Inversion therapy, more commonly known as inversion, involves hanging upside down by the feet, ankles or legs, or hanging in an inverted angle lying on a function built table. There are specially designed boots called gravity boots to support the ankles. In this state of inversion, blood flow to the higher part such as the head increases, therefore allowing the lower part, including all bones, joints, tissues and muscles to relax and go back to normal condition. The main purpose of an inversion table is to ease back pain. For many people, back problems can be a painful and constant problem. Various types of inversion tables are available, providing help for back in different ways. This therapy has changed the lives of many people for the better. Let’s have a look at some of the benefits of inversion.
Back Pain Can Be Relieved
Probably the main reason you are looking to buy an inversion table is because you suffer from back pain. Using the inversion table is completely natural. There are no supplements or tablets to take, no operations or intrusive treatments to go through/under. All this can be done completely in the comfort of your own home.
The back goes through a decompression, which is a stretch that combines body weight with gravity and makes the spine longer, thus alleviating the pain. There are lots of different inversion tables on the market and you should check out this handy best inversion table review.
Relaxation Can Be Achieved
Some people can feel constant pain in their back. Sometimes pain can be experienced in the neck or shoulder area. It can cause an overwhelmingly tense feeling or cause a person to feel stressed. Our muscles can be under a lot of stress from different things, such as sitting down in the same position for a long period of time. When muscles try to compensate, they tend to tighten up, which can cause backache and bring on headaches. In the long term, muscle tension will be detrimental to sleeping habits as well as causing mood swings. Using an inversion table is beneficial, as the supporting muscles of the spine are lengthened. This can help improve the body’s posture. Within a few minutes of use, muscles can loosen, your body will decompress and feelings of relaxation come to the fore.
Helps With Stretches After Working Out
Keeping fit is important, however the way you exercise can be very compressive on your body. Exercises involving weights are generally deemed to cause some pain. After your workout, soreness can be avoided by stretching on an inversion table. This will assist in elongating your body. Your spine will decompress and muscles will be loosened.
Increases Core Strength
To provide support of the torso, vital muscles such as the lower back and abdominal are required to be strong. Flexibility, blood circulation, and the ability to keep good posture of the body are all affected by the strength of your core. Exercises such as sit-ups and crunches are even more challenging on an inversion table. However, core muscles can be developed and worked on through this method.
Correction Of Posture
Over time, if you adopt a poor posture or tend to slouch a lot, there will be a change in your muscles. Your back muscles will become more pronounced, but your chest muscles will shorten. This develops into bad posture if no action is taken. Inversion therapy realigns the spine and helps stretch the muscle. The aim is that you will stand straighter and taller after use. Simply by sitting down all day while at work or constantly using the same shoulder to carry a heavy bag will lead to your body accepting this bad posture as normal. As well as the body, your mind may be affected. This may harm your quality of life. Inversion therapy can help stop this.
Increase In Blood Circulation
Being in a suspended position hugely improves the circulation of blood. Gravity will affect how the blood flows to your organs and through your body. While hanging or putting yourself in an inverted position, your organs will be loosening. Your body has to work in defiance of gravity to keep the blood flowing to your torso and legs. Inversion therapy uses gravity to improve circulation in the body. When you are inverted, because blood circulation is better, your lymphatic system becomes more productive. This system is in control of removing toxins from the body, so therefore is vital to your overall health.
Helps Flexibility
In a flexible body, blood, oxygen and nutrients can move around easily. However, if the body changes and becomes stiff or tense, these movements can come to a stop. People often feel unhealthy and lethargic. The inversion table helps because it gently stretches the spine. This leads to elongation of muscles and decompression of joints leading to an increase in overall mobility. Different positions of inversion help realign the spine and stretch the muscles that have shrunk over time.
Encourages Better Sleep
Exercising on an inversion table reduces the muscles response to nerve stimulation of that particular muscle. If there is tension in a muscle it has the capacity to cause insomnia as a result of feelings of anxiety. Using an inversion table also vitalizes your parasympathetic nervous system. This is important as it produces the feeling of calm and relaxation. Hopefully leading to a better, deeper sleep.
Boosts Mental Awareness
While on an inversion table, the flow of blood to your brain is increased. The overall cognitive function is boosted as a result of more oxygen and neural transmissions. This in turn lifts your mood. The brain consumes more oxygen than other organs in your body. The increase in blood flow means more available oxygen, contributing to better performance of the brain. After exercising, the differences will be an improvement in balance, clearer thoughts and it will be easier to focus.
Helps Ease Signs Of Depression
Doing inversion exercises can boost an individual’s sense of fulfillment. Hopefully, this is due to a combination of reduction of pain and increase in quality of life. Just like normal exercise will create endorphins that can make you happy, inversion exercises have the ability to do the exact same. After a hard day’s work or tough day at school, to rejuvenate on the table can be very rewarding. Feeling relaxed and positive can certainly boost well being and influence quality of life.
Article by Dennis Hamming