3 Ways Inversion Therapy Can Change Your Life
One of the best corrective and preventative therapies available for those with back pain is inversion therapy. With inversion therapy, you use an inversion table or special boots to hang upside down, allowing your body to relax as gravity gently pulls on your spine. If you have never experienced inversion therapy, below are three ways it can change your life:
It Can Help Reduce Pain
Inversion therapy is great for managing lower back pain. Whether it's a pinched nerve or tight muscles that are causing discomfort in your lower back, hanging upside down can help stretch out the area and increase the flexibility of your tight muscles.
The best way to maximize the benefit experienced whilst inverting is to try to relax as much as possible. This can be difficult at first – hanging upside down is a new experience and it's understandable that you may feel anxious. However, over time you will be able to relax your body and this is where the real benefits are experienced. By relaxing all of the muscle in your body, you increase the weight that is pulling your body to the floor, thus increasing the stretch felt by each muscle in your body. Over time, this can really reduce muscular pain and increase the mobility of your spine.
It Helps Rejuvenate Your Discs
Your body is constantly experiencing the negative effects of gravity on a day-to-day basis. Any time you are upright, the earth is pulling your body towards the ground, which causes your spinal column to experience compression. Over time, this compression can cause a thinning of the discs in your spine. These discs are necessary as they separate the vertebrae and act as a shock absorber, so any localized thinning can cause significant problems down the line.
Whilst there are intrusive methods available to alleviate discomfort caused by disc compression, one of the most natural ways you can rejuvenate your discs is by inverting. By inverting, you are pulling your spine into traction, which acts to reverse the effects of gravity on your spine. Over time, inverting will draw fluid into your discs, which will help them restore their height and maintain their flexibility.
It Helps Realign Your Spine
Your spine has a natural S-shape, with opposite curves in the lumbar (lower back) and thoracic (upper back) region. This gentle S-shape curvature is not for no reason; rather, the curves help distribute the weight of your head and also act to introduce flexibility in your spine.
Over time, the curvature of your spine can become exacerbated. These exaggerated curves usually occur because of a sedentary lifestyle spent hunched over at a computer. If the curvature of your spine becomes pronounced, you will start to experience pain in both the lumbar and thoracic regions of your spine.
Inversion therapy can be used to stretch out your spine and main its natural configuration. By inverting, you allow the weight of your head to pull your spine down, which can help correct any misalignments in your vertebrae and correct your posture. If inversion therapy doesn't help your back pain, talk with an orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible.
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