Would you believe that for over 2000 years the medical community has been ignoring a time-tested and proven treatment for back pain?
As you've likely experienced, most doctors are too busy treating the symptoms of back pain with treatment like anti-inflammatory medications, electrical stimulation, ultrasound and cortisone injections, and they simply ignore what is one of the biggest factors that contributes to back pain.
This contributing factor is spinal compression...
What is Spinal Compression and What Causes It?
From the moment we are born, our bodies are at the mercy of gravity, a force that continuously creates pressure and stress on all of our muscles, bones, joints and ligaments.
By far, the part of the body that is affected most by gravity is the spine. The combination of gravity and muscle imbalances shove the vertebrae together, pressing on the discs.
The inner core of your discs consists of jelly-like material that acts like a shock absorber system, providing flexibility and cushioning when you are sitting, standing or exercising.
During your normal daily activities, gravity causes fluid to squeeze out of your discs into adjacent soft tissue. With less space between the discs, you lose some height.
When you sleep, some - but not all - of the fluid soaks back into the discs.
During a typical day, you can lose as much as three quarters inch in height! And because there's only a partial recovery at night, the average person loses a half inch to 2 inches in height by their senior years.
Insufficient distance between the vertebrae can result in nerve root pressure, which in turn causes pain.
To make matters worse, very often the pressure on the discs is not distributed evenly. Your discs were not designed to cope with such uneven pressure, and sooner or later it will be too much for them to withstand. The discs will bulge, herniate, causing spinal damage and likely, a life with chronic pain.
Even the slightest increase in spacing can be enough to allow a herniated disc to pop back into place or relieve pressure from a compressed nerve.
What is this mysterious treatment that has been proven effective but is being ignored?
Inversion therapy.
Inversion therapy is a method of treating back pain by diminishing the influence of gravity, reducing the compression of the vertebrae and discs and allowing the muscles and ligaments that encase the spine to relax.
This is typically performed on what's called an inversion table. The table allows you to lie on your back relaxed, in an inverted position. This position eliminates some or all gravitational compression, depending upon how far back you position your body.
While this advisory concentrates on whether or not inversion therapy helps alleviate back pain, we should mention other benefits people experience with a regular program of inversion:
Maintains your height. Regularly inverting will help you avoid the "shrinkage" others your age are showing because of the cumulative effect of gravity over a lifetime.
Improves circulation. When you're inverted, your body can circulate your blood aided by gravity rather than having to work against it. In addition, with inversion, gravity helps the lymphatic system clear faster, easing the aches and pains of stiff muscles.
Relieves stress. A full-body stretch feels rejuvenating! And the teeter inversion table makes that relaxation easier to attain than climbing on a jungle gym or taking a yoga class. Many people sleep better with regular inversion therapy.
Heightens mental alertness. Any upside-down activity increases the supply of oxygen to the brain, which many authorities believe helps you maintain mental sharpness.
Increases flexibility and range of motion. With inversion, your joints stay healthy and supple, so that you can easily remain as active as you were in your younger years.
Improves posture. The stretch that comes with reversing the direction of gravity helps you sit, stand and move with more ease and grace.
Realigns the spine after workouts. Running and other aerobic activities inevitably compress your spine, frequently unevenly. One-sided activities like golf or tennis often pull the spine out of alignment. During inversion, minor misalignment's often correct themselves naturally.
Author Resource:-
The Healthy Back Institute is recognized as one of the leading experts in the treatment of back, neck and sciatic pain. Take advantage of all the free back pain relief videos and articles at www.losethebackpain.com
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