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 using an inversion table regularly is healthy for anyone, not just those who have back pain. (Disclaimer here: there are certain conditions that should prevent you from using an inversion table. Check with your doctor before starting an inversion therapy schedule)

So, after trying a back inversion table I did some research, and found what I consider to be 10 of the biggest benefits of using an inversion table. They are:

1) Hanging from an inversion table will decompress your body.

Think about it, all day long your poor body is subject to the greatest force on earth, gravity. That gravity is pulling on your bones, ligaments, spine, discs, ect. Why did I list this as number 1? Simply because the rest of the benefits are results of this body decompression, and because it feels amazing.  In other words, they don’t call it in inversion stretch table for nothing.

2) Inversion table therapy will reduce back pain.

By hanging with your body inverted and decompressing your body, the discs in your back will widen as you reverse the effects gravity has on you as you walk and sit all day long. This will do the following:

• Help to rehydrate back disks
• Increase intervertebral separation which will help reduce pain in your sciatic and other nerves.
• Realign your spine

For me, using the inversion table helped the most for my lower back and my sciatic nerve. After playing sports like tennis, golf, or other sports that are very one-way sports (i.e. you do the same non-balancing motion over and over again—think swinging a racket with your right hand, or your right-handed golf swing) my lower back and sciatic ALWAYS hurt. This did not use to happen when I was young, but now it does, even when I stretch. The only thing that has ever felt like it was really stretching those areas and unwinding all that lower back and sciatic stress pain was hanging upside down on the table. And yes, this benefit came for me after just a few sessions.

3) Hanging upside down increase blood flow to your brain.

Contrary to my original concerns, the blood rush to my head was actually a good thing for me. Yes, it did take some time to get used to (2 times for 5 minutes each time, and inverting gradually did the trick), but afterward I could almost literally feel the increased oxygen that was going to my brain because of the inversion. This is one of the biggest benefits of using an inversion system.  In fact, in “How to Increase Your Intelligence”, Win Wenger points out that only brain cell which are close to sufficient blood supplies are thoroughly developed. What happens with those cells not close to blood flow? Not much, to say the least.  I found it very interesting to learn that the part of your brain that is most productive (I’m sure you’ve heard that we only ‘use’ x-percent of our brain) is the part nearest to the blood flow.  So, hanging upside down will make you a genius ? Ok, not really, but studies do show that it will potentially help to reduce the chances/effects of becoming senile and will increase the blood flow to your brain which can improve the functionality.

4) Inversion therapy will help you become taller and skinnier.

Seriously. Over time, most people shrink because of the constant pull of gravity on their bodies. In fact, most people will shrink by a good inch or two over their lifetime because their discs will thin (as they mostly water which decreases over time).  This effect can be reduced greatly by inverting consistently on an inversion table, thus helping you maintain your height.  Furthermore, when you shrink, many of your internal organs give in a little bit to the force of gravity, effectively adding to that bulging belly so many people have issues with.  Inverting regularly can also help your organs maintain their normal shape and help keep them where they are supposed to, thus helping your be skinnier.

As you can see, the benfits of using a stretch inversion table are huge and definitely outweigh any costs associated with purchasing one. In fact, the costs are very small – you can get a good, cheap inversion table for as little as $100-$150. Just look online and you will see tons of great options, with reviews, so you can make a great decision as to which inversion table is best for you.

Tags: back inversion table, benefits of inversion table, cheap inversion table, fitness inversion table, inversion stretch table, inversion system, Inversion Table, inversion table therapy, sciatic pain