There are many advantages of inversion tables, which is why so many people are beginning to incorporate inversion therapy into their everyday fitness routine. If you are still wondering if inversion tables do work, then consider the following advantages of such exercise:

Inversion Tables May Help Reduce Back Pain

Over time your muscles, ligaments, and joints are very succeptible to joint pressure created by gravity and by you simply walking around and working out. This pressure builds over time, compressing your discs, ligaments, and muscles into something similar to a big rubber band ball that envelopes your spine. This compression makes it more difficult for your discs to rehydrate and put unwanted and painful pressure on your nerve roots (which run towards the spine through the space between your vertabrae–if that space is compressed then the nerve roots will be affected). There have been many studies that indicate that such issues are factors in the back pain that millions of Americans are forced to deal with each and every day.

One of the biggest advantages of inversion tables is that they can help reduce and relieve these problems caused by the compression of your discs, ligaments, and muscles. By inverting as little as 60% on an inversion table can effectively relieve 100% of the pressure inside your discs (as 60% of your body weight is required to achieve such relief), which is amazing considering that even laying down only relieves 75% of that pressure. This relief in turns helps your discs to recover from the daily stresses of compression and increases that space in between them.

Inversion Table Exercises Can Help Increase Your Overall Health

Inversion therapy helps tremendously in the following:

• Help Stimulate Circulation of both your blood flow and your lymphatic system.  Inverting helps make it easier for your heart to pump blood from your lower body to the heart and then to your brain.  This increases oxygen to your brain and may help slow the deterioration of your brain.  It also helps even more with the circulation of your lymphatic system, which has no pump like your heart and depends 100% on the contractions of muscles and gravity to flush out harmful toxins from your body.
• Helps improve posture by putting your body in line with gravity
• Help get rid of vericos veins by helping to remove the blood from extremeties  and increase blood flow.
• Can increase your flexibility
• Can help build and develope your core muscles

Finally, one more advantage of an inversion table is that using it can help you reduce stress levels significantly.  By inverting, you allow your whole body to stretch very effectively while relaxing, allowing you to concentrate or even meditate and truly relax after a stressful day or workout.

When I first heard about hanging upside down with an inversion table I was intrigued. Could hanging upside down on an inversion table help reduce my back pain? Could the inversion therapy really be good for me or would hanging upside down just hurt my ankles and cause me to pass out from the blood rush to my head? These were the first questions that went through my mind. However, being that I am not one to not try something, and given all the good things I had heard about the amazing fitness inversion table, I decided I would try it for a week and see how I felt.

Wow!

Yes, that is about the only way to describe it. After a week I was addicted and convinced that using an inversion table would be just the thing I needed to help me with my back pain. But, that is not all I was convinced of—I also became convinced that

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The neck is a fairly delicate part of the body. As a result, injuries to the neck are fairly common. Causes of neck pain are usually multi-faceted and it is often difficult to pin down exactly what the original cause of the pain was. Neck pain can be caused by poor posture, muscle tension, a pinched nerve, cervical disc injuries, or whip lash. For the majority of people neck pain has either a postural or mechanical base (repeating the same activity over and over can result in a neck injury). Neck pain can become chronic and cause tension headaches in addition to other problems. However, whatever the cause, neck traction will often help to alleviate pain and at least begin to solve the problem.

Traction is defined as - the deliberate and prolonged pulling of a muscle, organ, or the like, as by weights, to correct dislocation, relieve pressure, etc. This can be achieved on the neck in a variety of ways. There are many neck traction devices are on the market ranging in price from $12 - $400. However, it is also possible to perform neck traction at home with out any neck traction equipment. Home neck traction only requires a towel, a piece of rope and a door knob. Tie the rope to each end of the towel, then drape the contraption over the door knob so that the towel hangs just above the floor. Your head should be comfortable and just off the floor. It should not be tilted at all. It is important to only do it for a short period of time, about 7 minutes, or you can over stretch your muscles and exacerbate the original problem. Over time you can work up to about 15 minutes. However, this method of home neck traction has it’s risks as it has not been designed and implemented by a doctor. Participate in it at your own risk – and remember to lock the door when using this method.

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In searching for the best inversion therapy, many people ask if they should just buy a pair of gravity boots instead of a complete inversion table. The answer to that question really depends on you, and by that I don’t just mean what you want but how fit you are.

In general, gravity inversion boots are best for people who are very fit and who can handle the extra riggers associated with antigravity boots. The basic difference between using gravity boots instead of an inversion table comes in terms of support. With an inversion table, you are supported by the table whenever you need to be. You invert gradually, in a very controlled manner, and do not have to invert completely—you can stop inverting at a 70 degree angle, a 50 degree angle, or any other angle you so choose.

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In searching for an inversion chair or table, I’m sure you have probably wondered which is better - the inversion chair or the inversion table? This is a very important question and one that you should ask yourself before you decide to spend a couple hundred dollars on an inversion therapy machine.

The basic difference between an inversion table and an inversion chair is obvious—an inversion table allows you invert 100% while literally hanging from your ankles. An inversion chair, on the other hand, is generally designed to invert about 70% (may vary depending on which inversion chair you choose), and you do not hang freely from your ankles. Instead you are in essence ‘sitting’ upside down.

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When searching for a good back stretcher you may be surprised at what you do, or don’t find. You really don’t have as many options as you would think you would given how many people have back pain and are continually trying to find ways to stretch out their backs. By doing a quick Google search you will find 3 basic types of back stretchers:

• The Lynx portable back stretcher
• Inversion tables
• Lumbar extender back stretcher (they are the stretching tools that look like a hill-shaped object that you either lay on or up against that forces your back to arch and stretch)

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Using inversion tables has many benefits and can be one of the best things you can do to reduce back pain, stretch out your whole body, and reduce the effects that gravity has on your body. However back inversion tables can be difficult to get used to. Some common complaints are:

• Inversion Tables hurt the ankles
• Inversion tables make you dizzy as a result of increased blood flow to your head

Essentially, inversion tables can be hard to get used to for some people. This fact leads many to ask the question of do inversion tables work.  However, inversion tables do work and there are simple tips for using inversion tables that can make the ‘getting used to’ much, much easier.

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Teeter is probably the most well known brand name for inversion tables. They have a variety of models and their products tend to get 4-5 stars out of 5 stars when reviewed by consumers. Teeter inversion tables have been on the market longer than any other inversion table. The company has managed to stay in business since 1980 despite many other inversion companies going out of business in the 80s and 90s.

Roger Teeter, the founder of teeter hang-ups inversion table, was himself a sufferer of debilitating back pain. He was also an avid water skier and knew something had to give if he wanted to pursue his passion. He was introduced to inversion therapy almost 30 years ago and found it was the only thing that gave him true relief. As a result, he set out to design his own version of an inversion table and teeter inversion tables were born. I find it reassuring the designer and manufacturer of the product actually uses it himself and has been through various other remedies as well.

There are many different models of the teeter inversion table. For example, the teeter f5000 inversion table and the teeter inversion table f8000 have been very popular historically. (note: the f5000 model was just replaced with the EP500). The company website is very user friendly in helping a potential buyer determine which model would be best for their needs. You can click through a series of questions helping you arrive at the correct model. Each question provides a brief description of the different options.

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Upper back pain is not as common as lower back pain. The lower back is designed to aid in mobility the upper back is designed for strength. Its main purpose is to protect the important internal organs in the chest. This area is known as the thoracic spine. It is also anatomically different from the lower (lumbar region) in that it is slightly concave and the ribs are attached directly to the spine to provide structural stability which allows for very little motion when compared with the other areas of the spine. Therefore, the common causes of the more common lower back pain are not usually a factor in upper back pain.

Upper back pain is usually caused by muscular irritation, medically called myofascial pain, and/or joint dysfunction. Injuries to spinal discs (such as a herniated disc, or a degenerated disc), spinal stenosis, and spinal instability are a possible cause of upper back pain but are very rare. Because these anatomical causes are very unusual a CT scan or MRI will rarely be effective in diagnosing the cause of the pain. Upper back pain causes can be fairly elusive if the pain can’t be traced back to a specific traumatic event.

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These days, there are so many different supplements for fitness buffs that it can be hard to know which ones are good, and which ones are just what I call ‘fad’ supplements.  Most of the time I am very skeptical when it comes to the latest trends in health supplements, with I have to admit: I am very intrigued when it comes to the Acai berry.  Acai is a berry found deep in the amazon jungle of Brasil (that is how they spell it, so I’m going to do the same since I lived there for several years), and has been used for centuries there in many different ways.   The berry is extremely potent (most drinks made with the berry contain just a small amount of pure berry), but has many amazing benefits.

I am not an expert on the acai berry, I’ll tell you that upfront.  But, from what I have read, when the berry is used as a sports supplement, can have the following benefits:

• High levels of Beta-carotene and Chromium
• Large amounts of calcium, Iodin, and Iron and other vitamins such as manganese and selenium.
• Can help with inflamation
• Can help improve your cardiovascular system

So, are these benefits worth the costs?  That is a good question, especially since they are not cheap.  For me, I think they can be worth it for those people who can afford it.  However, you can also get many of these benefits by eating a well-rounded, healthy diet.

Of course, if you want to learn more about this amazing acai supplement then I would recommend doing a good amount of research online in conjunction with talking with a trusted physical trainer or nutrition specialist before spending the money.