Inversion tables offer instant relief from back pain, making your joints feel weightless and stress-free. Over the course of the day, gravity compresses the spine and weight-bearing joints. This causes discomfort, herniated discs, and a host of other problems.

Body inverters help reverse these effects with an age-old therapy: hanging upside down and putting the body in line with the downward force of gravity. Inversion allows your joints and spine to elongate, creating space between your ligaments and discs. This helps relieve some of the pressure accrued over the course of your daily activity (or even inactivity).

Daily sessions of just a few minutes can make a huge difference in how you feel, reducing your tension and improving your posture. Other benefits include better circulation, decreased stress, and greater amounts of oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. Why wait to make an investment into your health and well-being?

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Inversion Table Buying Guide

Inversion Table Benefits

Inversion tables are holistic physical therapy solutions for spinal health. An inversion table promotes traction along your back to decompress your spinal discs, gently providing them with more space for natural healing and restoration. Also known as spinal decompression tables, inversion tables help your back by reversing the natural stress your body accumulates throughout the day due to gravity’s forces.

Inversion table benefits for your spine include:

Relieving pain by alleviating pressure and stretching tight muscles that restrict spinal movement
Preventing spinal conditions like bulging discs or pinched nerves due to accumulated pressure
Increasing range of motion and flexibility due to better spinal strength and improved posture

Inversion tables for pinched nerves are also particularly effective at relieving pain. Other health benefits of inversion tables include restored mental wellbeing you may experience by living with less pain and better mobility.

When you experience inversion table decompression, you may also feel a release of endorphins to lift your mood and boost your energy levels. Taking a mid-day break to practice inversion therapy may encourage better productivity and concentration levels. Using an inversion table before bed may also help you to relax and de-stress so you can get a better night’s sleep.

What Is the Best Inversion Table?

The best inversion table is one that has been thoroughly tested for quality and safety standards. Inverting is safe as long as the structure is designed to hold your body weight. The best inversion tables are also highly functional, making it easy for you to customize your position and securely hold your weight in your desired inclined angle.

High-quality inversion tables also offer a range of features. When making inversion table comparisons, you might find that some models are equipped with other therapies like massage and heat. Look for inversion tables with proper a backrest, headrest and ankle pads to make your inversion sessions more comfortable.

The best inversion tables aren’t necessarily the most expensive. When you buy an inversion table, decide which features are most important to you in a back inversion table. Look for inversion therapy tables that strike a balance between cost and quality, delivering high value for your investment. Read inversion table reviews for information on personal experiences with back inversion tables.

Inversion Table for Sciatica

Many people with lower back pain wonder if an inversion table will help with sciatica. Inversion tables for sciatica help to relieve pressure on pinched nerves that may be causing sciatica symptoms. If you’re looking for an at-home solution for low back pain, an inversion table may be good for your sciatica and may help alleviate hip pain or pain associated with the SI (sacroiliac) joint.

To use an inversion table for sciatica, you should practice small, incremental inversions, rather than positioning yourself fully vertical to begin with. Build up your inversion angle over time by starting small and increasing the angle slightly with each session. Gradually, you will find more and more relief from decompression on the sciatic nerve. To target the low back, perform inversion table sciatica exercises that stretch the lumbar area using a lumbar support. You can gain further sciatic nerve relief by reaching your arm across your chest and feeling the stretch in your low back.

Confirm with your doctor that inversion tables are safe to use for your sciatica symptoms.

Inversion Table for Back Pain

Inversion tables for back pain are a safe and natural way to help stretch and decompress the spine. Using traction (pulling against gravity), you’re able to stretch the muscles in your back, pulling tight tissues away from the spine to create more space between your vertebrae. This decompression throughout the spine improves your back mobility and encourages better blood flow to your spine. The decompression you feel in your spine when using an inversion table might be similar to the relief you experience when you visit a chiropractor for adjustments or back cracks.

Inversion tables can be used as temporary relief for low back and upper back pain. To use an inversion therapy table for low back pain, it’s important to choose a table with lumbar support, which encourages a deeper release of low back muscles. In an inverted position, you’re able to unload weight from your low back, freeing your bones, joints and discs from painful pressure. Inversion tables for lower back pain also help relieve pinched nerves that arise as a result of too much pressure in the lumbar spine.

Consult your doctor before using inversion tables for back or lower back pain.

Inversion Table Exercises

Inversion table exercises help enhance the benefits you get from inversion therapy. Using an inversion table, you can perform stretches to release deep tissue along your spine and within your joints. Some popular inversion table stretches include rotations. Reach across your body and hold onto the inversion table leg or handle, repeating on the opposite side. You can also further stretch your back muscles by reaching for the table legs and pulling downward while in a deeper inverted position. This gives you more control over the level of decompression you can achieve while inverted.

Inversion table workouts can give you the extra challenge of resistance against gravity. From inversion table sit-ups to squats to crunches, you can conduct these common bodyweight exercises while slightly or even fully inverted. Inversion table exercises increase strength, improve flexibility and enhance your range of motion. Having strong muscles further helps reduce low and upper back pain by limiting pressure directly on the spine.

Inversion Table Negative Side Effects

Before you try inversion therapy, it’s important to be aware of inversion table negative side effects. Some people have reported experiencing inversion table side effects like headaches and dizziness afterward. If you’re not careful, it’s possible to hurt your back while inverted due to sudden strains.

To minimize these inversion table risks, start out slowly with slight inversion angles and gradually build toward full inversion. Never fully invert unless you are healthy and comfortable with inverting.

Always consult a healthcare professional before using inversion tables to manage any symptoms.

Inversion Table Risks

Inversion tables are not suitable for certain people. Inversion table risks include elevated blood pressure and blood pooling in the upper body and head while inverted. This creates added pressure on the eyeballs and increases your heart rate. Anyone with glaucoma, retinal detachment, high blood pressure and heart conditions should not try inversion therapy.

Inversion table dangers significantly increase if you have pre-existing health and spinal conditions or infections. Do not try inversion therapy unless it has been approved by your physician or other licensed medical professional. There have been reports of inversion table death after being inverted for a prolonged period of time. When starting out, don’t invert for longer than one minute at a moderate angle.

If you’re worried about inversion table risks, always consult your doctor before trying inversion therapy.

Inversion Table for Herniated Disc

Inversion tables for herniated or bulging discs work by allowing gravity to pull your bodyweight downward, giving the spine traction. As the spine lengthens, it creates more space between the spinal discs and the vertebrae, releasing the disc material from compression. As the discs decompress, they’re able to receive an increased flow of nutrient-rich fluid so they can rehydrate and heal.

To use an inversion table for a herniated or bulging disc, start out slowly at a slight angle of only 15 degrees. Gradually work your way up to an inversion angle of 30 degrees. You can receive the most benefit from inversion therapy for herniated discs by performing intermittent inversion on a regular basis.

Always consult a physician before using an inversion table for bulging discs.

What Does an Inversion Table Do?

Inversion tables work by positioning your body so that your feet are elevated above your head. While inverted, gravity provides natural traction within your back, elongating your spine. As your spine is pulled downward, it creates extra room in between each vertebra, decompressing your spinal discs. As your spinal discs decompress, it takes pressure off of pinched nerves or any disc bulges that may be occurring.

Natural decompression provides pain relief and restores nutrients to your spine. The longer you remain inverted, the more your spinal tissues will benefit from deep stretches. This means that another purpose of inversion tables is to improve mobility and flexibility in your upper body.

Inversion table instructions will differ depending on whether you’re just beginning or you’ve done inversion therapy before. To properly use an inversion table, always start with a slight 15-degree incline for no more than a minute. After your first minute, you can take a break before inverting deeper.

Inversion Table for Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a spinal condition in which the spine isn’t straight but rather has formed an S or C shape. For this reason, people with scoliosis may have painful symptoms caused by pinched nerves and uneven amounts of pressure on spinal discs. Severe scoliosis can restrict breathing because of reduced space within the chest cavity. Many people with scoliosis also have difficulty maintaining good posture, which also causes neck, shoulder, back and even abdominal pain.

Inversion tables for scoliosis may be beneficial in several ways. First, the traction gained from inversion can help elongate and straighten the spine while relieving pressure between discs. Secondly, regularly using an inversion table to correct posture problems attributed to scoliosis may help relieve posture pain.

Always consult your physician before using inversion tables to manage scoliosis.

Inversion Table for Neck Pain

Neck pain is a symptom of many possible underlying causes but is commonly attributed to poor posture from repeated hunching and slouching. Neck pain can reduce your quality of life by restricting mobility and preventing you from performing simple tasks without pain.

Inversion tables for neck pain can help address some of the underlying factors producing your neck pain, such as spinal stenosis. While inverted, gravity provides traction along your spine, including your cervical spine, which is where neck pain originates. As your spine decompresses, it frees up space in your cervical vertebrae, relieving pressure and pinched nerves that may be causing you pain.

If you’re using an inversion table for spinal stenosis or neck pain, be sure to choose a model that provides ample neck support, such as through a memory foam headrest.

Always consult your physician before using inversion tables for neck pain.

Inversion Table for Stroke

Inversion tables are not intended to be used by anyone who has suffered a stroke or any other cardiovascular disorders. Being inverted elevates blood pressure and heart rate, putting people at increased risk of stroke. If you already have high blood pressure, you should not use an inversion table.

Always consult your physician before using an inversion table to manage any disease.

Inversion Table Pros and Cons

Inversion tables have different pros and cons to consider when determining which one is right for you. Inversion table pros include being a safe, natural way to find relief from back and lower back pain. Whether an inversion table is good or bad depends on what features the table includes, such as proper lumbar and back support, as well as high-quality construction.

Inversion table cons include that they aren’t right for everyone. High-quality inversion tables also cost several hundred dollars, so you need to make sure you find inversion therapy beneficial before you make an investment. Full-size inversion tables also take up a bit of space, so they might not be ideal for people living in small apartments. The Back-A-Traction Mini is designed to be a space-saving inversion table.

Inversion Table Weight Limit

Inversion tables are designed to withstand a certain body weight. Inversion table weight limits vary depending on the model, but can generally hold up to 300 pounds.

Where to Buy an Inversion Table

You can find inversion tables for sale near you at your local Relax The Back store or online at RelaxTheBack.com. Come see us to try out inversion tables in store and find the right one for you.

Inversion Table Benefits for Knees

Inversion tables help alleviate pressure not just on the spine but on the body’s other essential joints too. If you experience knee pain due to arthritis or tendonitis, you may find that inversion tables benefit knee pain by reducing the load on the joint. Inversion therapy also boosts blood circulation to the joints, including the knee joint, allowing it to heal.

Inversion Table for Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease happens when the disc material no longer absorbs shock due to continued wear and tear with age. Many people with worn-out discs experience muscle spasms, episodes of pain that come and go or increased pain when sitting, bending or twisting.

Inversion tables for degenerative disc disease may help to manage symptoms by restoring disc health. Inversion therapy helps boost circulation to the spine where the worn discs can better receive healing nutrients and fluid. Over time, inversion therapy may help to improve quality of life in people with disc degeneration.

Inversion Table for Spondylolisthesis

It’s not recommended to use inversion tables for spondylolisthesis. People with any form of lumbar instability or fractures should not invert, as it can worsen your condition and cause more pain.

People with spondylolisthesis who want to manage pain and improve health should work with a trained physical therapist who can provide exercises for improving lumbar stability and strength.

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Inversion Table & Stretchers