Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Best Back Stretcher - The Inversion Table


So many people forget, or can not figure out how, to effectively stretch their largest muscle in their body - their back. What is the best way to do so? In my opinion, and according to many others, the best way to stretch your back is by inverting on a machine call an inversion table.

Why is an inversion table better than using some of the other back stretching tools (you know, the ones that look like a half-circle that you essentially lie down on, stretching your back the opposite way of bending over)? Simply put, because inverting effectively uses gravity to reverse the same force that has been pulling you and your back down and out of joint each and every day, even in your sleep. Don't get me wrong, the other back stretching machines are good, and I strongly encourage you to use them as well, but if I had to pick just one, then it would be the inversion table.

Inversion therapy does the following to help reduce back pain. Inversion therapy will help your back decompress as gravity pulls your back in the inverse as it normally does, effectively taking pressure of the discs and allowing them to widen. When this happens, the disc and soft tissue will rehydrate, essentially filling up with good nutrients which in turn reduces nerve and sciatic pressure, realigns your back, and relaxes those tense back muscles.

In addition, inversion therapy will also help you with many other benefits (such as increased oxygen flow to your brain, increased blood circulation to your heart, and helps recover height that is lost over time (the average person will shrink a few inches in their lifetime to due gravity).

So, while other back stretching machines are good for you, they will not do as many or the same things that an inversion table will, which is why I would strongly recommend the inversion table if you had to choose just one.

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