glaucoma, heart diseases and high blood pressure among other illnesses are at a higher risk of danger related to this therapy. While inverted, your blood pressure tends to increase while your heart beat reduces. This therapy also elevates the pressure inside your eyeballs.

Other health risks

If you are experiencing some acid reflux, then inversion should be approached carefully, as it may not be right for you. Since when in an inverted manner small amounts of acids can escape into your esophagus. While in the standing position Gravity tends to maintain the acid inside your stomach, but when you are inverted, gravity does not help and a combination of acid reflux & inversion table can be nauseating and quite painful among other potential dangerous symptoms.

It is safe?

With the current technology, this therapy is quite safe, comfortable and effective. Before inverting your entire body make sure that you secure your ankles. This therapy uses your own weight to eliminate tension from your back thus allowing you to control the angle of inversion. Inversion tables all include a strap or bars that stop the table tilting back further that you are comfortable with, and this together with the ankle claming systems make inversion quite safe to perform.

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Discover Gravity Inversion Tables

Inversion therapy can be defined as a therapeutic approach to eradicating back pain. With this therapy, a patient is required to stay in an inverted position against the force of gravity i.e. your legs should face upwards and your head downwards. Though some medics tend to disregard this method in the treatment of back pain, the truth of the matter is that it has numerous benefits for athletes and people suffering from back pain.

To perform this form of exercise therapy at home, you need to buy a good quality inversion table. There are various options available in the market with brands such as Teeter Hang Ups, Ironman, and Health Mark. A good table should give you the opportunity to fully invert your body in a comfortable manner, with ankle clasps that are well padded. When your body is in an inverted position the different sections of your body naturally apply the correct amount of traction to each section of your spinal column. This force helps in decompressing your neck and back muscles, removing pressure from your discs - thus alleviating back pain.

Benefits of using Gravity Inversion Tables

There are many benefits of using inversion therapy - key among them are:

• Improved Blood Circulation thus rejuvenating your body. This can also help increase your mental alertness and sense of wellbeing


• Decompression of the spinal cord, and rehydration of the intervertebral discs


• This form of therapy can also help improve your stability and balance. Usually the force of gravity makes you shorter daily by compressing your spinal cord over many years. Inversion therapy decompresses and elongates the spine thus making you slightly taller (for a little while anyway!)


• Inversion table exercises strengthen your core muscles, help clean your lymphatic system and helps get rid of toxic substances in the body


• These tables also allow you to perform inverted squats and stretches. They can also help reduce problems that arise from prolapsed organs

Tips for Buying a Good Inversion Table

There are many places where you can find gravity inversion tables for your home including retail stores and online. It is always advisable to gather as much information as possible before choosing a particular inversion table. Here are a few tips to help you out.

• Always base your decision after doing a thorough visual inspection of these tables.


• Another important factor to consider is the usability of these tables. A good inversion table must be able to accommodate your height and weight safely. Never compromise on this factor even if the price shoots beyond your budget.


• A good inversion machine must also have properly installed safety features. Check for the safety features such as a strap to prevent over-rotation, and a good ankle holding system.


• When buying a second-hand inversion table, always do a thorough check to verify if it's working reliably and smoothly.

In summary, inversion therapy is very effective when it comes to alleviating back pain. Whether you're an athlete or a regular person who wants to say goodbye to back pains, a gravity inversion table may be the right solution for you.

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Watch Out for Early Signs Related to Cervical Spondylosis

Early signs of Cervical Spondylosis do not really get much attention from those suffering from it. Most of the time, the pain associated with the condition is just ignored. Most of us do not really give importance to these symptoms, which is already pointing out to an illness that needs medical attention.

Cervical Spondylosis is one among the many age-related conditions that people face. Men are mostly affected by this condition rather than women. In some rare cases, the disease is already observed in an earlier age group, particularly at age twenty. Its early development only proves that old age and also genetics are not the only factors contributing to the prognosis of the condition.

The earliest sign of Cervical Spondylosis that you need to watch out is a persistent neck pain which is mostly described as a sharp, stabbing pain or sometimes as a dull pain. It is mostly felt when in a slouched position and when performing activities that entail pressure to the neck and back area. You might also be uncomfortable with rotating your neck during the early hours of the morning as you often wake up with a stiff neck.

Another notable sign of Cervical Spondylosis are headaches which are usually felt in the posterior portion of the head. The pain has the tendency to radiate all the way from your neck to your shoulders and arms. The headache returns once in 10 days and is relieved momentarily by over-the-counter drugs (OTC's).

Based on initial assessments, those suffering from Cervical Spondylosis often complain of a burning sensation that is felt in the eyes. When the eyes are strain, blurred visions often occurs. The blurred vision, however, can also point to an underlying development of tinnitus.

With the progression of Cervical Spondylosis, it is best to take note if feelings of weakness starting to manifest in your lower extremities. In severe cases of the disease, pain is felt while walking along with balance loss when standing. There is also a risk for falls as the symptoms progresses.

It is best that you consult your physician as soon as some of these initial signs related to Cervical Spondylosis are observed. Never rely on your gut-feeling that the symptoms are only a minority of priorities in your overall health. To avoid the condition beforehand, a daily dose of exercise can do the trick of relieving neck sprains. In order to direct negative emotions out of your system, you can go to yoga classes which decrease signs of anxiety and depression. Prevention is always the topmost priority for achieving a healthy lifestyle.

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4 Excellent Exercises to Strengthen the Lower Back

Based on research by the Centers for Disease Control and many other studies, the leading cause of disability in the U.S. is low back pain.

If we go beyond the statistics and into reality of why you never want to have acute or chronic back problems, the answer is 'pain.'

If you have ever had your low back 'go out' on your then you should have enough motivation to take the necessary steps to prevent it from occurring again. If you have never had your low back truly 'go out' on you, then consider yourself very lucky and decide that right now is the time to take the steps to avoid it.

Now, while in this article I am focusing on strengthening the low back, stretching is of course a super important part of good back health.

For the sake of simplicity, I have narrowed it down to just four important low back strengthening exercises.

Most experts agree that one of the best ways to stabilize the low back is by strengthening the front in addition to the back muscles. When you do any exercise that involves the use of your muscles in your back and in your front in a coordinated fashion, it is considered a core exercise. So for all practical purposes, when you are working to strengthen the front and back of your trunk, you are in effect strengthening your core.

Check out these four exercises below and get on the road to your healthier core. You can do these at the fitness center, home or even at work. None of these exercises require weights or specialized exercise equipment.

Core Bridges

This exercise is definitely a standard in the world of core strengthening. To do this important exercise, lie down in a supine (on your back) position and bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor.

With you low back relaxed so that it is not flattened and not arched, contract your abs but avoid tilting your hips. Elevate your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line from knees to head. Hold the position for a minimum of 10 seconds and as long as 30 seconds if you are able. Now lower back to the floor slowly. Repeat this 15 more times.

Knee Rotation (Bilateral)

Lie on the floor or a mat in a supine position. Place your arms out to the side. Bring both hips and knees each to an angle of ninety degrees. Your shins should be parallel to the mat or floor. Tighten the abdominal muscles and then slowly rotate your legs and torso to the right all the way down to the floor. Now bring the knees back towards the center and continue all the way over to the left side. Repeat this for 20 repetitions (so 10 to each side).

Single Leg Raises

Lie onto your back. Bend your right leg so the foot is on the floor while keeping the left leg straight. Tighten your abs, and slowly lift the extended leg off the floor about 10 inches. Hold this for 5 to 10 seconds and then lower the leg slowly. Repeat this while lifting the opposite leg. Repeat 15 times for each leg.

Cross Crawl on All Fours

Get on your hands and knees with your hands about shoulder width apart. Now contract your read and stomach muscles to create a nice tight core bridge. Elevate left leg and right arm to where they are in line with your back. Don't forget to keep the contraction in the back and abdominal muscles.

Try not to let either unsupported hip or shoulder drop. Back to starting position and now raise the left arm and right leg. With each repetition, hold the raised arm and leg up for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat this 15 times per side or at least work your way up to it.

With all of these exercises, remember that you can work your way up to holding it for as long or doing as many repetitions as I recommended. The key here is do not force it and end up injuring yourself.

When showing my clients how to do these exercises in my Keller chiropractic center, I always remind them that they should feel a little pull and burn as the muscles begin to fatigue. If it feels like more than that then stop and consult your local chiropractor or other provider immediately.

The Perfect Diet for Cervical Spondylosis

As people age, they encounter a handful of medical conditions related to ageing. One of these age-related diseases that are mostly common in 85% of people with the age of seventy (70) is Cervical Spondylosis.

Also known as Cervical Osteoarthritis or neck arthritis, cervical spondylosis is one of those degenerative diseases that affect men more than women. The condition appears in old age as a defense against the body's natural mechanism of wear and tear. Although some people are already suffering from this condition, it is not clearly diagnosed unless a thorough neck x-ray is performed. Those who are positive with the disease often complain recurrent neck stiffness accompanied with pain.

When you are diagnosed with Cervical Spondylosis, your physician will usually advise that you should adhere to a strict diet to decrease the pain intensity in your neck area. You will be required to avoid specific food preparations along with certain condiments that has the ability to worsen the pain associated with the disease. On the other hand, there are also specific fruits and vegetables that can help alleviate the neck pain caused by the degenerative condition.

If you are suffering from Cervical Spondylosis, what then are the foods you need to avoid?

One of the many contraindications of Cervical Spondylosis is fried and salty foods along with those that had been cooked with hot spices. You also need to avoid ingestion of sour food, most especially curd. Tea and coffee are included among the strictly need to avoid list.

Your "to avoid" list should also include acid-building foods such as red meat, citrus fruits and even white potatoes. Accumulation of acid in your body can signal joint inflammation and worsen Cervical Spondylosis.

It is advisable to eat wheat instead of rice. Soup along with vegetable juices is a must in your diet. To fight free radicals in your body, it is beneficial to consume foods rich in Vitamins A & C. Free radicals are sometimes the root cause of neck swelling and inflammation.

There are a lot of food selections you can choose from for an effective relief from Cervical Spondylosis. Turmeric, which is one of the primary ingredients in Indian cuisine, has the ability to block inflammation processes in the body, including joint inflammation. Include this in your diet along with apples, ginger and garlic. Foods with abundant supply of Omega 3 and Vitamin E such as oil seeds, nuts and fish can also help combat joint inflammation.

Take note that if you have Cervical Spondylosis, you should be eating four healthy meals a day. Each of your meals should include ample amounts of calcium, phosphorous and protein.

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Computer Posture - How To Improve Your Posture At Work

If you work for long periods of sitting down at a computer, over the course of the day you tend to get so absorbed into your work you slouch and forget to focus on your posture which creates unnecessary tension in your body. As a yoga teacher a lot of my students complain about back pain and neck tension caused by sitting incorrectly at their desk. In today's post, I share good computer sitting tips to relieve the pressure on your back and neck muscles.

In the USA, back pain is believed to be the number one cause of disability in workers under the age of 45. And in the UK, back pain is one of the leading causes of work-related absences.

Aches and pains and discomfort is the body's way of telling you something is wrong. Constantly ignoring your pain, hoping it will go away often leads to more serious injury. Everyone has their own "pain threshold", so the more body aware you are, the easier it becomes for you to spot and identity soreness and pain in your body.

There are many causes of back pain and pain can occur in the lower, middle or upper back, for example you can have a prolapsed disc, collapsed vertebrae, osteoporosis, muscle strain and disc protrusion, spondylolysis, spinal arthritis, sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis or scoliosis, all of these conditions require proper medical diagnosis and treatment which is outside the scope of this eBook.

What Is "Good Posture?"

Good posture is posture that allows you to move freely, with ease and smooth co-ordination, poise and balance. Your movements become fluid and strange as it seems, the less effort you place on your body to move, the easier it is for you to sit upright in a comfortable and relaxed manner, which places less stress on your back, shoulders and neck muscles.

Often, when I ask students to sit correctly they instantly stiffen their backs, hold their breath and tighten their neck muscles. Office workers, who sit all day at a desk hunched over a computer keyboard are at risk of back pain. Notice how you sit next time you answer the phone or stand at the printer or coffee machine.

If you tend to over-arch your lower back when sitting down at work, or slouch or slump in your chair when you sit at your desk, chances are by the end of the day you'll feel discomfort, soreness and even pain in your lower, middle and upper back. You may even experience neck ache and eye strain caused by the way you sit and twist your body at your desk to answer the phone or work on multiple screens at the same time.

Good Posture Tip:

Whether standing or sitting, aim to be aware of your posture. Think back care and look at ways to support and protect your back, neck and shoulders to prevent tension and stress building up in your body.

· Be aware of the positioning of your back and head. Keep your neck in line with your back

· Think about increasing the length of your neck, allow your shoulders to relax, broaden your chest and adjust your body so your back, shoulders and neck are in alignment.

· When bending, bend at your hips and knees, squat or kneel to pick things up, keep your knees in line with your feet and keep your back upright.

· Keep both feet flat on the floor, toes pointing forward, weight evenly distributed on the balls of your feet and heels.

· Avoid twisting and overstretching to reach things. Always position yourself in front of the object you wish to lift. Use your legs to lift, not your back

· Breathe!

Sitting At A Computer Posture Tip:

If you work for a conscientious and health aware organization, then your workstation will be ergonomically designed to accommodate your height and individual needs. Even if your monitor, keyboard, desk and chair are set up correctly, it is still necessary for you to be aware of how you sit.

· Make sure your elbows are in line with or above your wrist as you type, you may need to adjust your chair height to facilitate this or use a support to keep your hands and wrists aligned.

· Rest your feet on a foot rest or keep them flat on the floor, toes pointing forward.

· Bring your chair to an upright position and avoid leaning backwards and sagging in your chair.

· Support your lower back, allow your neck to lengthen and feel balanced on top of your spine.

· Raise your screen to eye level, an arm's length away. If the screen is too low or far away you have to lean forward and hunch to hunch to read the screen which leads to tension in your neck and tightness in your shoulder blades.

· With the screen at eye level place the keyboard below. You should be able to quickly glance between your screen and keyboards only using your eyes.

· Type mindfully, be gentle as you touch the keys.

· Take frequent breaks and remember to breathe!

In this article we have looked at various things you can safely do to protect your back and neck from extra tension and strain.

Action Points:

The key points I would like you to be aware of are:

· Be aware of the positioning of your back and head.

· Keep your head in line with your back

· Bend at the hips, squat or kneel and keep your back straight when bending.

· Avoid twisting your torso when bending over to move things or pick up heavy objects.

· Breathe.

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Shoulder Muscle Causes Pain In Your Upper Back And Neck - Get Rid Of Shoulder Blade Pain Naturally

Did you know that muscles are the biggest cause of neck and shoulder pain? You have a lot of muscles in your upper body that are capable of causing pain around your neck and shoulder. Here's one:

The levator scapulae muscle is also called the 'shoulder hiker.' It lifts or hikes your shoulder blade. As all muscles do, when it gets unhappy it causes pain. Here's more information.

Trigger points are hyper-irritable areas of muscle that cause pain elsewhere. Sometimes the pain is at a great distance from the trigger point. Trigger points can develop in the shoulder hiker muscle and when they do they cause pain in the neck, upper back and shoulder blade.

If trigger points develop in the levator scapulae here is where it will cause pain:

• Where the muscle is.
• Along the spine side of your shoulder blade (which is also called the scapula) down to the bottom of the scapula.
• At the top back of your arm.

If it always feels like your shoulders are creeping up to your ears, this muscle is the culprit. It may have become shortened because you held your shoulders hiked and the muscle got used to being in that position.

It may also have developed trigger points that need to be released. If you do not release the trigger points you will continue to have pain in your upper back and neck.

How can you help your shoulder hiker muscle relax?

1. You can press into the levator scapulae muscle with your fingers or a massage pressure tool. Press at the crook of your neck where your neck meets your shoulder. Look for very tender areas. The tender areas are where you want to apply pressure. Hold the pressure for about 12 seconds. Also, press where the muscle meets the top of the shoulder blade. Those are the two areas where trigger points are.

2. You can go to a professional massage therapist who can warm and relax the muscle (and others around it) with manual pressure and massage. He or she will work the length of the muscle to help it stretch and settle it down. A trigger point therapist can get rid of the triggers that are causing the pain in your neck and upper back.

3. You can lift your shoulders to your ears. Hike them way up and hold for twenty seconds or so. This will tire the shoulder hiker muscle so it will start to relax. You can do this several times. (But use good sense. Too many times can make the muscles ache from overuse just as any new exercise program can.)

What made your levator scapulae unhappy in the first place?

• Poor posture causes muscle strain in the shoulder hiker muscle and will cause it to complain. The pain that you feel is actually a complaint; your body is telling you to stop doing something.
• Over-exercising (hiking your shoulders when lifting) or rotating your neck too much from side to side (watching a tennis match) can also cause neck and shoulder pain.
• A car accident can activate trigger points in the levator scapulae and so can walking with a cane that is too tall.
• Carrying a purse or bag with your shoulder hiked up also causes pain in your upper back and neck.

I have heard so many women say, "That feels so much better!" after their neck muscles were treated. Then they hiked their shoulder up to hold their purse. That was exactly the movement that caused their upper back and neck pain in the first place!

Scoliosis can also cause pain in the crook of the neck but that's a different issue. The whole body needs to be addressed in that case to figure out the cause of the scoliosis.

So here, in a nutshell, are the two steps to get rid of the pain in your upper back and neck naturally:

1. Relax the shoulder-hiking levator scapulae muscle with massage or pressure.
2. Change or stop doing whatever is causing your shoulder hiker muscle(s) to be unhappy.

That is how you can get rid of pain in your neck and upper back when it is caused by the shoulder hiker muscle.