Back aches. Arthritis. Disc bulge. Disc herniation. Back spasms. None of these sound too appealing. It’s even worse if you suffer from them. Many of my patients ask whether or not an inversion table will help with lower back pain.
Gravity is an incessant enemy, constantly creating stress on the joints of our spine. Combine this with a sedentary lifestyle and a job that sits you on your butt for 1/3 of the day and low back pain becomes all too familar of a friend. Obviously, chiropractic care is the best first line approach for low back pain. But, when arthritis is present, sometimes there are limits to how much relief can be obtained in a chiropractic office.
It is likely that daily visits to the chiropractic office would help. While this would be a great financial boon for my office, I imagine most patients would not be happy with the costs and actually have better things to do with their lives than stop by for a treatment every day.
One particular condition that I recommend daily at-home use of an inversion table is spinal stenosis. In my office we can use Flexion-Distraction manipulation very effectively to treat spinal stenosis and disc problems. In the case of spinal stenosis, the use of an inversion table several times per week at home can greatly reduce the need for care in my office.
Spinal stenosis and arthritis of the spine are chronic, lifelong conditions, so the use of an inversion table as well as some degree of chiropractic care need to be accepted as part of the plan to keep symptoms at bay. I recommend starting at a 30 degree incline for 3-5 minutes. This means that any table you buy should be able to be set at varying angles, rather than all or nothing (picture Richard Gere in American Gigilo doing inverison sit-ups…). Start slow and build up every few days so long as no soreness is experienced from the treatment.
I sure you will find that the in home use of an inversion table will provide long term relief for your lower back pain.