Any body here use an inversion table?
 

I'm doing physical therapy exercises for my lower back pain. The therapist said an inversion table might be helpful. Does anyone here in the brain trust have/use one?

Search for threads....lots of us have them, but they're not for everyone. I use mine when I need to....very rarely, but it works for me.

Ha! I should have known. Is there anything that hasn't been discussed here?

I have had mine for almost 3 years. It was instrumental in helping me recover from a sciatic nerve injury. I use it every now and then when I feel that I have overworked my back. My wife uses it also, and we both are glad to have it.

Degenerative disc disease, arthritis I couldn't move because of the intense pain in my lower back 5 years ago. I used an inversion table for a year, the hanging didn't seem to help much, but I used it to do inverted sit ups, to build up my core muscle strength. That seemed to help along with stretching. Mountain biking done at least weekly, has totally eliminated my lower back issues.

Have one and don't use it. I find stretching and core exercise to be more beneficial.

I have one and use it two or three times a week. It's a great way to wind down after a long walk but you have to be fairly fit to get the most from it.

You may feel nausea at first but you'll soon get used to it.

The PT technician gave me a list of about 6 exercises to do twice a day. I'm doing those now instead of yoga. Good to know they have some chance of helping.

Tried it once and felt like my head was gonna explode. Now core strengthening and stretching has reduced my back pain.

like others, my chronic low back pain is entirely due to a weak core. I have a core strengthening and stretch routine I do 3x per week, and I am trying to get about 50 miles of cycling in per week as well.

When I keep up with the routine, I am pain free.

No, nothing; it is a modern Library of Alexandria


I use one occasionally, you want to be careful, I believe there are certain lumbar spine problems can be aggravated by using it.

Mine has been a Godsend over the years. Go ahead and try it. I purchased mine, used, on Craigslist for $60. No need to buy a new one...

I used one when I was doing more bending and stooping; physical work. It does work, I find it relaxing. But I arrived at a point where I'm not doing the same type work so the pain subsided.

Eventually I quit using it as I didn't need it. I tried selling it - could not, I tried giving it away, could not. So I carted it to the dump at the trash / treasure drop / pick-up area.

They do work - my experience - but try to find a used one 1st in your area.

As your core gets stronger go back to yoga. I do a session on youtube (yoga by Celeste) for herniated discs. Strengthening your core is the key, just don't overdo it. I find that stretching my hamstrings and a piriformis stretch tend to keep me from getting lower back pain. Just make sure you're doing the stretches and strengthening as much as the PT says to do it or a bit more if you can. I was supposed to go in for a microdiscectomy 3 years ago and have avoided it by stretching and core strengthening. I haven't been doing my exercises like I should but when I start feeling tight in my lower back I just do the leg stretches and piriformis stretch and it normally goes away pretty fast.

I purchased mine used from a former co-worker (w/ serious back issues....no good for him), and used it when I "tweaked" my lower back. Haven't used mine in ten years.....25 lbs lighter and a LOT more flexible too ;). I just stay busy in retirement....after sittin' on my fat azz for too long :).

Did yer back bother you tho? ....it works ;)

Those are two of the exercises they have me doing. The hamstring stretch is by standing in front of a chair and putting my heal on the seat of the chair and leaning forward. It's similar to one of the yoga positions I do.

Don't know if your PT has you doing these, but I found the "nerve glide" was very helpful for me. See the section of the link entitled "Release of the Sciatic Nerve Via Nerve Gliding"


https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=46029

Try it out first. Some are just flimsy, some are difficult to rotate back, and some have uncomfortable ankle holders

as mentioned earlier, try to find one used. Gravity is gravity, haha. I bought one for $25 on craigslist. A few years ago I landed funny on a jump while mountain biking. Didn't crash, but it felt like someone shot me in the back on landing. Had to walk home. 9/10 pain for a few days before I found the inversion table. Within 5 minutes of hanging upside down, my pain was down 50%. 3 weeks later I rode Moab pain free. YMMV, and I suppose it really depends on what pathology is really going on, but it can be a cheap trial.

That being said, and not knowing how old you are, just make sure you get checked out by a doc if not better in a week or so. Not all back pain is just arthritis, a pinched nerve or a muscle strain.

feel better!