Inversion anyone?

MrInsanePolack

MrInsanePolack

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Anyone use an inversion table for their back?

We get lighter hardware, smaller drums, comfy thrones, and exercise good posture while playing. How do y'all keep your back in tact otherwise? As I get older, my flexibility is diminishing in my back. Twenty years ago I could bend at the waist and put my palms flat on the floor. Now some days when I get up I can't even reach my feet to put my socks on. My physical stature is fine, 6' tall and 140lb. It isn't a weight thing.

I like the idea of inversion, using gravity and body weight to stretch the spine. But I'm hesitant to drop the coin on a table without knowing if it actually helps. Anyone have any experience at all, long term or short, with an inversion table? And did it do anything for your drumming, i.e. playing longer, less soreness, etc?
 
I like to hang from a pullup bar occasionally -- it feels good while I'm doing it, but I haven't done it enough to see if it would effect a change. It's a bit harder to hang onto a pullup bar than lie in an inversion table, but the investment is way lower.
IMO, you would get better results from strengthening your core -- abs and hips. I had back problems in my 20's and doing yoga fixed me right up. Now I'm almost 50 and I use deadlifts to snap everything in place.
It's your muscles that keep your spine in order. If you only lengthen your spine with an inversion table, your muscles are still the same so nothing is going to change. As soon as you get off the table your muscles will not prevent your spine from contracting again.
Regarding decreasing stiffness -- it's all part of aging I think. As we age, we produce less collagen. It sucks right?
 
Big fan of inversion tables here. When I work a long day doing electrical work, and gravity is weighing heavy on me...nothing makes me feel normal again like the inversion table. Within 5 minutes. I paid a little over a hundred dollars for it and yea they are great.
 
I wish I could I think it would be a great stretch of my spine and give some of my soft tissues a rest. Sadly I get positional vertigo so I just can't do it. I had vertigo and tinnitus about 2-3 years before ENT discovered a Cholesteatoma in my middle ear. He said it should be a minor surgery 30 minutes or so, but turns out it was the largest he'd ever seen (some two hours or so and had grown through temporal bone into my brain-yeah that explains a lot LOL). Well initially the tinnitus and vertigo went away completely and I "figured" as bad as mine was I should be immune to any ill effects now. Well within a few months I note certain positions just send me into a spin. That was over twenty years ago and I still get it-thankfully only minor tinnitus every once in a while. The vertigo though is dangerous navigating rough terrain or when I climbed trees deer hunting-always worried I could go into a tail spin and bust it. It really screwed up hearing in that ear-then about 15 years ago my good ear just started going bad and keeps progressing. It really pisses me off!!!!!!! I guess I'd rather be deaf than blind-I keep saying that nonsense to myself. My wife and I have talked about learning sign so we can communicate when I get to that point.
 
I wondered about inversion as well, and research showed me that one precaution is the person with high blood pressure need be careful. since the tables are expensive, I opted out.
 
I used to use one , but had to stop . My back has way to many problems to use one . Be careful if you have known injuries . Inversion can make it worse . Don’t use if you’ve got any heart ,circulation or eye problems like glaucoma , cataracts, or broken blood vessel problems in the eyes either . But if all’s good health wise I’d say go ahead . It did help me early on before I had more injuries to my back . Go slow ..... increase the angle week by week . Don’t just go full inverted right away it’s like anything else , you have to ease into it and get used to it, and start out at 5 min and increase by 5 min intervals every week or two to no more than I think it’s 15 or 20 min max of inversion . Like someone already stated , a strong core goes along way to easing back pain and increasing flexibility . Also Find and do back strengthening excercises you can find on line . And if your insurance covers it , try acupuncture and a good chiropractor ( they helped me immensely!). Good luck and definitely start taking care of and strengthening your back now if your having some light pain and stiffness, before it gets worse . I’ve been laid up for as much as two months , have had to occasionally walk with a cane ( when it goes out) , and have had times where I didn’t sleep for up to 3 days due to back pain from multiple injuries sustained in a 25 year career in law enforcement. I don’t wish back problems or pain on anyone . It can be some of the most severe pain ever , believe me I know ( I’ve been shot and stabbed ) and the back pain was worse ?. Good luck and be well ??
 
The best thing ice ever done for my back. If you decide to get one, go slow. It takes a few weeks to get to where you 1). Can invert all the way and 2). Don’t get vertigo. I’ve reduced my chiropractor visits to 1/4 or less than I used to. I have degenerated vertebrae, so no hope of getting better, but the table really helps keep things in check. I also have one of those neck/back massagers with rotating knuckles and heat you put your arms through and just enjoy the deep shiatsu beat down. Sometimes it takes both, but even with the two purchases, saving 4 chiropractic visits paid for them.
 
Back when I worked in a bike shop, Schwinn came out with “Gravity Boots” and I bought a pair. I securely attached a bar to the shop’s 9’ ceiling rafters from which to hang. It was total relief from standing all day in the shop. It’s totally worth a try.
 
Wow, lots more to consider than I thought.

I have a pull-up bar. Not sure if I can hang from it for very long though.

Vertigo, I get this. Elevators, trampolines, turning around too fast, anything really that is a sudden change in motion makes me slightly dizzy for a few seconds.

High blood pressure, I'm in a grey zone. My systolic is normal, my diastolic is a bit high, my resting heart rate is about 60bpm. It's always been like this, I think being tall and skinny might have something to do with it.

My eyes are horrible. No glaucoma or cateracts, but I'm super near sighted. My retinas are extremely stretched but still attached. I may have to research this more. Unlike Art, I'd rather be blind than deaf, but would rather be neither!

I don't want to start visiting a chiropractor. That seems like a lifelong journey. I'd really rather not have to start seeing one for the rest of my life.

That neck massager thing sounds cool. I imagine if I had one of those my wife would confiscate it for herself!

I'm down with buying used. Money isn't free and I don't have a lot of it.

Over50drumguy, glad you are still here. Being shot and stabbed doesn't always end well.

Gravity Boots, interesting. Not sure how I would feel about being upside down only relying on boots. Do they clamp to the bar or something?
 
Over50drumguy said:
You can find them used all day on Craigslist and such ??. Just like with drums , no need to buy new ..... unless you want to ??
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Only buy a Teeter. The rest don’t break away when inverted. That feature makes all the difference. Lots are for sale on CL, because they don’t work the same.
 
AzHeat said:
Only buy a Teeter. The rest don’t break away when inverted. That feature makes all the difference. Lots are for sale on CL, because they don’t work the same.
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Correct ??. Should have mentioned to get a teeter . That’s what I had .

MrInsanePolack said:
Wow, lots more to consider than I thought.

I have a pull-up bar. Not sure if I can hang from it for very long though.

Vertigo, I get this. Elevators, trampolines, turning around too fast, anything really that is a sudden change in motion makes me slightly dizzy for a few seconds.

High blood pressure, I'm in a grey zone. My systolic is normal, my diastolic is a bit high, my resting heart rate is about 60bpm. It's always been like this, I think being tall and skinny might have something to do with it.

My eyes are horrible. No glaucoma or cateracts, but I'm super near sighted. My retinas are extremely stretched but still attached. I may have to research this more. Unlike Art, I'd rather be blind than deaf, but would rather be neither!

I don't want to start visiting a chiropractor. That seems like a lifelong journey. I'd really rather not have to start seeing one for the rest of my life.

That neck massager thing sounds cool. I imagine if I had one of those my wife would confiscate it for herself!

I'm down with buying used. Money isn't free and I don't have a lot of it.

Over50drumguy, glad you are still here. Being shot and stabbed doesn't always end well.

Gravity Boots, interesting. Not sure how I would feel about being upside down only relying on boots. Do they clamp to the bar or something?
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Thanks , I’m glad I’m still here too lol !

Stay away from the boots , more accidents with those (for many reasons ). And your going into full inversion right away . Don’t think it’s for you with the dizziness and vertigo.

Yes definitely research .

If your pain and stiffness is minimal , start out with and alternating ice and heat regimen , stretching and exercises for abs and back muscles and see how it goes while you research if the inversion is right for you ( you’d more than likely be fine ) . There are many good exercises for mild to moderate pain and stiffness . Look up ..... pelvic tilt exercise . This is just one that I do . I’ve got a few that I do everyday and never miss a day . Everyone’s got 15 min ( minimum) a day , to do some of these . Give it some time before you move to inversion and find out more about it . You should still be stretching and exercising for your back even with inversion as just inversion is no substitute for a solid core and strong back muscles .
 
One more thing I’ve seen people do is not following instructions. Teeter, for example says to put the table at 5’11” if you’re 5’10”. Good info, but if you’re top heavy things can change. It’s why you use lower settings and figure out how and where the proper balance point is for you. I constantly read bad reviews saying it hurt me or I couldn’t get out...do not buy! Those people definitely should not have bought!
 
Another thing worth mentioning...if you have a big gut, it's more uncomfortable. I've been there, and it's much more pleasant without a huge overhang. It makes breathing more difficult. However, nice benefits can be had by just inverting to 60 degrees. It can be hard on the ankles too, totally upside down. A 60 degree angle is a non issue for the ankles. It's really good for the lymphatic system, and much more.

Here's a short article on the significant benefits of inversion. For those who can handle it of course.

erbaviva.com

Benefits of Inversion

For most of us, the amount of time we spend with our hearts above our heads is limited, but there are so many benefits associated with inversion therapy, we are turning our health regimens upside-down, literally. Inversion therapy is a technique that involves being upside down or at an angle...
erbaviva.com erbaviva.com
 
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cbphoto said:
My first time inverted, hanging by my gravity boots/ankles, I thought, “If I had weak stomach muscles I’d never escape!”
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I hear ya lol ! Years ago I was using an inverted type device for abs workout . I caught a cramp in my stomach and a muscle knot in my stomach muscle just under the ribs the size of a baseball left me hanging helpless upside down for a while . Every time I tried to pull my body up to get off the damn thing the cramp returned preventing my escape lol !
 
I've got the Teeter. I got it as a Christmas gift from my family. It actually sits right next to my drums.

I have to say, it feels good while I'm hanging, but I haven't noticed dramatic effects from using it. On rare occasions, I have felt like it increased pain in upper back/neck, but I am not positive it was the teeter. I have problems in that area anyway, and they can happen with no apparent cause, so it may have been coincidence. My back prefers full inversion, but it does hurt my ankles.

I'm lukewarm on it, I guess. It hasn't been any kind of miracle for me.
 
beatdat said:
There's nothing an inversion table can fix that yoga won't. You'd be surprised by what 20 minutes a day can do.
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Depends what the issue is. Yoga builds your core and helps steady the spine. It does little to nothing for decompression. You can get some decompression on a balance ball, but still nothing like hanging upside down. A combo of both may be even better. Everyone is different and will have to find what works.
 
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