Anyone ever used a inversion table?
 

As I've mentioned before, I have two bulging disks at L4-L5-S1 and have used PT and steroid injections for relief. The injections are great for about a month, then I'm right back to miserable - sciatic pain down the left leg.

I was reading one of the golf forums I frequent, and a ton of guys said they use an inversion table and have really benefited from doing so.

Wondering if anyone her has used/owned one, and what they think. So far, in reading about them on the interwebs, they seem to get very positive reviews.

Every scientifically reviewed study I've come across says they are of absolutely no benefit.

I've read a couple pre-1990, such as the Volvo/Dimberg - but nothing recent.

Scientific studies aside, are all these people claiming relief full of shit?

I've actually talked to a couple people that absolutely love them.

Never tried one, and i don't plan on it.

I know 2 people who have them, and they both rave about them.

I have some low-grade sciatica in my left leg from running and cycling, and I'd probably give the inversion table a shot if the pain got worse.

I think there are a bunch of different models under a couple hundred bucks, so there's not really much to lose.

preventative inflammation medicine (aspirin etc every day )

inverted table (more stretching really but also spreads vertebrae so results depend on where the injury is location)

strong abdominal help stabilize and reduce sciatic pain

muscle stem (Tens machine) relieves pain and reduces muscle tension

http://www.lgmedsupply.com/lgelteunandm.html

stretching
(bottom of page http://www.spine-health.com/wellness...ca-pain-relief )
http://www.pain-relief-secrets.com/s...-exercises.gif

I realy like mine but I'm not sure if it would be good for a bulging disc.

The problem with inversion tables is they are typically used at the wrong time.

Inversion is a nice way to maintain healthy hydration of a disc and to provide an easy stretch on the low back musculature.

Problem is most people don't think about using the table until they are already in pain. The muscle guarding will prevent inversion from providing any significant results and may end up creating more spasm.

http://invertrac.com/

If you chose to use inversion this is the best option IMO.

I tried, but our beers kept spilling.

i once had a girl with an inversion...

i recommend it highly...

a huge bit of 'relief' may be the placebo effect mixed with some psychosomatic thrown in for good effect.

What golf forum? I've been looking for a good one.

Wife has one, uses it daily.

Are you a chiropractor?

There's a temporary feeling of relief, but I think most of it is placebo.

if it works it works though right?

Safe to assume if she uses it daily she's happy with it?

How long has she been using it, and why?

Check your rep.

Fwiw, I run 20-30 miles per week and use an inversion table on my day off. Usually no more than four total minutes of 70-80 degrees of inversion. I also have terrible desk posture which creates some neck and shoulder pain. Anyway, best $200 I've ever spent on something exercise related. Relieves some of the aches and pains I feel from running and desk time. May or may not work for you, but I stand by my experience with it.

If you manage to hit a gym every other day and do stretching, swimming, jogging, etc. It's the best solution for me.

I use one for situps so I can't really say anything about the back relief it does or doesn't provide. But for whatever it's worth, if I just hang there for a few minutes and then twist at the waist, my back pops like my spine is a xylophone and someone's running a mallet across the keys.

So in that sense I would think it could at least loosen a person's back up a bit. But who knows how long it would last once they stand back up and gravity sets in.

Really, the best part of an inversion table is shortly after you get it, when your lady friend suddenly gets all scientific and wants to know if your blood can flow to certain parts that are now upwards while you're hanging there. All downhill from there.

ON




(That's "NO" inverted.)

Maybe?
 

Never was good at math, so I never learned my inversion tables.

LMAO @ a funnier quip than mine... good show...

Just don't watch porn while using one. You'll give yourself a pearl necklace.

WarPath,

If you remember I was having some problems with my L4 L5 area about a month or two ago. Same time you were posting about yours. I was off of work for a full month and finally got loose enough to go back. My job can be pretty demanding and stressful so keeping at it without going back to the couch has been a challenge.

I've done some pretty demanding stuff recently that if I hadn't taken care of myself at night, I would have been right back where I started.

For me, sitting was the worst thing I could do, as that position just pinched the nerve more, and caused discomfort. Driving to therapy was the worst. The stretch/exercise that got me mobile again, was the "hump the floor and arch your back" move. Lying face down, starting first by getting to my elbows, then, after many sessions and loosening a bit, eventually lifting my upper body fully with my arms. I thought this would just pinch the nerve further, but it opens the front of your spine, and allows room for the nerve to move back into a better position.

They told me, along with my exercises, put a rolled up towel under my lower back in the L4 L5 area from time to time in order to keep the natural arch of my back while lying down on my back. I eventually started taking a regular bath towel, folding it length-wise, and rolling it up and sleeping on it. It might seem a tad big, but your mattress will sink some and it will compress under your weight throughout the night.

This has worked wonders for me. Recently, there have been a few times where I have thought that I was going to lock up again, so I slept like this, and I've woke up rejuvenated. Sometimes with better results than others. I used to sleep on my side, on my stomach and all sorts of positions, everything but on my back. It just wasn't "comfortable". I now believe that sleeping on my back wasn't comfortable b/c of the condition of my back, and not that it was just intolerable. With this towel trick, I have no problem sleeping on my back. Though, from time to time, I'll still roll in the night. Give it a try though, even if you "can't sleep that way". This gives me 6-8 good hours of un-irritated nerve through the night. That's a lot of time for my muscles to recoup.

p.s. sorry if this post is disconnected and spacey. I'm dog tired. Definitely sleeping on the towel tonight. Best of luck "bruh". Later.

Used one tonight for the first time. Strange timing of the thread. Felt nice.

in truth if ya have a bulging disk .. better go get it removed .. i waited and now have major spinal problems .. go get it fixed .....

The only real solution to disc problems is stretching/physio sessions and muscle building as far as I'm concerned.

Also a good bed.

Removed? Removed then fused or what? Doesn't sound right to me, not natural. If my spine was meant to be fused, it would have come that way. I know there are some minimally invasive surgeries which people have had a lot of success with. Also, I guess I've heard that they now have synthetic discs they can replace your bad one with. Last resort though for me.

yes my bulging disk after many years of treatment finally broke and went into my spinal-cord cutting it .. leaving me with lots of health problems .. yes they removed the disk and fused the verts ... the result is inability to walk without a walker fluid control problems numbness from the lower back down but lots of pain in hips and above the L4-5 .. which is the same place mine went out ... so yes id highly advise gettin sumthing done before yopu end up like me ......