Does Inversion Therapy Work For Low Back Pain?

Inversion therapy is a treatment that involves anti-gravity. A person's feet are put into some sort of tight shoes, and the individual hangs upside down in search of pain relief. Does it work? Is it safe?

The theory behind inversion therapy is that it takes gravitational pressure off of the spinal anatomy such as nerve roots and intervertebral discs. The space between vertebrae is theoretically increased during anti-gravity inversion therapy. The treatment is in essence a form of spinal traction, with body weight providing the traction.

Inversion therapy has been found to be effective for short term back pain relief. There have been some well designed research studies evaluating it for long term relief. Unfortunately these studies have shown it to be ineffective for longer relief. In conjunction with a comprehensive treatment protocol for back pain, inversion therapy may fit in nicely to assist with pain relief.

When patients hang upside down for the inversion therapy, it may increase blood pressure. So for patients who have an issue with high blood pressure or heart disease, it should be avoided. Otherwise, it appears to be very safe.

The same risk factors hold true for glaucoma, which involves elevated intra-ocular pressure. This could be exacerbated with upside down inversion treatment.

Inversion therapy does not have to be 90 degrees, it may be done at less of an angle. Treatment may be achieved twice a day for 20 minutes at a time. Those who are new to inversion treatment should probably angle at 30 degrees to start for a few weeks until comfortable with the treatment. Most people do not need to go beyond 60 degrees to achieve full benefit.

Will inversion treatment help with a bulging disc? The answer is probably not. Yes inversion may pull arthritic joints and disc spaces apart, allowing patients to feel symptomatically better for a period. However, it is not like the intermittent traction with spinal decompression therapy where a negative pressure is created in the intervertebral disc. This negative pressure brings in increased nutrients and oxygen to the disc, allowing for potential healing.

Can inversion therapy help relieve sciatica pain? The answer is potentially yes. The reason is it can in fact pull the discs apart temporarily, which can relieve pain from a pinched nerve. But as mentioned, there is no real evidence that an inversion table sucks back in a herniated disc.

The bottom line is that inversion therapy may allow for short term back pain relief, but long term relief has not been seen. Sciatica pain relief may also be achieved, but as with back pain itself it may simply be short term.