Neck Degenerative Disk Inversion Therapy

Degenerative disk disease is a condition in which the intervertebral disks in your spine become dehydrated, brittle or crack. While these are symptoms common with aging, some people are more prone to degenerative disk disease than others. Inversion therapy is a common method of spinal traction used by patients to elongate the spine and allow gravity to work on the spine in an opposite direction.

Determine If Inversion Therapy Is Suitable

• According to the Mayo Clinic's Dr. Randy A. Shelerud, inversion therapy doesn't provide long-lasting pain relief and poses serious health risks to certain individuals. When you are inverted, your heartbeat slows down while your blood pressure increases. This happens just minutes after being inverted, which places people with cardiovascular disease, glaucoma or high blood pressure at risk of serious complications from inversion therapy. Consult your doctor about whether inversion therapy is right for you.

Type of Inversion

• There are three basic methods of inversion therapy available. The first is to hang suspended from a horizontal bar using boots that hold you in place. Another is to use an inversion table where you get into position in a normal upright fashion and then tilt the table until you are either partially or completely inverted. A third uses a frame that inverts you similarly to the suspended version but provides support for your spine by flexing the hips and knees.

  Choosing an inversion therapy mode depends on your comfort level. The most popular method is an inversion table that allows you to lock your position at partially inverted and provides a grip bar or electronic method of righting your body when you are done.

Therapeutic Uses

• Keep in mind that using an inversion table is not proven to alleviate pain from degenerative disk disease in the long term. It does, however, help patients relax the spinal muscles and allow for a certain degree of decompression akin to a good stretch.

  If you are new to inversion therapy, have a friend help you and monitor you for the first few sessions. Limit the amount of time you spend inverted and possibly do only a partial inversion until you adjust to inverting. Some people use inversion tables and frames to do a core abdomen workout. Many who enjoy this therapy form do so for the decompression and temporary pain relief they feel afterward and do little more than hang relaxed for a few minutes daily.