Inversion therapy has been shown to reduce back pain and decrease the likelihood of back surgery for patients suffering from sciatic pain, degenerative disc disease and other acute back pain. But are there other potential benefits for inverting?
How Inverted Do I Need to be to Gain Benefits?
You may think inversion requires being completely upside down. And while that is certainly an option, inversion therapy can be beneficial at levels as small as 15 degrees. The key is having your head lower than your heart. This incline is what increases blood flow to the head.
Potential Cognitive and Brain Benefits of Inversion Therapy
Cognition, creativity, memory and other brain functions require a well-nourished brain. The brain is highly reliant on stasis and balance. Inversion therapy may help provide positive nutrients and flush out toxins.
The increase of blood flow to the brain, which results via inversion, boosts the brain’s supply of oxygen and nutrients, while stimulating the flushing of toxins. This surge to the brain may improve:
- Concentration
- Memory
- Observation
- Creativity
- Cognitive Thinking
Dr. Robert Martin, a chiropractor and medical doctor, noted that the brain operates 14 percent more accurately when operating at an inclined plane.
Mood and Stress Benefits of Inversion Tables
With that delightful surge of oxygen and nutrients to the brain comes a boosted dose of neurotransmitters and hormones, including serotonin and endorphins. This could improve your mood and even reduce symptoms of depression.
Inversion therapy may also counteract stress in a unique way… it’s fun! Similar to playing on the playground as a child, inversion mimics the carefree sensations of youth.
Health and Beauty Benefits of Inversion Tables
Dress for success. Dress for the job you want. Appearance matters. It’s not vain to look your best. It’s actually been scientifically proven repeatedly that you are more effective, efficient and productive in the tasks you undertake when you are confident in yourself. And that includes your appearance.
Inversion therapy can improve the condition of your skin, resulting in refreshed skin. When inverted, the increase of nutrients and oxygen from extra blood flow to the face flushes out toxins and provides a more youthful glow with plump, firm skin.
Inverting may also improve your posture. By providing relief from the pressure of gravity on your spine, you may feel elongated, carrying yourself straighter and even taller. (A cervical traction unit may also help with height.) Given the choice between a slumped posture or walking with the poise and carriage associated with Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, which would you choose?!
Stay Taller
As we age, the weight of time and gravity tends to compress our spines. The average person “shrinks” somewhere between .5 and 2 inches. The spinal fluid and the cushioned discs between the vertebrae can deteriorate and result in loss of height. These things may also contribute to hunching.
Inversion may relieve and reduce the compressing of the spine. Stretching and decompressing the spine, reversing the effects of gravity, may allow you to keep some of your initial height and reduce the likelihood of hunching.
Inversion Therapy Methods
There are a few ways to accomplish inversion therapy. Some yoga poses, such as assisted headstands, will provide the inverted position. Another method that may be more easily accomplished is the use of an Inversion Table. Inversion tables, such as the one available through BIPRI, allow you to invert to your degree of comfort easily.
At BIPRI, we are committed to providing tools, supplements and education to help you be at your cognitive best. Talk to your doctor to see if inversion therapy could benefit you.