Having back pains is literally a pain in the neck! In fact, it can affect your overall productivity and degrade your spine health when left unchecked. Because of the sedentary lifestyle most people have nowadays, it’s crucial to take care of your back today to avoid possible injuries in the future.
Believe it or not, gravity is one of the leading causes of spinal related conditions. Gravity compresses your spine, nerves, and muscles, leading to back pains, pinched spinal nerves, sciatica, and other back-related conditions over time. To reverse its effects, modern physical therapies have been discovered to provide relief for those challenging back pains—one of which is spinal traction.
What Is Spinal Traction
Spinal traction is a kind of therapy involving decompression techniques to address spine pressure issues caused by gravity. It is often an approach recommended for patients suffering from degenerative type of disc diseases, herniated discs, pinched nerves, sciatica, and other back-related conditions. One of the most common spinal decompression therapies these days is inversion therapy.
What Is Inversion Therapy
Inversion therapy is a technique that puts the body in an upside-down position using inversion equipment to decompress the spine. In theory, the process of shifting the body against gravity pull helps ease the discs on your spine.
The equipment used for this type of therapy includes inversion chairs and inversion tables. If you’re in the market for a piece of inversion equipment to help alleviate back pains, you can start by looking at the 3 best inversion chairs for back pain relief, then scout other sites for more options to suit your medical requirements.
Inversion Table vs. Inversion Chair
In terms of functionality, both are great machines to help decompress your spine.
An inversion table is almost like a cot with ankle straps to hold you during inversion. You strap your ankles on the boot, lay flat on your back, and slowly lean back to tilt yourself upside down. The only downside to using an inversion table is the need for a spotter for each set, as it may be challenging to get back up once you’re upside down.
An inversion chair, on the other hand, allows for a more comfortable seated position and puts less pressure on your leg joints. One of the key benefits of using an inversion chair is having more control over your movement. Sitting allows you to maneuver quickly, whether tilting backward or going back up, without having someone to help you up.
Health Benefits
Long-term health benefits of inversion therapy have yet to gather conclusive results. Nevertheless, using inversion chairs can offer a great deal of benefits for your back, such as the following:
- Reduces Back Pain
Back pains could stem from a number of issues like poor spine health or prior injuries. An inversion chair can help alleviate back pains by stretching and straightening your spine. In fact, studies have shown that tilting the body upside down at a 60-degree angle for three minutes each set reduced the chronic back pains of 47 individuals over eight weeks.
- Improves Spinal Health
Because of the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles these days, almost everybody has the possibility of suffering from poor spinal health. As the space between your spinal discs decreases, the pressure on your spine increases, causing annoying pains in your back.
Using an inversion chair can help stretch your spine and open up the gaps between your spinal discs. This reduces the pressure on your spine and helps alleviate back pains. Over time, as your spine health improves, your body becomes more flexible and capable of moving with ease.
- Avoid Surgery
Inversion therapy can also decrease the likelihood of getting back surgery. Recent studies have gathered that people afflicted with lumbar disease who underwent inversion therapy felt well enough not to need surgery anymore.
Even with such positive results, it’s crucial to be reminded that inversion therapy doesn’t guarantee to treat your back pain. Consult with your physician first before engaging in any form of spinal traction therapy.
Takeaway
Taking care of your overall wellness is essential. And your back certainly needs all the attention you can give it, to improve your health and productivity.
Needless to say, inversion chairs are equipment that has your back. It helps alleviate back pains, improves overall spine health, and reduces the need for surgery. Despite the benefits, however, inversion equipment doesn’t guarantee long-term health benefits. But if you’re in the market to buy one, make sure you’ve consulted with your doctor first.
