Teeter Tables, Inversion Tables, Gravity Boots - back exercises for lower back pain

A Buyers Guide to Inversion Tables, Gravity Inverters & Gravity Boots

Inversion tables or gravity inverters as they are sometimes called and Gravity Boots have long been associated with helping relieve lower back pain. You could say that they provide a form of exercise for lower back pain. They work by hanging you upside down which helps stretch and relax the back muscles, at the same time as realigning the spine and the body. One only needs a few minutes everyday at a shallow angle of 20 degrees to begin to feel the benefits. This treatment of back pain is well established. They also help with circulation and some say assist in flushing the Lymph system.

Buying your Inversion Table

It is important that you choose a good quality Inversion table, after all you are putting your trust into something that is hanging you upside down. There are quite a few on the market but Teeter tables are the market leader.

What To Look For in an Inversion Table

The frame of the inversion table has to be stable. The foot clamp that is the only thing that holds you in place when upside down needs to secure you firmly but still be comfortable. Its no good trying to relieve the symptoms of back pain if you then go and replace it with pain in the feet and ankles. You need an inversion table that is easy to rotate and come back up from the hanging position. This comes down to how well the inversion table is balanced. Just a slight movement of an arm over your chest or above your head should slowly move the table one way or another. Teeter now make an electric table that takes the guess work and anxiety out of rotating backwards by moving the table in small degrees at the push of a button. Most inversion tables and all the non motorised Teeter tables fold for storage.

What To Look For in Gravity Boots

If you cannot stretch to the cost of an inversion table there is always the option of a pair of gravity boots. Gravity boots are not boots but are calf clamps with a hook on them which hooks over a bar or frame. Teeter sell a specifically designed frame which is much safer than using a chinning bar, which is the most popular choice. Gravity boots stretch the back just like an inversion table but a word of warning. You have to hang completely upside down, there are no in-between angles. They are not as comfortable as a table as there is no back rest and finally getting in and out of position is difficult and may exacerbate your lower back pain. They are probably best used by people who have not yet developed back pain and are looking for prevention rather
than the treatment of back pain.