Back pain is horrible and people that suffer from it will do just about anything to rid of the pain. People's activities are temporarily put to an end because the pain is sudden and excruciating when it strikes. Productivity dies and the sufferer can be immobilized, and will lose the ability to do many day-to-day activities.

Back pains arise from muscle and spinal strains. Sometimes, they arise from stress and poor posture as well. There are several ways to get rid off back pains. Among the well known ones are massage, yoga, and various stretches and exercises. However, a practice that started a long time ago is still practiced in today's world. This is known as inversion therapy.

What Is Inversion therapy?

Inversion therapy is the taking of gravitational force away from the human spine, which gives wider sets of spaces between the vertebrae. Simply put, inversion therapy occurs when a body is hung upside down to eliminate back pain. Although there are conflicting opinions as to the effectiveness of inversion therapy on people, the majority of people believe that this ancient practice efficiently relieves back pains. More specialists deem that inversion therapy has been proven useful and valuable for people whose back pains cannot usually be cured by yoga, stretching or exercise.

Is Inversion Therapy Safe?

Many doctors question the use and importance of inversion therapy as they say it is unsafe for people with heart diseases like hypertension or glaucoma. The upside-down hanging could be very risky for others because it slows down the beating of the heart while increasing blood pressure. Some doctors, on the other hand, accept the therapy as a safe method for relieving back pains, as long as a patient does not suffer from any cardiovascular disease. If you are unsure if inversion therapy is right for you, the best thing to do is consult your doctor.

How Does Inversion Therapy Work?

Inversion therapy is a method in which the spine is stretched to release the strains and tensions housed within the back's muscles and cartilage. The stretching of the spine is what experts call traction.

There are three ways to conduct inversion therapy. One is when a patient's feet are tied from a horizontal pole where in the body is suspended in the air. The second method involves the same pole except that for this method, the pole has extra supports for the knees and the stomach, which give them a bent and flexed stance. The last one, as you may have seen in movies, involves a table where a patient will lay down. The person will then be fastened onto the table with supportive metal links and the table will be slowly tipped and tilted up until such time that the patient's head is already adjacent to the floor.

No matter how people view inversion therapy, what matters is that they get to choose the best option for their convenience and betterment. Then again, as the saying goes, prevention is better than a cure. Back pain can be prevented by eating food rich in calcium, observing proper posture, and doing light stretches and exercises regularly.