| Medical
Studies on Inversion Therapy |
Every
medical study ever done that we know of that has
focused on the therapeutic value of inversion therapy
on people with disc problems - including ruptured
discs, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease
etc. have shown that inversion therapy has a positive
effect and can reduce the need for drugs and surgery.
Since 1980 our company has worked with orthopedic
surgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, sports
medicine doctors and other health professionals
and our experience confirms what the studies show.
If done properly (please read - Suggestions
For Getting Started) inversion therapy can have
a very beneficial value in reversing disc compression
and nerve impingement. |
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People
ask "If inversion therapy is so beneficial,
how come there are not more studies that prove it?"
www.energycenter.com
has been in the inversion field since 1980 and we
think there are very logical answers to this question.
If you look at the Newcastle
University Study you will see it was done at
the Newcastle General Hospital in the UK using a
Teeter Hang Ups Power II Inversion Table. The UK
has socialized medicine. This is important because
if the government can save money they will be willing
to do research on techniques that may be able to
avoid expensive procedures. In the U.S. medicine
is a profit oriented industry that may not always
look for solutions to problems if those solutions
reduce the need for expensive and maybe even dangerous
procedures. If you look into who funds much of the
medical research in the U.S. you will find it is
drug companies and other industries associated with
the medical establishment. Even government research
is tied in with the Medical Industrial Complex which
is similar in many ways to the Military Industrial
Complex - which President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned
us about. Western medicine has developed countless
miracle drugs and procedures. However, in many areas
of health and medicine simple non-invasive, inexpensive
techniques are not only overlooked and not researched
but may even be illegal. Medical doctors who look
into some of these techniques and promote them may
have their licenses revoked and even be imprisoned.
One only has to read a few books on cancer cures
the medical profession does not want you to know
about to become quite angry at what seems to be
going on. If this sounds like paranoia please see
the film 'Hoxey,
Quacks Who Cure Cancer'. Or learn a little about
the incredible suppression of the research into
alternative cancer cures suffered by Stanislaw
R. Burzynski, MD, PhD. These alternative therapies
may or may not be effective but when you read about
how vicious and aggressive the FDA, the AMA and
other agencies has been about suppressing even harmless
research into these alternatives you will see that
one Bill Of Rights our Founding Fathers should have
added was Medical Choice. The chiropractic profession
is often associated with medical alternatives. However,
it has been our experience that although there are
a small percentage of chiropractors that have been
using inversion therapy for decades to help their
patients, the chiropractic industry and chiropractic
colleges have willfully and intentionally ignored
this extraordinary therapy for more than 40 years
because it was perceived as a threat to their practices.
Dr. Robert Martin
a chiropractor himself was heavily promoting inversion
therapy in the 1970's. Instead of viewing it as
a benefit to their patients the chiropractic industry
viewed it as a threat to their incomes. It would
not have been seen as a threat if it did not work.
Now that they have the DRX 9000 and other decompression
machines where they can charge a lot for the therapy
they are promoting Decompression Therapy as one
of the greatest therapies ever developed. Well,
what do they think inversion therapy does? And we
know the chiropractic colleges knew about inversion
therapy going back at least to 1980 when our company
demonstrated it to some of the major colleges. Yet
we know that even to this day most chiropractic
colleges will not even mention it to their students.
Up until the late 1970's or so traction was still
very common in medical hospitals. Then everything
changed and drugs and surgery became the rage and
the medical profession who had been using weighted
decompressions
therapy commonly for hundreds or even thousands
of years all but forgot that simple traction
is often the best therapy for compressed disc problems.
Our company has heard from many people who had been
taking analgesics such as oxycontin, oxycodone,
percocet, percodan, dilaudid and other narcotics
and have been able to reduce their pain enough using
inversion therapy to wean themselves from these
drugs. One person we spoke with got such rapid pain
relieving results from her inversion table that
she had to be hospitalized to get off the narcotic
drugs she was addicted to for her pain. Even Dr.
Dean Edel who has a national radio program and says
he follows the evidence and research is amazingly
naive about the benefits of traction and inversion
therapy. It is stunning to those in the field of
inversion therapy who have been seeing the benefits
to those suffering with compressed discs, degenerative
discs, ruptured discs and other issues being helped
by inversion therapy and then to hear Dr. Dean Edel
on the radio say the research shows the decompression
therapy, traction therapy and inversion therapy
are no better that just letting time pass and the
problem will just go away. The amazing ignorance
of this attitude makes us question the veracity
of Dr. Dean Edel's other positions on serious health
issues. Tens or hundreds of thousands of people
have avoided surgery (or avoided their next surgery),
been able to get off narcotics and in other ways
improved the quality of their lives using inversion
therapy and someone as well read as Dr. Dean Edel
is telling millions of people that it does not work.
We at energycenter.com
have worked with orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists,
chiropractors, sports medicine doctors and other
health professionals since 1980. And talk with speak
with people who have received magnificent results
using inversion tables as well as those recommended
to our company by people who swear by inversion
therapy. For about 30 years we have witnessed in
our showrooms and in doctors offices and well as
results on x-rays and MRI's that when Dr. Dean Edel
and others question the effectiveness of this simple,
logical, inexpensive, safe and effective therapy
we feel they are doing a grave disservice to those
suffering with this problem. Disc herniations, sciatica
etc. are largely a mechanical problem - COMPRESSION
and inversion therapy is a mechanical solution -
DECOMPRESSION that if done
properly and safely can have amazing results.
If used in conjunction with proper
exercises to balance and stabilize the pelvic region
the results can be effective and long lasting. We
have been hearing about the fantastic results people
are having with inversion therapy nearly every single
day since 1980. Now that the military
is actively using inversion therapy we have
had reports from soldiers being able to get back
on their feet after a back or neck injury that otherwise
would have ended their careers. We at energycenter.com
have seen inversion therapy help MMA fighters with
back and neck injuries as well. So those who state
categorically that it does not help are either intentionally
deceiving people or have not done proper research.
In 30 years we have not heard
of or read one single inversion therapy study that
did not show positive results. |
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Sheffield,
F.: Adaptation of Tilt Table for Lumbar Traction.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 45: 469-472, 1964.
175 patients who were unable to work due to back
pain were treated. After eight inversion treatments,
155 patients were able to return to their jobs full
time. Study concluded that the main basis for improvement
was the stretching of paraspinal vertebral muscles
and ligaments and possibly the widening of intravertebral
discs.
Study found significant improvements in a variety
of diagnosis including spondylolisthesis, herniated
discs, lumbar osteoarthritis with sciatica, and
coccygodynia. Patient experienced traction in a
modified hip flexed position.
It is worth noting that previous to his use of inversion
therapy, Dr. Sheffield regularly used mechanical
traction with weights and pulleys. He considered
inverted traction much more effective than mechanical
traction. |
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Nosse,
L.: Inverted Spinal Traction. Arch Phys Med Rehabil
59: 367-370,
Aug 78.
Study found emg activity (an indicator of muscle
pain) declined 35% within the first 10 seconds of
inversion. Study found that inversion increases
the spinal length. Study concluded there is a correlation
between a reduction in emg activity and an increase
in spinal length. |
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Gianakopoulos,
G, et al: Inversion Devices: Their Role in Producing
Lumbar Distraction. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 66: 100-102,
Feb 85.
Study found all subjects experienced intravertebral
separation in the lower lumbar vertebrae. Study
concluded that although mechanical traction has
been used for centuries, only gravity assisted traction
(inversion) offers an effective means of achieving
pelvic traction at home. |
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Ballantyne,
Byron, et al: The Effects of Inversion Traction
on Spinal Column Configuration, Heart Rate, Blood
Pressure, and Perceived Discomfort. Jour of Orthopedic
Sports Phys Ther. 254-260, Mar 86.
Study concluded that inversion can be an effective
means of spinal traction. Subjects inverting in
the hip flexed position experienced greater separation
between the lumbar vertebrae. |
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Kane,
M, et al: Effects of Gravity-facilitated Traction
on Intravertebral Dimensions of the Lumbar Spine.
Jour of Orthopedic and Sports Phys Ther. 281-288,
Mar 85.
Study found gravity-facilitated traction (inversion),
produces significant intravertebral separation in
lumbar spine. Study concluded gravity facilitated
traction may be an effective modality in the relief
of low back pain. |
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Goldman,
R, et al: The Effects of Oscillating Inversion on
Systemic Blood Pressure, Pulse, Intraocular Pressure,
and Central Retinal Arterial Pressure. The Physician
and Sports Medicine. 13: 93-96, Mar 85.
Study concluded that full inversion using oscillation
procedure presents no risk to normotensive healthy
subjects. |
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Dimberg,
L, et al: Effects of gravity-facitliated traction
of the lumbar spine in persons with chronic low
back pain at the workplace.
116 people were enrolled in the randomized controlled
trial which lasted for 12 months. A randomized controlled
trial with two training groups and one control group
was conducted to asses the effect of gravity inversion
on pain level and absenteeism due to LBP. Average
age = 44 years. 77% men
Group 1: used inversion for 10 minutes 1/day
Group 2: used inversion for 10 minutes 2/day
Group 3: control group
Results after 12 months of training program: 1.
The employees in Group 1 and 2 decreased sick days
due to back pain by 33%. 2. Average sick days to
due back pain fell by 8 days per individual in the
treated group. 3. "Inversion is an efficient
and cheap way to improve employee health and possibly
reduce sick day costs to the employer." |
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Nachemson,
Alf, et al: Intravital Dynamic Pressure Measurements
in Lumbar Discs. 1970.
Study measured internal disc pressure (in the 3rd
lumbar disc) through a range of activities, including
standing, sitting, bending and vertical and supine
traction. The study suggests that a traction load
of 60% body weight is sufficient to reduce the residual
pressure of 25% standing body weight to zero. |
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After
several years of evaluation, the US Army Physical
Fitness School has decided to incorporate Inversion
into its world-wide physical training doctrine.
The Army Rangers at Fort Benning, GA use gravity
boots to invert, "reversing" the damage
done to their bodies during their demanding training.
To them, Inversion represents the "Quiet Side
of Fitness"-a restorative fitness tool to help
decompress and mobilize joints to prevent injuries.
Soldiers use gravity boots to stretch while inverted,
moving joints through their full range of motion.
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Medical
Studies on the 90/90 Inverted Position
As
in using the DEX • decompression & extensionTM
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Vernon,
H.: Inversion therapy: a study of physiological
effects. The Journal of CCA 29: 138-140. Sep 85.
Study found a general reduction of emg (an indicator
of muscle pain) after three minutes of inversion.
Study found the flattening of the lumbar spine involved
a stretching of spinal muscles and ligaments which
lead to a 25% increase in forward spinal flexion.
Study found significant intravertebral separation
(posterior and anterior). Study concluded that an
inversion chair may be sufficient to reduce the
majority of intravertebral disc protrusions.
Study concluded that the cardiovascular system (heart
rate and blood pressure) remained stable through
three minutes of seated partial inversion. Authors
conclude this stability is due to the full comfort
and support of the chair during partial inversion.
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Meshino,
J.: The Role of Spinal Inverted Traction in Chiropractic
Practice. ACA Journal of Chiropractic 18:63-68,
Feb 84.
Study stated the hip flexed position facilitates
lumbar traction by flattening the lumbar spine and
decreasing the loading effect of the psoas muscle
on the lumbar spine during traction.
Study stated inversion therapy is preferred over
mechanical traction because there is no need for
a constricting harness and the safe and simple operation
of an inversion chair allows the patient to administer
traction.
Study stated inversion helps to negate the effect
of gravity on the spinal column. Study stated inversion
offers promise as a form of prevention, maintenance,
and therapy. |
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For
more in-depth study on back pain, sciatica,
scoliosis etc. see the research work of Nachemson:
National Center for Biotechnology Information
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Click
Here |
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